Kathleen Watanabe

•Official Name: Republic of Peru (República del Perú).

•Short Name: Peru.

•Capital: Lima.

•Date of Independence: Declared July 28, 1821, from

Spain; achieved, 1824.

•Peru covers 496,225 square miles (1,285,216 km2). It

borders Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil to

the east, Bolivia to the southeast, Chile to the south,

and the Pacific Ocean to the west.

•Peru is divided into 25 regions and the province of

Lima.

•The Andes mountains run parallel to the Pacific shoreline

dividing the country into three geographic regions.

•The costa (coast) region is a narrow dry plains, except for

valleys created by seasonal rivers.

•The sierra (highlands) is made up of the Andes. The

highest mountain is Huascarán at 6,768 m (22,205 ft).

•The selva (jungle) is a wide area of flat terrain covered by

the Amazon rainforest. Almost 60% of Peru is located

within this region.

•Unlike other countries in the equatorial region Peru does

not have an exclusively tropical climate. The costa has

moderate temperatures, low precipitation and high

humidity. The sierra receives rain and snow. The selva

has heavy rainfall and high temperatures and humidity.

•The population of Peru is approximately 29.5

million people.

•It is multiethnic country of Amerindians, mestizos

(of mixed ethnic descent), and people of African,

European and Asian descent.

•The primary language spoken is Spanish

(83.9%). Several native languages are spoken of

which 13.2% speak .

•76% of the population live in urban areas and

24% in rural areas.

•Roman Catholicism is the largest religion (81%)

followed by Evangelical (12.5%).

•The literacy rate of Peru is estimated at 93%

with the lower rates in the rural areas (80%)

and higher rates in the urban areas (96%).

•Primary and secondary education is

compulsory.

•Peru is a democratic republic.

•The President is the head of state and is

elected for a five-year term and can only

seek re-election after standing down one full

term.

•The President appoints a Prime Minister and

a Council of Ministers.

•There is a unicameral Congress of 120

members elected for five-year terms.

•Peruvian culture is rooted in Amerindian and

Spanish traditions. It is also influenced by

African, Asian and European traditions.

•Peruvian art includes pottery, textiles, jewelry

and sculpture are rooted in Pre-Inca societies.

•The Incas created the architectural marvel of

Machu Picchu.

•Peruvian literature is varied. It includes the

oral traditions of pre-Columbian societies as

well as varying genres introduced during the

colonial period.

•Peruvian cuisine is influenced by Amerindian

and Spanish roots. African and Asian cultures

have also influenced cuisine.

•Peruvian music is rooted in

Amerindian, Spanish and African

traditions.

•Amerindian civilizations date back over

10,000 years from descendants of the people

who crossed over the Bering land bridge.

•The Mochica civilization existed around the

first millennium C.E. The built and elaborate

irrigation system that transformed the coastal

desert into productive agricultural lands.

•In 1987 near Sipan, archaeologists

discovered large numbers of elaborate artifacts

of gold, silver and ceramics.

•The Chimu civilization created many large

cities from about 1150 to 1450. The capital,

Chan Chan had an estimated 100,00

inhabitants.

•The Inca civilization began as a small Quechuas

group and expanded from the thirteenth through

the sixteenth centuries by conquering its

neighbors.

•The Inca civilization encompassed one-third of

South America with a population of 9 to 16 million

inhabitants.

•The Spaniards under Francisco Pizarro arrived in

1532 and conquered the Incans.

•The Spaniards also brought diseases that

decimated the Inca population from 9 to 16 million

inhabitants to 2.7 million by 1570.

•Colonial Peru largely consisted of a modern,

capitalistic and urban society and an Amerindian

society of poverty, isolation and disease.

•The music of Peru is

rooted in Peru's Andean

musical roots and Spanish

musical influences.

•Native Peruvian music is

played on the charango an

instrument in the lute family

similar to a mandolin.

•Also played are the sikú

(or zampoña) and antara.

These are ancient

indigenous instruments

resembling panpipes.

They are made of aquatic

reeds found in many lakes

in the Andean Region of

South America.

•The sikú (or zampoña) and antara are

ancient indigenous instruments

resembling panpipes. They are made of

aquatic reeds found in many lakes in the

Andean Region of South America.

•Other common instruments included the

quena (a flute-like instrument) and the

tinya (a type of drum).

•The most well known dance in Peru is

the marinera. Other popular folk dances

are the tondero and huayno.

REFERENCES

Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Peru. Retrieved from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peru

The Library of Congress. Country studies. Retrieved from

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html