Peru — map and facts

About Peru

Peru is a large South American nation on the Pacific coast, bordered by Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil to the east, Bolivia to the southeast, and Chile to the south. Lima, the capital and largest city, is a sprawling metropolis of over 10 million people situated on the arid Pacific coast. The total national population is approximately 33 million. Peru operates as a presidential republic with a unicameral congress. The economy is one of the largest in South America, anchored by mining exports of copper, gold, silver, and zinc, as well as fishing, agriculture, and a growing tourism sector. Peru is home to one of the world's great ancient civilizations, the Inca Empire, and its heritage draws millions of visitors annually to sites such as Machu Picchu, the Nazca Lines, and Cusco's colonial architecture. Spanish and Quechua are both official languages, and Aymara is also widely spoken in highland regions. Peruvian cuisine, blending indigenous, Spanish, African, Japanese, and Chinese influences, has gained global recognition, with Lima emerging as one of the world's premier culinary destinations.

Geography and Landscape

Peru is the third-largest country in South America, covering approximately 1.285 million square kilometers, and contains one of the most dramatically varied landscapes on earth. The country is broadly divided into three geographic zones running parallel from north to south: the Costa, a narrow desert coastal strip along the Pacific; the Sierra, the Andean highland region; and the Selva, the vast Amazon rainforest basin to the east. The Andes Mountains dominate the central interior, featuring some of the highest peaks outside Asia, including Huascarán at 6,768 meters, the highest point in Peru and the fourth highest in South America. Lake Titicaca, shared with Bolivia on the altiplano at 3,812 meters above sea level, is the world's highest navigable lake. The Amazon River originates in the Peruvian Andes, fed by rivers including the Ucayali and Marañón. The Pacific coast is extremely dry, as the Humboldt Current keeps the air cold and prevents rainfall, but makes coastal waters exceptionally rich in marine life. The country lies within the Pacific Ring of Fire and is seismically active.

History

Peru was home to several advanced pre-Columbian civilizations before the Inca. The Caral civilization in the Norte Chico region is among the oldest in the Americas, dating to around 3000 BCE. The Moche, Nazca, Wari, and Tiwanaku cultures each flourished and declined across different eras. The Inca Empire, emerging from the Cusco region in the early 13th century, grew to become the largest empire in pre-Columbian America, stretching from present-day Colombia to Chile. Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro arrived in 1532, exploiting civil war within the empire and capturing the Inca emperor Atahualpa at Cajamarca. Spanish colonial rule established Lima as the center of South American administration and extracted vast wealth in silver from mines such as Potosí and Cerro de Pasco. Peru declared independence in 1821, with the final Spanish forces defeated at the Battle of Ayacucho in 1824. The twentieth century brought political turbulence, including the Shining Path Maoist insurgency during the 1980s and 1990s which claimed tens of thousands of lives, and the authoritarian presidency of Alberto Fujimori from 1990 to 2000. Peru has since maintained democratic governance amid continuing economic development.