Learn About Peru
Just below the Equator lies a place of mystery and romance. Raging glacier fed rivers roar through deep canyons slicing the igneous spine of the Andes. Towering ice peaks hover like sentinels over mist- shrouded jungles. Lost civilizations and forgotten cities beckon the adventurous.
Peru is located in South America, just south of the equator and stretches along the Pacific Ocean. Peru has 3 distinct regions: the Coast, the Andes, and the rainforest. Peru is home of the Inca Empire, the Inca’s Citadel of Machupicchu, the astrological Nazca lines, the Amazon River and the exuberant vegetation, the ruins of the Lord of Sipan, the ski hills of Ancash, the exquisite and varied cuisine, the breathtaking and folkloric Titicaca lake area, the beautiful landscapes of Arequipa and Cajamarca, and many others.
The Republic of Peru, which is as big as the Province of Alberta, is located upon the western coast of South America and just below the equator. Nature has made of Peru a place of microclimates and beautiful landscapes that makes it a geographical synthesis of the world.
Peru is divided politically into 24 departments and one Constitutional Province, Callao, located next to Lima. Callao is the most important port of Peru. As you know, LIMA is the capital of Peru, known as the three times crowned City of the Kings, while Cusco is the historic capital of the Inca Empire. The currency is the “Nuevo Sol” (New Sun).
The official languages are Spanish, and Quechua (a native language spoken once by the Inca civilization). Peru is predominately Catholic.
Peru is a result of amalgamated cultures. It started with the conglomeration of the Pre-inca civilizations under the Inca Empire, then it went under the influence of the Spaniards during the colonial era, and finally it received an influx of European and Asian population during the First and Second World Wars. Today, archaelogical sites, colonial houses, and the modern cities clearly demonstrate the outstanding amalgamation of the various cultures.
Among the main places of cultural and tourist attraction we have Cusco, with its nearby ruins, the Citadel of Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The rain forest of Madre de Dios, with its Natural Reserve of Manu; the South American folkloric capital of Puno, with its Titicaca Lake, the highest lake in the world, and the Tombs of Sillustani; Arequipa, with the Misti volcano, the Colca Canyon and the Valley of the Volcanoes; Ica, with the constellation portrayal at the Nazca Lines, Ancash with the Reserve of Huascaran, with the Alley of Huaylas and the snowed capped Huascaran Mountain; Iquitos, with its prominent rain forest and its fabulous Amazon River; Tumbes, with beautiful beaches; Lambayeque, with the Valley of the Pyramids and the Treasures of The Lord of Sipán; Cajamarca with its hot springs and beautiful Campiñas, and La Libertad, with its millenaries ruins of Chan Chan.
PERU became a Republic in 1821 when General Jose de San Martin proclaimed its independency from Spain. Since then, we are proud to celebrate its anniversary every July 28th.