Peru - Tourism and Travel

The Republic of Peru is located in South America, on the Pacific Coast.

Peru has an area of 496,225 square miles (1,285,216 square kilometers).

There is a strip of coastline along the Pacific. The Andes Mountains lie to the east of the coastal region. Still further east, there is Amazon rainforest.

Along the Peruvian coast, the climate is temperate and rainfall is low.

It is hot, wet and humid in the east.

The capital of Peru is Lima.

19,165,000 people live in Peru.

50% are Native American, 7% are white and 40% are mixed white and Native American.

Spanish and Quecha are official languages. Aymara is also spoken.

95% of the people are Roman Catholic.

Most live along the coast or in the plateaus of the Andes.

One third of the workforce is involved in agriculture.

Important crops are coffee, cotton and sugar.

Coca is grown illegally.

Peru's illegal drug trade has encouraged corruption and hindered the country's economic progress.

Fishing is an important industry as well.

Recently, the climatic effects of El Niño have caused problems with agriculture and fishing.

Important exports are copper and copper products, zinc products, oil and oil-related products, fishmeal and textiles.

The city of Machu Picchu, in the Andes in Peru, was built before the time of the Inca Empire. It is known for its ruins, which reveal a very sophisticated culture.

The Inca Empire dominated Peru from the mid-fifteenth until the sixteenth century.

Peru was then conquered by Spain.

It became an independent country in the beginning of the nineteenth century.

Peru has a presidential system of government.

The military has a great influence on government.

The nuevo sol, which is made up of 100 céntimos, is Peru's official currency.