| Native name | Qusqu (Aymara and Quechua) |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 13.26°S 72.11°W |
| Country | Peru |
| Established date | April 26, 1822 |
| Capital | Cusco |
| P 1 | Acomayo |
| P 2 | Anta |
| P 3 | Calca |
| P 4 | Canas |
| P 5 | Canchis |
| P 6 | Chumbivilcas |
| P 7 | Cusco |
| P 8 | Espinar |
| P 9 | La Convención |
| P 10 | Paruro |
| P 11 | Paucartambo |
| P 12 | Quispicanchi |
| P 13 | Urubamba |
| Governor | Jean Paul Benavente García [1] |
| Unit pref | Metric |
| Area total | 71986 km² |
| Elevation | 3399 m |
| Elevation max | 4801 m |
| Elevation min | 532 m |
| Population total | 1380600 |
| Population as of | 2022 |
| Population demonym | cusqueño/a |
| UBIGEO | 08 |
| Dialing code | 0484 |
| Iso code | PE-CUS |
| Website | www.regioncusco.gob.pe/ |
| Principal resources | Gold, maize, barley, quinoa, and tea |
| Poverty rate | 20.3% |
| Percentage of Peru's GDP | 4.4% |
Cusco, also spelled Cuzco (ˈkusko; Aymara and Quechua: Qusqu ˈqɔsqɔ), is a department of Peru. It is the fourth-largest in the country, after Madre de Dios, Ucayali, and Loreto, and borders the departments of Ucayali on the north; Madre de Dios and Puno on the east; Arequipa on the south; and Apurímac, Ayacucho and Junín on the west. It is administered by a regional government. Its capital is Cusco, the historical capital of the Inca Empire.[2]
History
The department was created by the Reglamento Provisional de Elecciones, published on April 26, 1822, which established the department of Cuzco alongside those of Arequipa, Huamanga, Huancavelica and Puno.[3]
Geography
The plain of Anta contains some of the best communal cultivated lands of the Department of Cusco. It is located about 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) above sea level and is used to cultivate mainly high altitude crops such as potatoes, tarwi (edible lupin), barley and quinoa.[citation needed]
Provinces
- Acomayo (Acomayo)
- Anta (Anta)
- Calca (Calca)
- Canas (Yanaoca)
- Canchis (Sicuani)
- Chumbivilcas (Santo Tomás)
- Cusco (Cusco)
- Espinar (Yauri)
- La Convención (Quillabamba)
- Paruro (Paruro)
- Paucartambo (Paucartambo)
- Quispicanchi (Urcos)
- Urubamba (Urubamba)
Languages
According to the 2007 Peru Census, the language learnt first by most of the residents was Quechua (51.40%), followed by Spanish (46.86%). The Quechua variety spoken in this department is Cusco Quechua.
The following table shows the results concerning the language learnt first in the Department of Cusco by province:[4]
| Province | Quechua | Aymara | Asháninka | Another native language | Spanish | Foreign language | Deaf or mute | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acomayo | 22,262 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 3,117 | - | 52 | 25,449 |
| Anta | 36,512 | 42 | 3 | 10 | 15,248 | 8 | 132 | 51,955 |
| Calca | 43,008 | 101 | 4 | 117 | 18,128 | 13 | 142 | 61,513 |
| Canas | 32,790 | 31 | 6 | 11 | 2,910 | - | 40 | 35,788 |
| Canchis | 53,695 | 107 | 5 | 7 | 37,702 | 2 | 120 | 91,638 |
| Chumbivilcas | 64,087 | 102 | 9 | 1 | 6,063 | 2 | 104 | 70,368 |
| Cusco | 63,675 | 781 | 94 | 306 | 282,610 | 1,521 | 466 | 349,453 |
| Espinar | 40,594 | 120 | 8 | 1 | 18,116 | 6 | 71 | 58,916 |
| La Convención | 62,145 | 276 | 2,802 | 9,278 | 81,111 | 120 | 318 | 156,050 |
| Paruro | 26,707 | 53 | 5 | 1 | 2,192 | 1 | 42 | 29,001 |
| Paucartambo | 35,996 | 95 | 15 | 207 | 5,682 | 9 | 65 | 42,069 |
| Quispicanchi | 57,587 | 152 | 11 | 12 | 18,562 | 20 | 86 | 76,430 |
| Urubamba | 27,523 | 104 | 4 | 9 | 25,075 | 823 | 68 | 53,606 |
| Total | 566,581 | 1,976 | 2,968 | 9,964 | 516,516 | 2,525 | 1,706 | 1,102,236 |
| % | 51.40 | 0.18 | 0.27 | 0.90 | 46.86 | 0.23 | 0.15 | 100.00 |
Toponyms
Many of the toponyms of the Department of Cusco originate from Quechua and also Aymara. These names are overwhelmingly predominant throughout the region. Their Spanish-based orthography, however, is in conflict with the normalised alphabets of these languages. According to Article 20 of Decreto Supremo No 004-2016-MC (Supreme Decree) which approves the Regulations to Law 29735, published in the official newspaper El Peruano on July 22, 2016, adequate spellings of the toponyms in the normalised alphabets of the indigenous languages must progressively be proposed with the aim of standardising the naming used by the National Geographic Institute The National Geographic Institute realises the necessary changes in the official maps of Peru.[5]
The Ministry of Culture additionally proposes to the municipalities of the provinces to recover ancient indigenous toponyms and that these names should be spread by the local and communal authorities on posters and other signage.[5]
Notable residents
- Raul Geller (born 1936), Peruvian-Israeli footballer
See also
- Administrative divisions of Peru
- Machiguenga Communal Reserve
- Megantoni National Sanctuary
- Otishi National Park
Sources
- ^ "Gobernador Regional del Cusco". Gobierno Regional del Cusco. Gobierno Regional del Cusco. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- ^ "Official page (in Spanish)". Archived from the original on 2009-03-06. Retrieved 2009-03-27.
- ^ "¿Qué se celebra el 26 de abril y por qué es importante para cinco departamentos peruanos?". Andina. 2025-04-26.
- ^ inei.gob.pe Archived January 27, 2013 at the Wayback Machine INEI, Peru, Censos Nacionales 2007
- ^ "Decreto Supremo que aprueba el Reglamento de la Ley N° 29735, Ley que regula el uso, preservación, desarrollo, recuperación, fomento y difusión de las lenguas originarias del Perú, Decreto Supremo N° 004-2016-MC". Archived from the original on October 29, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2017.