Peruvian Amazon Frontier Town Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios by Andrea Chavez

Peruvian Amazon Frontier Town Puerto Maldonado located in the Madre de Dios Region, Southeastern Peru

Puerto Maldonado, the capital of Madre de Dios Region, is located in Southeastern Peru in the Amazon forest close to the Bolivian and Brazilian borders. It is an Amazon forest frontier town along the newly-paved Inter-Oceanic Highway, which links the Brazilian state of Acre with Peru. Madre de Dios comprises part of the tri-national “MAP” frontier, constituted by Madre de Dios (Peru), Acre (Brazil), and Pando (Bolivia). Two important rivers, the Tambopata and Madre de Dios River meet in Puerto Maldonado. Several globally relevant primary rain forest, Manú National Park, Tambopata National Reserve, and Bahuaja-Sonene National Park are in close proximity. Puerto Maldonado is therefore called the “capital of the biodiversity”. The climate is hot and humid. The average annual temperature is 26 °C (79 °F), the wet season is from October to April. Major economic activities include gold mining, logging, Brazil nut collection, and eco-tourism.