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Glite Dictionary
🌾 Of high plateau ⛰️ A high plateau
puna

puna

1 9.9
A high, cold treeless area in the central Andes
  • noun
  • /ˈpuːnə/
: puna
  • The puna is a unique ecosystem that supports specialized wildlife adapted to its harsh conditions.

Examples

  • The Shining Path's preferred field of operations in the Andes has been the ecological zone known as the puna, land that is generally above 4,000 meters.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Besides offering a remote refuge and a transportation axis, the puna provides commanding access to most of the populated regions below it (Smith 1992b, 17).

    Academic text (1993)

  • In the Hawaiian language, puna can mean a spring (of water).

    Blog text (23)

  • Soon, it started military actions, and armed columns penetrated Puno by crossing the puna from Ayacucho and Apurímac.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Farmers in the puna region often raise alpacas and cultivate hardy crops like quinoa.

  • Traveling across the puna, we experienced breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains.

Synonyms

altiplano
vspuna
1 8.5

A high flat area in the mountains, especially in the Andes of South America

is more specific to cold treeless plateaus in the central Andes
paramo
vspuna
1 9.9

A high treeless grassland in the Andes that is cold and misty

is colder and drier and found in the central Andes

Surface Forms

puna singular
punas plural

Etymology

Puna comes from the Andean Quechua word puna, meaning 'high plain' or 'high cold land'. So a puna is a cold, treeless high plain in the central Andes.