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Chincha IslandsThe Chincha Islands (Sp. Islas De Chincha) are a group of three small islands 21 km (13 mi) off the southwest coast of Peru, to which they belong, near to the town of Pisco, 53 deg 38 S., 76 deg 28 W. They were of interest for their extensive guano deposits, but the supplies were mostly exhausted by 1874. The largest of the islands, Isla del Norte, is 0.8 miles long and 0.3 miles wide, and rises to a height of 113 ft. The islands are mostly granite, and bordered with cliffs on all sides, upon which great numbers of seabirds nest. The islands were once the residence of the Chincha people, but only a few remains are to be found today. Peru began the export of guano in 1840. Spain, not having recognized Peru's independence (it was not to do so until 1879), and desiring the guano profits, occupied the islands in April 1864, beginning the Guano War that lasted until 1866.
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