PERU'S GEOGRAPHY

OFFICIAL NAME
: Republic of Peru
FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Constitutional republic
CAPITAL
: Lima
OFFICIAL LANGUAGES : Spanish, Quechua
MONEY
: Nuevo Sol
MAJOR RIVERS
: Amazon, Ucayali, Madre de Dios
NATURAL RESOURCES: copper, silver, gold, petroleum, fish, iron ore, coal, potash,
natural gas.
AGRICULTURE: coffee, rice, potatoes, corn, plantains, grapes, oranges, coca.

Location:
Peru is located in the west of South America, and has borders with Ecuador, Colombia,
Brazil, Bolivia and Chile.

EXTENSION:
1 285 215, 6 km2
It is the third largest country in South
and one of the 20 largest countries in
world. Its sovereignty extends over
nautical miles. Having been a
consultative party to the Antarctic
has a Scientific Station called Machu
on that continent.

America
the
200

Peru is the third largest country in

America, after Brazil and Argentina.
made up of a variety of landscapes,
mountains and beaches to deserts

South
It
is
from
and rain

Treaty it
Picchu

forests. Most people live along the coast of the Pacific Ocean, where the capital, Lima, is
located.

CLIMATE:
The climate of Peru is very diverse, with a
variety of climates. Such diversity is chiefly
by the presence of the Andes Mountains and
Humboldt Current

large
conditioned
the
cold

The climate on the coast is subtropical with

rainfall. The Andes Mountains observe a
climate with rainy summers and very dry
eastern lowlands present an Equatorial
hot weather and rain distributed all year long.

very
little
cool-to-cold
winter. The
climate with

LANGUAGE
Spanish is the official language and is used in most of the country. Other languages have
been recognized by the Constitution, such as Quechua, which is spoken in many Andean
regions in different varieties, and Aimara, the predominant language of the southern Andes.

POPULATION
30 814 175
Natural Regions in
PERU

Territory
1285,215 Km2

Population (*)
27219,264p

Coast

12%

53.6%
Lima city is 32%

Mountain

30%

37.1%

Jungle

58%

9.3%

Music and Dances:

The classic Andean tune El Condor Pasa by Simon & Garfunkel is world famous, but not
many people know it was composed by Peruvian musician Daniel Alomia Robles. The
music characteristic of the highlands is "Huayno"

On the coast, the typical cajones were originally invented by African slaves. Nowadays,
these cajones or drum cases cheer up percussion dance parties.

Musica criolla , singer Eva Ayllon is legendary in this genre.

Then theres Perus national dance, la marinera: a graceful dance that shows a man
courting a beautiful, barefooted lady. Every year, a national Marinera festival is held in
Trujillo. Dont expect to hear traditional music in nightclubs, where sensual reggaeton and
cumbia are king.
In Perus classical music we have to Juan Diego Flrez who says to be the Peruvian
Pavarotti.

GOVERNMENT
Peru is a democratic republic. Its government is structured following the principle of the
separation of the three autonomous and independent powers: the Executive, whose
maximum representative is the President of the Republic; the Legislative Power or National
Congress (unicameral); and the Judicial Power.

The President of the Republic and the 130 members of the government of Perus Congress
are elected every five years by a universal, secret and direct vote.

The palace of Lima is very

beautiful. It is from the
built by the Plaza de Armas.

big
1900s.It

and
was

CHARACTERISTICS:
Peru is an extremely diverse country. Peru is officially divided into 24 departments, 195
provinces and 1.828 districts. The country has 3 main regions according to the traditional
method of dividing the country by altitude: coast, mountains or highlands and jungle.

Coast: More than half of the Peruvian population lives in the coast.In North Peru, the
area around Piura, Mancora and Tumbes is blessed with pleasant beach weather all
year long. The excellent warm sea winds from the North and the high waves make it
a surfers paradise.
Characterized by a narrow band of deserts and fertile valleys. In the summer there is
very little fog and temperatures reach 30C. In the north, the coast is hot almost all
year round, with a short rainy period in November and December.

Highlands: This is the mountainous region of Peru, where the Andes mountain
range dominates the landscape. The landscape of the Sierra is characterized by
impressive, partly snowcapped, valleys and plateaus. The sierra has two seasons:
summer (April to October) with sunny days, cold nights and little rain this is the
perfect time to visit; and winter (November to March), when it rains heavily.
Jungle: Located in the east, this is a vast region of plains covered by vegetation in
the Amazon River basin, which begins at the confluence of the Maran and Ucayali
rivers. It is Perus largest region, and consists of highland jungle, or ceja de montaa
the mountains eyebrows, (over 700 meters above sea level), which is
characterized by its cloud forests, and lowland jungle (less than 700 meters above
sea level)

RELIGION

Freedom of religion is a fundamental right in Perus culture, although Catholicism is the

main religion.

FOOD OF PERU
Peruvian food is a mixture of Japanese,
African, Spanish, Italian traditions, and Andean
a fusion, but a very balanced fusion.

Chinese,
ingredients. It's

Peruvian cuisine is unique flavor to the mix of

the ocean, the
Andes and the influence of centuries of foreign
influences. The
cold Humboldt Current cools the sea and allows the growth of a wealth of fish and
shellfish. Another essential ingredient to the mix are the 3000 different varieties of
potatoes, corn and grain from the Peruvian highlands. Last but not least, the rich heritage
of Spanish settlers, African slaves and Japanese immigrants gave birth to Criolla cuisine
with its spicy meat dishes and fabulous desserts.

Chevice, Perus flagship dish, combines raw fish (or shellfish) diced in 2cm cubes and
marinated in lime juice, served with raw onions, sweet potato and corn.
Other musts are anticuchos (skewered beef hearts), rocoto relleno, stuffed peppers and
spicy e lomo saltado (strips of beef fried with tomatoes, onions and fried potatoes) are a
must for any traveler who wants to learn about Peru's culinary side.
Peru's favourite cocktail, Pisco Sour, is a bright and intense mix of pisco, sugarcane syrup,
egg white and lime juice.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Perus dry, sandy desert coast is covered in shrubs and grassland. A large population of
sea birds: pelicans, cormorants and gannets live off the riches of the sea.
The highlands (Sierra) are covered with eucalyptus trees. The area around Huaraz is
particularly famous for its Puya Raimondi. This giant bromeliad can grow up to ten meter,
the flower stalk can grow up to 6 metres.
In the altiplano around lake Titicaca bushes of hard Ichu-grass are most common. Four
types of camelids graze on them: the llama, the alpaca and the vicua. You may also spot
a Andean fox and an Andean deer.
Mighty eagles fly above the rocky slopes of the Colca Canyon.
The Eastern Sierra is abundant with orchids and the famous Cantua, (Cantua Buxifolia)
Peru's national plant. The area also Andean bears and cock-of-the-rocks.
The dense rainforest and the Amazonian jungle are home to vast wealth of tropical plants,
where parrots, macaws and toucans like to play hide and seek. A list of over 3000 species
has been registered: butterflies, jaguars, anacondas, iguanas, turtles, so on. With its 3 feet
in length, it is the largest freshwater fish in the world: the Paiche.