Valle de los Ríos Apurímac, Ene y Mantaro
Geopolitical area of Peru / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Valle de los Ríos Apurímac, Ene y Mantaro (lit. 'Valley of the Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro rivers'), also known as the VRAEM, is a geopolitical area in Peru, located in portions of the departments of Ayacucho, Cusco, Huancavelica, and Junin.[1][2] It is one of the major areas of coca production in Peru.[3] It is also the center of operation of the far-left terrorist group Shining Path.
The area is extremely poor.[3] The VRAEM is an area of such high childhood malnutrition and poverty that the government of Peru selected the VRAEM to launch its National Strategy for Growth program in 2007.[4]