Name Peru
(long form) Republic of Peru
Population 27,925,600
Capital City Lima (6.9 mil)
Currency Nuevo Sol (PEN)
Languages Spanish, Quechua, Aymara, others
National Day July 28
Religions Catholic (81%), others
Relative Location Peru, just to the south of the Equator, is positioned in
both the western and southern hemispheres. It's located on the western coast of
South America, and bordered by Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, and by
the Pacific Ocean.
Land Statistics
Coastline 1,500 miles (2,414
km)
(land) 494,211 sq miles (1,280,000 sq km) 
(water) 2,015 sq miles (5,220 sq km)
(TOTAL) 496,226 sq miles (1,285,220 sq km)
Landforms
The rugged And
es
Mountains cover almost 40% of Peru. Hundreds of snowcapped peaks jut skyward
here, with many exceeding 20,000 ft.
Fronting the Andes - from Ecuador to Chile - there's an arid and rocky narrow
coastline; in essence, it's a sandy mountainous desert dissected by dozens of
small rivers that flow into the Pacific.
In
the east, the Andean Highlands slope gently down into the rivers and jungles of
the Amazon; a heavily forested, relatively flat area, that stretches to its
borders with Brazil and Chile.
The lowest part of Peru is in the far northeast; here the fertile land and
jungles are irrigated by tributaries of the massive Amazon River.
And speaking of rivers, Peru is drained by many, including the Apurimac, Maranon,
Napo and Ucayali - to name but a few.
Note that Peru shares control of Lake Titicaca with Bolivia, the world's highest
navigable lake.
Highest Pt. Nevado Huascaran - 22,205 ft.
(6,768 m)
Lowest Pt. Pacific Ocean - 0 ft. (0 m)
History
At one time Peru was the homeland of several prominent Andean civilizations,
with the Incas certainly the most notable.
The incredible Incas built astonishing mountain temples, palaces and other
buildings, all with no mortar; they constructed almost 10,000 miles of roads;
engineered functional bridges, and built aqueducts to transport their water.
At the zenith of the Inca's influence in 1532, the 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.
Over the next century, or so, Peru suffered through many wars, some with
neighbors; brutal dictatorial rule, military coups and the subsequent political
upheaval that comes with the territory.
In 1980, Peru , the future is surely bright in this one-time "Land of the
Incas," as Peru has an abundant supply of natural resources, enormous
agricultural potential and some of the most stunning tourism venues on the
planet.