Guano (from the Quechua 'wanu') is the name given to the collected droppings of seabirds and bats. It can be used as an effective fertilizer due to its high levels of nitrogen. Soil that is deficient in organic matter can be made much more productive by addition of this manure. Guano consists of ammonia, along with uric, phosphoric, oxalic, and carbonic acids, as well as some earth salts and impurities. The high concentration of nitrates also made guano an important strategic commodity.Guano is harvested on various islands in the Pacific (for example the Chincha Islands and Nauru) and in other oceans (for example Juan de Nova Island). These islands have been home to mass seabird colonies for many centuries, and the guano has collected to a depth of many metreFor other uses of "metre" and "meter", see Metre (disambiguation). The metre is the basic unit of length in the International System of Units (SI: Systeme International d'Unites). It is defined as the length of the path travelled by light in absolute vacus.
Guano has been harvested over several centuries along the coast of PeruFor other uses, see Peru (disambiguation The Republic of Per ( Spanish: Per Quechua, Aymara: Piruw is a country in western South America, bordering with Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil to the east, Bolivia to the east, south-east and south, Chil, where islands and rocky shores have been sheltered from humans and predators and administered by private and state companies. The Guanay cormorant has historically been the most important producer of guano; its guano also tends to be more rich in nitrogen than guano from other seabirds. Other important guano producing species off the coast of Peru are the Peruvian PelicanPeruvian Pelican : Animalia : Chordata : Aves : Pelecaniformes : Pelecanidae Pelecanus thagus Binomial name ''Pelecanus thagus Molina, 1782 The Peruvian Pelican Pelecanus thagus is a member of the pelican family. It lives on the west coast of South Americ and the Peruvian booby .
See also: Guano Islands ActThe Guano Islands Act was federal legislation passed by the U. Congress on August 18, 1856 enabling citizens of the U. to take possession of islands containing guano deposits. The islands could be located anywhere, so long as they were not occupied and no
