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 The Republic of Peru is an Andean state located in the central western section of South America and bordered by Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Chile in the south and Brazil and Bolivia to the east, while its western coast is bathed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
By 2005 its population had grown to around 28 million (UN figure).
Peru covers an area of 1,285,216 square km. Some 52.1% of its population lives on the coast, with a further 39.9% in the highlands and just 11% in the lowland forests.
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A Brief History: |
It is estimated that Peru has been inhabited for at least ten thousand years. Initially, the first settlers lived as hunter gatherers, until the development of simple agricultural techniques around 4000 BC and the appearance of the first ceramics around 1250 BC. The highly developed Chavin culture emerged around 750 BC and was characterised by an apparently complex social structure and great ceremonial buildings. Around 400 BC there was a rapid growth in civilisation, with advances in weaving, metalwork and irrigation technology in the Chimú and Nazca cultures. Around 600 AD the Tiahuanaco culture emerged around Lake Titicaca and by the 12th century the Quechua speaking culture we call the Inca had appeared in the Cusco valley.
 The Inca Empire was ruled by a centralised system of government under the Inca, who was invested with divine power and therefore enjoyed the universal respect of his subjects. His were a hardworking and intelligent people versed in mathematics, astronomy, architecture and art. They excelled in the science of hydraulics and were great farmers who adapted the environment to their needs through irrigation and the construction of agricultural terraces.
Before the Inca state could reach its apogee, and while it was weakened by a bitter civil war between the ruling brothers Atahuallpa and Huascar, the Spanish colonisation of Peru began. The first Spaniards arrived in 1531 under the command of Francisco Pizarro, who captured the Inca Atahuallpa at Cajamarca, in northern Peru, in 1532. The first Spanish conquerors entered Cusco on January 15th, 1533. The foundation of Lima as Peru's capital city took place on January 18th, 1535 under the orders of Francisco Pizarro, who named it the "City of Kings". During the years of colonial rule there were a number of indigenous insurrections against Spanish rule. The most important were those led by Santos Atahuallpa in 1742 and Tupac Amaru II from 1780 to 1781. It wasn't until 1810 that the fight for independence against Spain saw its full expression, and independence was finally proclaimed on July 28th 1821 after the victories of San Martin and Bolivar at the battle of Junín, and Sucre at Ayacucho.
 In 1963 the architect Fernando Belaúnde Terry became president, ruling until 1968 when he was deposed in a military coup led by the self-proclaimed nationalist leader Juan Velasco Alvarado, who governed Peru until 1975, when another coup brought the revolutionary government of Francisco Morales Bermudez to power. Bermudez ruled until 1980, when Fernando Belaúnde was reelected.
In 1985, Alan Garcia Pérez came to power. Ruling through a period in which the national economic crisis deepened, terrorism emerged and Peru became isolated from the international monetary community when it froze the repayments on its fourteen million dollar debt.
In 1990 Alberto Fujimori Fujimori became president and was reelected in 1995. When he stood again for a third term he won the elections under dubious circumstances and after a wave of popular protests and public scandals he was finally forced to resign at the end of 2000. In April 2001 fresh elections were held and Alejandro Toledo was elected. He presided over a period of steady economic growth, and by the time he handed power to newly reelected Alan Garcia in 2006, the economy was growing at around 5% annually, although little of that wealth filters down to the more than 50% of Peruvians who live below the poverty line.
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The Climate in Peru |
Peru has three different geographical zones, each with its own climate; the weather can be divided into two seasons - wet and dry - though this varies, depending on the geographical region.
 The Coast
The coastal strip is predominantly desert-like, but contains Peru's major cities and its best highway, the Pan-American. From December to April is the summertime, with temperatures ranging from 25 to 35 C. From May - November; the temperature drops a bit and it is cloudy. For much of the year Lima is enclosed by fog from the ocean, which makes the city drab and gray, humid and cold (but not below 1OC) beyond the more pleasant, hot and humid summer months.
The Jungle
To the east is the Amazon Basin, a region of tropical lowland. The forest is technically known as sub-tropical humid forest, which means it receives less rainfall than tropical forest and the climate is warm and humid. The driest season is from June to October, with an average of seven rainy days a month. During the rest of the year there is more rain, with January to March being the rainiest months, with an average of 26 rainy days a month. The annual average rainfall is 2500 mm. Animals can be seen throughout the year. They often come down to rivers and streams to drink during the dry season. The best season for fruit is during and after the rainy season, when birds and monkeys are particularly active.
The Sierra
The Andes comprise two principal ranges - Cordillera Occidental and Oriental - and include Huascaran (6770 m/22,200 ft), Peru's highest mountain and the highest peak in the southern hemisphere. The famous Inca Trail is in the Vilcabamba mountain range where the highest peak is Salcantay (6272 m/20577 ft). From April to October is the dry season (hot and dry during the day around 20C-25C 65-77 F and cold and dry at night, often below freezing). From November to April is the wet season (dry and clear most mornings, and some rainfall in the afternoon, and very often very heavy rains at night, especially from December to April. The temperature in the mornings (18C) 64F) drops at night (15C) 59F). |
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