Madre de Dios Department

The Madre de Dios Department extends across 111,933 square kilometers of Amazon rainforest, with elevations ranging from 150 to 4,000 meters above sea level.

The region remained largely autonomous until the rubber industry expansion in the early 1900s brought settlers who established formal borders and displaced indigenous communities.

Several indigenous groups, including the Ese-eja, Yine, Matsigenka, and Harakbut peoples, maintain their traditional ways of life within the protected areas of the department.

Rivers serve as primary transportation routes between communities, with Puerto Maldonado functioning as the main entry point for accessing the department's natural reserves.

The department contains Manu National Park, where uncontacted indigenous groups still live in isolation within one of Earth's most biologically diverse regions.

Location: Peru

Capital city: Puerto Maldonado

Shares border with: Ucayali Department, Puno Department, Cusco Department, Acre, Pando Department, La Paz Department

GPS coordinates: -11.99000,-70.59000

Latest update: May 26, 2025 19:52