Peru is located in South America and borders the Pacific Ocean. Including both the Andes Mountains and the Amazon Rainforest, it is one of the ten countries with the highest biodiversity in the world. The capital and largest city is Lima. Archaeological finds date the first pyramids and paved roads to around 3200 BC. In the 13th century a small ethnic group of Quechua people founded the Inca Empire. Through conquest and subjugation of neighboring peoples, it developed into the largest pre-Columbian empire in South America, with over 200 different ethnic groups. The Spanish conquest of the country began in 1532 and culminated in the founding of the Viceroyalty of Peru in 1542. Peru gained its independence from Spain in 1821.
Facts
- Capital and largest city: Lima
- Official language: Spanish
- Co-official languages: Quechua, Aymara and other Indigenous languages
- Area: 1,285,216 km2 (496,225 sq mi)
- Population: 34,440,172 (2023 estimate)
- Independence from Spain: 28th July 1821 (declared)
Andes and Amazon rainforest
Peru's breathtaking nature is traditionally divided into three regions: jungle, highlands and coast. The Amazon rainforest covers about 60 percent of the national territory, with only around 5 percent of the Peruvian population living in this region. The three main sources of the Amazon River are considered to be the Marañón, the Mantaro and the Apurímac River. They all originate in the Peruvian Andes at an altitude of over 4,000 meters (13,123 ft). Most of the largest lake in South America, Lake Titicaca, is also located in Peru. The highest mountain in the country is Huascarán at 6,768 meters (22,205 ft).
The coastline is climatically influenced by the Andes, the Humboldt Current and the El Niño circulation system, making it very diverse. While the north has higher temperatures and a vegetation of tropical dry forests and mangroves, the south is home to the Atacama Desert, the driest desert on earth. Peru's unique wildlife includes jaguars, pumas, spectacled bears, Andean cocks-of-the-rock, condors, vicuñas and guanacos – the wild relatives of the domesticated llama.
Cradle of civilization
In addition to its natural beauty, Peru's cultural heritage is also incredible. The first cities of the Caral-Supe civilization (also known as Norte Chico) were built in the north-central coastal region as early as 3200 BC. It is the oldest known civilization in the Americas and flourished around the same time as the construction of the Egyptian pyramids. Peru is therefore considered one of the six places where human civilization originated separately in ancient times. Until the rise of the famous Inca Empire in the 15th century, various peoples produced many crafts, arts and innovations, such as agricultural irrigation methods, metalwork, ceramics and textile production. The best known of these cultures to date include the Cupisnique, the Chavín, the Paracas, the Nazca, the Wari, the Tiwanaku, the Chimor and the Moche.
Inca Empire and Spanish conquest
The Incas founded the small kingdom of Cusco in the 13th century and began to create the largest empire of the pre-Columbian era in 1438 through military expansion and peaceful integration. It stretched along the Andes from Colombia through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile to Argentina. The Incas built a road system over 30,000 kilometers (18,641 mi) long without using wheels, draft animals or iron. Their stonemasonry skills were remarkable and can still be seen today in ruins such as Machu Picchu. The Incas had no writing system. However, they introduced Quechua as the official lingua franca throughout the empire, making the varieties of this language family the most widely spoken in Peru after Spanish. After the conquest under Francisco Pizarro, the Viceroyalty of Peru was established in 1542. Its capital, Lima, was one of the two administrative seats of the Spanish colonial empire, along with Mexico City.
Peru saw an unusual fusion of Spanish and indigenous cultures. The Incas had already adopted or developed the traditions of the various peoples of their empire. During the Christianization of the colonial period, many of the indigenous customs were incorporated into the new religion. Interestingly, unlike the Spanish, the Incas did not attach any material value to gold, only a cultural value.
There are currently 13 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Peru. Nine of them are listed as cultural sites, two as natural sites and two as mixed sites. Eight other places are on the Tentative List for possible future World Heritage Sites.
