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The Chincha Islands () are a group of three small
The largest of the islands, ''Isla Chincha Norte'', is long and up to wide, and rises to a height of . ''Isla Chincha Centro'' is almost the same size as its neighbour to the north, while ''Isla Chincha Sur'' is half the size of its neighbours. The islands are mostly
Islas Chincha (1865 map)Islas Chincha
{{Authority control Pacific islands of Peru Guano trade Landforms of Ica Region
island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
s off the southwest coast of Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
, to which they belong, near the town of Pisco
Pisco is a colorless or yellowish-to-amber colored brandy produced in winemaking regions of Peru and Chile. Made by distilling fermented grape juice into a high-proof spirit, it was developed by 16th-century Spanish settlers as an alternative ...
. Since pre-Incan
The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admi ...
times they were of interest for their extensive guano
Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. ...
deposits, but the supplies were mostly exhausted by 1874.
Geography
The largest of the islands, ''Isla Chincha Norte'', is long and up to wide, and rises to a height of . ''Isla Chincha Centro'' is almost the same size as its neighbour to the north, while ''Isla Chincha Sur'' is half the size of its neighbours. The islands are mostly granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies underg ...
, and bordered with cliffs on all sides, upon which great numbers of seabirds nest.
History
The Chincha islands were once the residence of the Chincha people, but only a few remains are to be found today. Peru began the export of guano in 1840. Spain, not having recognized Peru's independence (it was not to do so until 1879) and desiring the guano profits, occupied the islands in April 1864, setting off theChincha Islands War
The Chincha Islands War, also known as Spanish–South American War ( es, Guerra hispano-sudamericana), was a series of coastal and naval battles between Spain and its former colonies of Peru, Chile, Ecuador, and Bolivia from 1865 to 1879. The ...
(1864–1866).
The islands were featured in a 1854 book by American author George Washington Peck titled ''Melbourne, and the Chincha Islands: With Sketches of Lima, and a Voyage Round the World''. The book chronicled Peck's time spent in the Australian city of Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metrop ...
, as well as the Chincha Islands.See also
* Chinese coolies in the Chincha IslandsReferences
External links
Islas Chincha (1865 map)
{{Authority control Pacific islands of Peru Guano trade Landforms of Ica Region