|
Location: Located on the
central part of western South America, Peru
is hemmed in by
the Pacific Ocean
.It covers an area of
1,285,215 km2 (about the combined size of Spain, France and
Italy) making it one of
the 20 largest countries on Earth.
Capital: Lima
Language: Spanish
History: Before the arrival of the first Europeans, most of the
Peru belonged to the Inca
empire that extended from present-day Ecuador
to central Chile.
The Incas conquered the Andean people and fostered among the most
advanced of ancient American civilizations. The Inca Empire ended with
the conquest of its heartland and Capital Cuzco (1531-1533) by the
Spaniards under Francisco Pizarro.
In 1535, Lima was founded and soon became the capital of the Viceroyalty
of Peru. The establishment of the viceroyalties of New Granada (1739) in
the north and La Plata (1776) in the south greatly reduced the extent
and power of the colonial administration centered in Lima. Peru declared
its independence in 1821, following an uprising by local European
(Creole) inhabitants against the Spanish colonial rule, which came to an
end only in late 1824.Peru went to war with Spain (1864-1871); and then
in 1879 Peru, together with Bolivia, fought a four-year war with Chile
over possession of the nitrate-rich northern part of the Atacama desert.
During the first half of the twentieth century, Peru had eighteen
presidents many of whom assumed dictatorial powers. A boundary dispute
with Colombia
was settled in 1932 by the withdrawal of Peru from a large area in the
Amazon plain. A boundary dispute with Ecuador
was settled after a short war in favor of Peru (1942), but the dispute
was revived in 1981.
Peru
is home to almost 10% of all mammals and reptiles
living on the planet, more that 20% of the Earth's birds, and
between 40.000 and 50.000 of its vascular plants. Further, on one
single tree in the Tambopata jungle in
Peru's southeast,
scientists identified over 5 000 different species. In one square
kilometre of Amazon Rainforest, up to 117 different tree species can
exist with those trees near the canopy reaching heights of 200 feet.
Peru
is a land of geographical complexity and striking
beauty, with the marked contrast between the
Andes
Mountains
, the arid
Atacama Desert
in the east, and
the lush forests of the Amazon. Geographically,
Peru
consist of three
different zones or regions.
The Peruvian
highlands, are a mountainous area dominated by the
Andes
. Here, the dry season (from April to October), is
marked by warm dry days and cold nights, and the rainy season
(November to March), when there are frequent rain showers.
The coast of
Peru
features the
northern extension of the
Atacama Desert
, with beautiful
beaches and fertile valleys. The
Andes
to the east and
the cold Humboldt Current that runs along the coast are what make
this area so arid.
By contrast, the
Jungle includes a vast region of tropical vegetation in the
Amazon
River Basin
, home to
Peru
's largest natural
reserves. The vast Peruvian jungle, which surrounds the wide and
winding Amazon river, is divided into two areas: the cloud forest
(above 700 masl), and the lowland jungle (below 700 masl).
|
