AREQUIPA, a coast department of southern Peru, sur rounded by the departments of Ica, Ayacucho, Apurimac, Cusco, Puno and Moquehua (area 21,952 sq.m. ; estimated pop. 360,000). The department includes an arid coastal zone traversed by deeply entrenched rivers, and a barren, mountainous region including a series of great volcanoes with spurs projecting toward the coast, between which are numerous fertile valleys watered by mountain streams. Crops include cotton, rice, sugar-cane, wheat, alfalfa, maize, barley, potatoes; also fruits and wine. Live stock is raised in the upper valleys. The mountains are rich in minerals, largely unexploited, and valuable deposits of borax are located at Salinas about 5om. N. of the capital. The chief port is Mollendo, a partially-sheltered, artificial cove. In spite of primitive living conditions, there are 7,00o to 8,000 inhabitants, mostly employes of importing and exporting houses, commission merchants, ship ping agents, etc. The Southern railway runs, via Arequipa, to Puno on Lake Titicaca, a distance of 325m., connecting there by steamer with a railway to La Paz, Bolivia. Mollendo is second only to Callao in imports, one-third of which go to Bolivia. The greatest need of the department is roads, of which there are 600m. already finished and 3oom. under construction.