La Oroya

La Oroya on the map of Peru

La Oroya is the capital of the district of La Oroya and the province Yauli ( Junín Region ) in the Peruvian Andes. Has the urban settlement in the district of La Oroya about 20,000 inhabitants ( agglomeration population of 40,000; including Santa Rosa de Sacco, Paccha, Yauli ) and lies at an altitude of 3,750 meters, about 180 kilometers northeast of Lima. La Oroya covers an area of ​​approximately 388.42 km ².

Etymology

The local tradition, according to the name " La Oroya " comes from a kind of suspension bridge over the Río Mantaro. If you want to cross this suspension bridge, take his belongings easiest way in a kind of basket. These baskets, which are used in the area, called " Oroyas ".

Mining

The city is considered the mining center of Peru. The rock around the city is riddled with lead, copper, zinc and silver. The mining companies Centromin Peru and Doe Run Perú vacate annually about 600,000 tons of rock from the mountains, from each of which about 55,000 tons of metals are leached with sulfuric acid.

Already since 1922, is mined copper in La Oroya, the lead production began in 1928 and the recovery of zinc in 1952. Since 1950 were also found gold and silver, and there is a large amount of valuable by-products.

The waste water from the cottages are contaminated with heavy metals, the exhaust gases containing sulfur, enriched with lead, arsenic and cadmium. Precipitates form here to a considerable extent acid rain, which just like the Río Mantaro loaded the potential growing areas around the city, where the drinking water sources of capital arise. According to a study by the University of San Luis (Missouri, USA) on behalf of the World Health Organization 7 of 10 children examined 20-40 micrograms of lead per deciliter had in the blood. Asthma, bronchial disorders and kidney and nervous disorders are widespread in the population. La Oroya was in October 2006 and again selected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Blacksmith Institute as one of the ten most polluted places in the world in 2007.

Transport links

La Oroya is also a railway junction with the three main lines of the Ferrocarril Central Andino SA, ending in Lima and Callao on the Pacific Coast, and in Cerro de Pasco and Huancayo in the mountains. The line to Huancayo was built in the 1880s by the American Henry Meiggs and was until 2005 the highest standard gauge railway in the world with an apex at 4,781 m above sea level at La Galera. The importance of the rail link is, however, considerably decreased at greater distances are currently operating (2005) weekly tourist trains on the peak height.

In addition, the Peruvian street in the center in the direction of Huancayo, the regional capital goes through La Oroya.

Tourism

La Oroya is also home to one of the highest in South America fireplaces.

The city is strongly influenced by a single long stretch of road with simple corrugated iron huts, as well as waste dumps. On the road from La Oroya from the 4,700 meter high mountain pass Ticlio achieve. In La Oroya is also the highest golf course in the world.

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