Overview of Peru

Location: Western South America

Size: 1,285,215 km2 (about the combined size of Spain, France and Italy) making it one of the 20 largest countries on Earth.

Capital: Lima

Population: About 27 million people

Language: Spanish

Before the arrival of the first Europeans, most of the Peru belonged to the Inca empire that extended from present-day Ecuador to central Chile. The Incas conquered the Andean people and fostered among the most advanced of ancient American civilizations. The Inca Empire ended with the conquest of its heartland and Capital Cuzco (1531-1533) by the Spaniards under Francisco Pizarro.

In 1535, Lima was founded and soon became the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru. The establishment of the viceroyalties of New Granada (1739) in the north and La Plata (1776) in the south greatly reduced the extent and power of the colonial administration centered in Lima. Peru declared its independence in 1821, following an uprising by local European (Creole) inhabitants against the Spanish colonial rule, which came to an end only in late 1824.Peru went to war with Spain (1864-1871); and then in 1879 Peru, together with Bolivia, fought a four-year war with Chile over posession of the nitrate-rich northern part of the Atacama desert. During the first half of the twentieth century, Peru had eighteen presidents many of whom assumed dictatorial powers. A boundary dispute with Colombia was settled in 1932 by the withdrawal of Peru from a large area in the Amazon plain. A boundary dispute with Ecuador was settled after a short war in favor of Peru (1942), but the dispute was revived in 1981.

Peru is home to almost 10% of all mammals and reptiles living on the planet, more that 20% of the Earth’s birds, and between 40.000 and 50.000 of its vascular plants. Further, on one single tree in the Tambopata jungle in Peru’s southeast, scientists identified over 5 000 different species. In one square kilometre of Amazon Rainforest, up to 117 different tree species can exist with those trees near the canopy reaching heights of 200 feet.

Peru iis a land of geographical complexity and striking beauty, with the marked contrast between the Andes Mountains, the arid Atacama Desert in the east,and the lush forests of the Amazon. Geographically, Peru consist of three different zones or regions.

The Peruvian highlands, are a mountainous area dominated by the Andes. Here,the dry season (from April to October), is marked by warm dry days and cold nights,and the rainy season (November to March), when there are frequent rain showers.

The coast of Peru features the northern extension of the Atacama Desert, with beautiful beaches and fertile valleys. The Andes to the east and the cold Humboldt Current that runs along the coast are what make this area so arid.

By contrast, the Jungle includes a vast region of tropical vegetation in the Amazon River Basin, home to Peru's largest natural reserves. The vast Peruvian jungle, which surrounds the wide and winding Amazon river, is divided into two areas: the cloud forest (above 700 masl), and the lowland jungle (below 700 masl).