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Puno (Aymara language and ) is a city in southeastern Peru, located on the shore of Lake Titicaca. It is the capital city of the eponymous Puno Province and Puno Region; in 2017, it had a population of 135,288 (2017 census). The city was established in 1668 by viceroy Pedro Antonio Fernández de Castro as capital of the province of Paucarcolla with the name San Juan Bautista de Puno. The name was later changed to San Carlos de Puno, in honor of king Charles II of Spain. Puno has several churches dating back from the colonial period; they were built to service the Spanish population and evangelize the Quechua people.
Puno is situated between the shores of Lake Titicaca and the mountains surrounding the city. Less than two miles of flat land lie between the shores and the foothills, which has caused the growing city to continue to expand upwards onto the hillsides. As a result, the town's less developed and poorest areas, which are high on the hillsides, often have very steep streets, which are generally unpaved and cannot be accessed by automobile. Up one of these streets is the Kuntur Wasi viewpoint, which has a large metal sculpture of a condor. Some 700 steps must be climbed to reach the sculpture.
Puno's access to Lake Titicaca is surrounded by 41 floating islands. To this day, the Uros people maintain and live on these man-made islands, depending on the lake for their survival, and are a large tourist destination. Dragon boat racing, an old tradition in Puno, is a very popular activity among tourists.
Puno is the first major hub in the constant migration of indigenous peoples of the Andes to the larger cities of Peru. It is the largest city in the southern Altiplano and is the recipient of new residents from surrounding smaller agricultural communities of people seeking better opportunities for education and employment. As such, Puno is served by several small institutes of technology, education, and other technical or junior college-type facilities. Additionally, it is home to the Universidad Nacional del Altiplano de Puno (UNAP), which was founded in 1856.
As Puno is located at such a high elevation, it experiences more extreme weather conditions than would be expected for its tropical latitude. The average annual temperature is about , and the weather never gets overly warm. During the winter from June to August, night-time temperatures usually drop below . At this high altitude, the rays of the sun are very strong. Most of the annual precipitation falls during the Southern Hemisphere summer, with the winters being very dry.
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