Peru is located in the western part of South America, spread along the Pacific Ocean. Surrounded by Colombia and Ecuador to the north, Brazil and Bolivia eastwards, the Pacific Ocean on the west, and Chile on the south. Peru is divided by Andes Mountains in three sharply differentiated zones and is the 19th biggest country in the world.
At one time Peru was the homeland of several prominent Andean civilizations, with the Incas certainly the most notable. Also it is the fifth most populous country in Latin America after Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Argentina.
Spanish conquistadors arrived in their quest for gold and other riches; they executed the proud but over-matched indigenous Indians and their leaders like ants captured their cities and in a brief period of time this innovative and powerful culture was scattered to the wind and all but destroyed.
For almost three hundred years Peru functioned as a Spanish colony, but in the early 19th century native discontent and colonist revolts brought calls of independence, localized uprisings, and then, civil war in 1821, with the Spanish finally defeated in 1824.
Peru is a diverse country due to the climatic, natural and cultural variation of its regions, which include coast, sierra and jungle. Most Peruvians lives on the coastal areas of Peru, whereas the rest mainly live in the mountain areas.
Less than 5% of the natives live in the jungle areas of Peru, 45% of the people of Peru are indigenous and 37% is mestizo. The national language is Spanish, but also Quechua is spoken. In the highlands, most Indians are bilingual, but speak Quechua as their mother tongue.
There are about 70 other languages, and in remote parts of the Amazon, Spanish is rarely spoken. English is understood in major hotels and airline offices.
The cultural capital of Peru is seen by many as Cusco, where the foundation of traditional Incan heritage and culture is the most evident. In addition, many villages located in the highlands of the Andes Mountains also display the most preserved of heritage.
Peru has an abundant supply of natural resources, enormous agricultural potential and some of the most stunning tourism venues on the planet. Today Peru ranks among the world's top producers of silver, copper, lead, and zinc. Its petroleum industry is one of the world's oldest, and its fisheries are among the worlds richest.
The culture of Peru is also diverse in the way of festivities. Peru celebrates about 3,000 festivities per year, most of which are related to the Christian religion that was brought over by the Spanish conquistadors.
Music within Peru dates back literally thousands of years, preserved by the local community. Music plays a large part of the culture of Peru, where many locals build their own instruments. Typical Peruvian dishes are tasty and vary regionally. Seafood is, understandably, best on the coast, while the Inca delicacy roast guinea pig can be sampled in the highlands.
Peru is a magical country, owns a diversity and wealth little common in the alternative infinite world and offers to the visitor the possibility of living a unique experience: History, culture, nature, adventure and much more in a single destination.
The Manu National Park is an Amazonian tropical rainforest region with the title of Biosphere Reserve, which is considered the most bio-diverse region in the world. This magical place is home of over 1000 species of birds (15% of all the bird species), 300 species of great trees, 15000 species of flowers, 200 species of […]
The Lord of Sipan is the tomb of an important leader of the pre-Inca civilization Moche, which was found by the Peruvian archeologist Walter Alva in 1987. According to several scientists, this tomb is the most important archeological discovery of America in the last 30 years. The tomb of the Lord of Sipan is the […]
The Amazon River is the largest river of the world and its basin is also the largest drainage basin of the planet; since, it covers an area of 6 475 000 square kilometers (2500 000 square miles) in Peru, Brazil, Ecuador Colombia, Venezuela and Bolivia. The Amazon is so large that its estuary is about […]
Paracas is a marine reservation in the southern Peruvian coast. Paracas is located in the Ica region in the Pisco province, about 261 Kilometers (163 miles) south of Lima. The name Paracas derives from Quechua language (the original language of Peru) and means “raining sand”. The Paracas National Reserve and the nearby Ballestas Islands are […]
The fascinating Lines of Nazca are a series of giant geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert in the southern coast of Peru in a large plateau between the cities of Nazca and Palpa to 402 kilometers (250 miles) from Lima the capital of the country. This plateau covers an area of around 777 square Kilometers […]
These Mangroves are located in an ecoregion also known as “Gulf Guayaguil-Tumbes Mangroves”, which is in the border between the northern Peru and the southern Ecuador, on the shores of Pacific Ocean. The portion of mangroves that is in Peru is in the Peruvian region of Tumbes near Puerto Pizarro area to 24 Kilometers from […]
The Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable Lake of the world. It is located between Peru and Bolivia at 3812 meters (12 507 feet) above sea level. This lake is the second largest lake of South America after the Maracaibo Lake in Venezuela. Nevertheless, the Maracaibo lake is connected to the Ocean, therefore, many scientists […]
Kuelap is an impressive pre Colombian fortress that is located on the banks of the Utcubamba River in the Peruvian region of Amazonas near (35 Kilometers) Chachapoyas city. This fortress was constructed by the Chachapoyas culture which inhabited this region around 800 AD. Kuelap is one of the few remains of the Chachapoyas culture which […]
The “Baños del Inca” (” Inca’s Bath” or “Inca Baths”) are a set of natural hot springs located to six kilometers of the city of Cajamarca in the north Andean zone of Peru to 2667 meters above sea level. This recreational and historical complex is composed by several gardens and pools. The average temperatures of […]
The Huayllay National Sanctuary also known as “Huayllay Stone Forest” or “Rock Forest of Huayllay” is located in the Bombon Plateau in the Peruvian region of Pasco at the center of the country. This ecological sanctuary has many peculiar and beautiful natural formations of rocks, which are the reason of its denominations. The Huayllay Stone […]
The “Gran Pajaten” is an archeological complex in the northern Amazonian region of Peru in the basin of the Abiseo River. This amazing historic place is located in the border between the region of San Martin and the region of La Libertad. The Gran Pajaten is at 2850 meters above sea level and it is […]
The Colca Canyon is one of the most beautiful natural wonders of Peru. It is the second deepest canyon of the world after the Cotahuasi canyon (which is also in Peru). This canyon was formed by the River Colca and is located in the Andes mountain range in the Peruvian region of Arequipa, which is […]
Chavin de Huantar is the main archeological center of the Chavin Culture, which is considered one of the oldest civilizations of Peru and America. The archeological complex is located in the Peruvian region of Ancash, 462 Kilometers (286 miles) northeast Lima in the Andes at 3150 meters (10335 feet) over sea level, in the basin […]
Chan Chan is the largest city of mud brick built in the pre Colombian America, occupying an area of 7.7 square miles (almost 20 square kilometers). It was the capital of the ancient Chimu Kingdom. Chan Chan is located 2 miles (5 kilometers) west from Trujillo, which is the capital of the Peruvian region of […]
6000 years ago, the human race started to create civilization. Only six cultures in the history have been identified as those that were able to change their way of life to generate conditions necessary for the civilization development (build cities, farming, art, medicine, etc). These cultures constructed their settlements in Mesopotamia, India, Egypt, China, Central […]
Sacsayhuaman is one of the most impressive Inca temples in the Cusco City and definitely one of the most beautiful places of Peru. It is located in the northern zone of the Cusco, to 2 Kilometers of the Downtown of the city. The entire complex covers around 3093 hectares. Originally, Cusco was designed with the […]
Machu Picchu is located on a remote secondary road in nearly impassable terrain high above the Urubamba River, Machu Picchu sits nearly 2438 meters (8000 feet) above sea level, on top of a ridge between two peaks of different size. The name "Machu Picchu" comes simply from its geography. It literally means "old peak", just […]