Facts about Peru
Peru is located on the upper west coast of South America. Following you’ll find facts about Peru.
Facts about Peru
Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, most notably that of the Incas whose empire was captured by the Spanish conquistadors in 1533. Peruvian independence was declared in 1821, and remaining Spanish forces defeated in 1824.
After a dozen years of military rule, Peru returned to democratic leadership in 1980, but experienced economic problems and the growth of a violent insurgency. President Alberto Fujimori's election in 1990 ushered in a decade that saw a dramatic turnaround in the economy and significant progress in curtailing guerrilla activity. Nevertheless, the president's increasing reliance on authoritarian measures and an economic slump in the late 1990s generated mounting dissatisfaction with his regime. Fujimori won reelection to a third term in the spring of 2000, but international pressure and corruption scandals led to his ouster by Congress in November of that year.
A caretaker government oversaw new elections in the spring of 2001, which ushered in Alejandro Toledo as the new head of government; his presidency has been hampered by allegations of corruption.
Facts about Peru:
- Peru borders the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador.
- Peru is roughly the size of Alaska.
- Peru has roughly 1,500 miles of coastline on the Pacific Ocean.
- The city of Caral has pyramid remains dated to between 2000 and 2600 B.C. This means Caral may be the oldest city on Earth.
- Peru is home of the Nazca Lines, football field sized drawings built for unknown purposes. Most of the drawing weren’t even discovered until viewed from the air.
- The Incan Empire was based in Peru, with the famous Machu Picchu in the Andes being the best known location. It was discovered in 1911.
- Spain ruled Peru for nearly three hundred years starting in the early 16th century.
- Spain introduced Christianity to Peru and forced locals to take Spanish names.
- Peru was the last Spanish colony in South America.
- Peru is now a constitutional republic.
- Lima is the capital of Peru.
- Peru achieved independence from Spain on July 28, 1821.
- Members of the military and national police may not vote in elections.
- Leftist guerrilla groups including Shining Path and Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement tried to overthrow the government for 20 years from 1980 to 2000.
- Roughly 70,000 people were killed by both the government and rebel groups during the fighting.
- Beatriz Merino became Peru's first female Prime Minister in 2003.
- The climate varies from tropical in the east to dry desert in the west and temperate to frigid in the Andes.
- Natural resources include copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower and natural gas.
- Peru shares control of Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake, with Bolivia.
- A remote slope of Nevado Mismi, a 5,316 m peak, is the ultimate source of the Amazon River.
- As of 2005, the population of Peru was 27,925,628 people.
- Peruvians have the following ethnic breakdown: Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%.
From a faith perspective, Peruvians are Roman Catholic 81%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.4%, other Christian 0.7%, other 0.6%, unspecified or none 16.3% - The Flag of Peru consists of three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), white, and red with the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a shield bearing a vicuna, cinchona tree (the source of quinine), and a yellow cornucopia spilling out gold coins, all framed by a green wreath.
- Peru's coastal waters provide excellent fishing grounds.
- Abundant mineral resources are found in the mountainous areas.
- After several years of inconsistent economic performance, the Peruvian economy grew by more than 4 percent per year during the period 2002-2005.
- The average Peruvian earns the equivalent of $6,000 a year.
- Peru's main agricultural crops are coffee, cotton, sugarcane, rice, potatoes, corn, plantains, grapes, oranges, coca; poultry, beef, dairy products and fish.
- Peru has major mining and refining of minerals and metals, petroleum extraction and refining, natural gas, fishing and fish processing, textiles, clothing, food processing, steel and metal fabrication industries.
- In 1995, Peru was the biggest cocaine producer in the world. Production rates have dropped, but opium production is on the rise.
- 54 percent of people in Peru live below the poverty line.
- The literacy rate in Peru is 87.7 percent, with women primarily lacking in the skill.
As the facts about Peru show, this South American country has quite a history. From Incans to Spanish rule to independence, the country has seen its ups and downs.
