Guano

Origin

The word guano, meaning "bird droppings" in the Peruvian dialect of Spanish, has been adopted into our language. The ultimate source of this term is the Quechua lexicon, the language of the Inca, where the word huanu means "excrement".

Areas of Use

• Agriculture: Used to describe mineral-rich natural fertilizers applied to increase soil fertility.
• Chemistry: Used to denote the high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphate components in a substance and to specify their chemical analyses.
• Geology: Used to describe sedimentary accumulations formed over time in coastal areas or caves and to characterize their stratification.
• Economics: Used to refer to fertilizer sources that were traded as strategic raw materials in past centuries and known as "white gold".