The ''Mar de Grau'' () is the official name for the body of water in the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

under the control of the

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

n country of

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

. This body of water extends in length approximately 3,079.50 km, from the parallel of the Boca de Capones in northern Peru to the parallel of the ''Punto Concordia'' and the parallel in front of the city of

Tacna Tacna, officially known as San Pedro de Tacna, is a city in southern Peru and the regional capital of the Tacna Region. A very commercially active city, it is located only north of the border with Arica y Parinacota Region from Chile, inland f ...

in southern Peru. In terms of width, the maritime zone extends from the Peruvian coast to 200

nautical mile A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude at t ...

s (370.4 km) into the Pacific Ocean.

Name

This maritime domain was officially named on May 24, 1984, in honor of

Miguel Grau Seminario Miguel María Grau Seminario (27 July 1834 – 8 October 1879) was a Peruvian Navy officer and politician best known for his actions during the War of the Pacific. He was nicknamed "Gentleman of the Seas" for his kind and chivalrous treatment ...

, a Peruvian military officer described in Peru and

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

as a hero from the

War of the Pacific The War of the Pacific (), also known by War of the Pacific#Etymology, multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Treaty of Defensive Alliance (Bolivia–Peru), Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought over Atacama Desert ...

fought against

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

. During the war, Grau led the defense of the Peruvian and Bolivian coasts by holding off the Chilean Navy for six consecutive months, ultimately dying at sea amidst the decisive Battle of Angamos.

References

Bibliography

* ''El Perú en los tiempos antiguos'', Julio R. Villanueva Sotomayor, Empresa Periodística Nacional SAC, Lima, y Quebecor World Perú S.A. 2001. * ''El Perú en los tiempos modernos'', Julio R. Villanueva Sotomayor, Empresa Periodística Nacional SAC, Lima, y Quebecor World Perú S.A. 2002. * ''Atlas del Perú'', Juan Augusto Benavides Estrada, Editorial Escuela Nueva, Lima. 1995. * ''Historia de la República del Perú 822-1933', Jorge Basadre Grohmann, Orbis Ventures SAC, 1939, 2005, Lima. . *

External links

Marina de Guerra del Perú

Noticiero sobre tratados limítrofes con Chile Parte 1

Noticiero sobre tratados limítrofes con Chile Parte 2

Decreto Supremo Nº 781 del Perú de 1947

La frontera marítima en la región sur del Perú
{{List of seas Pacific Ocean Bodies of water of Peru

Name

See also

References

Bibliography

External links