Junín

Department in the central highlands of Peru; area 44,197 km/17,064 sq mi; population (1996) 1,133,183. Junín is subdivided into seven provinces, the easternmost of which extends into the tropical valleys of the upper Amazon river system. The capital is Huancayo. The department is also crossed by the Cordillera Central and the Cordillera Occidental of the Andes, and contains vast tracts of windswept plateau, where sheep and alpacas are grazed. Potatoes and barley are intensively cultivated in the higher parts, and coffee, timber, and tropical fruits come from the hot Chanchamayo and Satipo areas. Some of Peru's most important mines are in Junín, notably those at Casapalca and Morococha. Lead, zinc, copper, bismuth, tungsten, antimony, and many other minerals are extracted. There is a smelting complex at La Oroya.

The world's highest station on a standard-gauge railway (4,818 m/15,807 ft) is situated in Juníin, at La Cima (Ticlio) on the Peruvian Central Railway.