Parinacota, Chile facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Parinacota
|
|
|---|---|
|
Hamlet
|
|
Church at Parinacota
|
|
 Parinacota
Location in Arica y Parinacota
Parinacota
Location in Chile
|
|
| Country |  Chile |
| Region |  Arica y Parinacota |
| Province | Parinacota |
| Elevation | 4,400 m (14,400 ft) |
| Population
(2012)
|
29 |
| Climate | ET |
Parinacota is a small village, also called a hamlet, located high up in the Andes mountains of Chile. It's part of the Arica and Parinacota Region and is found within the Lauca National Park. As of 2012, only 29 people lived there.
Contents
Where is Parinacota Located?
Parinacota is situated in the highlands of Chile. It sits at a very high elevation of about 4,400 meters (14,436 feet) above sea level. This makes it one of the highest villages in the region. It is close to the small town of Putre.
The Historic Church of Parinacota
The village is famous for its old church. This church was built way back in the 17th century. It has a main hall with two smaller chapels on the sides.
Building Materials and Design
The church walls are made from stone and clay. Strong arches built from stones without mortar help support the walls. The floor inside is made of bricks, with a special stone path down the middle.
Changes Over Time
When the church was first built, it didn't have a choir area. Later, a choir section was added without a railing. Sadly, when this was built, an important painting called the Last Judgment was damaged.
The Church's Exterior
Outside the church, there's a courtyard surrounded by a clay wall. On this wall, you can see several figures made from red stone. The church also has a square tower. This tower was rebuilt in 1789 and painted white.
Understanding Parinacota's Climate
Parinacota has an alpine climate. This means it's very cold because it's so high up in the mountains.
Temperature Swings
One interesting thing about its climate is the big difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures. This is called high diurnal temperature variation. Even though the days can be cool, the nights are freezing all year round. During the dry season, from April to November, it gets extremely cold at night.
Rainfall and Seasons
Parinacota doesn't get much rain. Almost all the rain falls between December and March. For the rest of the year, from April to November, there's hardly any rain at all. It only gets about 20 millimeters (less than an inch) of rain during those eight months.
| Climate data for Parinacota | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 13.5 (56.3) |
13.1 (55.6) |
13.0 (55.4) |
12.7 (54.9) |
10.8 (51.4) |
9.3 (48.7) |
8.8 (47.8) |
10.2 (50.4) |
11.3 (52.3) |
13.3 (55.9) |
13.9 (57.0) |
13.9 (57.0) |
12.0 (53.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.4 (41.7) |
5.4 (41.7) |
4.8 (40.6) |
3.5 (38.3) |
1.3 (34.3) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
1.8 (35.2) |
3.1 (37.6) |
4.3 (39.7) |
5.1 (41.2) |
2.7 (36.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −2.7 (27.1) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
−3.4 (25.9) |
−5.7 (21.7) |
−8.2 (17.2) |
−11.2 (11.8) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
−10.5 (13.1) |
−7.6 (18.3) |
−7.1 (19.2) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
−3.7 (25.3) |
−6.5 (20.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 103 (4.1) |
90 (3.5) |
54 (2.1) |
7 (0.3) |
0 (0) |
2 (0.1) |
1 (0.0) |
1 (0.0) |
2 (0.1) |
2 (0.1) |
5 (0.2) |
33 (1.3) |
300 (11.8) |
| Source: climate-data.org | |||||||||||||
See also
In Spanish: Parinacota (localidad) para niños
