It is part of the Andes mountain range which inland borders on the Costa, the narrow strip of coastal deserts along the South American coast.

In the north and east the range is bordered by the Santa River which crosses the coastal ridge at 8° 45' S and runs parallel to the Cordillera Negra for almost all its length.

It intercepts the warmth from the Pacific Ocean, causing the line of perpetual snow sinking as low as 5,100 m in the Cordillera Blanca.

Today the Cordillera Negra is sparsely inhabited by a mainly indigenous population growing wheat, maize and oats at an elevation of well above 4,000 m. The range is rich in mineral resources like gold, silver and copper.

It can be seen small rural districts with chakras (smallholdings) that have been sown with potatoes, wheat, barley and other food products.