Located in northwestern South America between Ecuador and Chile, Peru is slightly smaller than the state of Alaska. The mighty Andes Mountains bisect the country, separating the lush Amazon River basin in the east and the coastal plain along the Pacific Ocean. Lima, Peru's largest city, also is its capital.
| "Peru at a Glance"
Capital: Lima
Size: 496,225 square miles. Slightly smaller than Alaska.
Population: 27 million. Nearly one-third of the country's people live in Lima.
System of Government: Constitutional Republic
President: Alejandro Toledo (President Elect)
Religion: Roman Catholic
Languages: Spanish, Quechua, Aymara (unofficial)
Life expectancy: 70 years
Interesting Fact: 72 percent of Peru's population lives in urban areas. |
Nearly 500 years ago, the quest for silver and gold brought the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro to present-day Peru. High in the Andes, Pizarro's small army encountered the Inca, a civilization that held the conquistador's coveted treasure. Strong as they were, the Incas could not repel the Europeans, and within 40 years their empire was destroyed. Spanish colonists soon migrated to the coast, where they established their own system of government, law and commerce.
After a series of rebellions, Peru declared its independence from Spain in 1824. However, it wasn't until 1879, after a long conflict, that Spain recognized Peru's sovereignty. In 1873, Chile defeated Peru in the War of the Pacific, resulting in a period of economic and political turmoil that continued well into the 20th century.
Military governments, interrupted by short periods of democratic rule, have dominated Peruvian politics for the majority of the last century. In 1956, Peru returned to democracy after eight years of military rule. However, military coups disrupted the course of democracy from 1962 to 1963 and again from 1968 to 1980.
Today, a minority of Peru's citizens, primarily of European ancestry, sit atop the country's social and economic pyramid. Mestizos, people of mixed European and indigenous ancestry, make up the country's large middle class. At the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid, Quechua and Aymara-speaking groups comprise nearly half of Peru's population. Residing primarily in the rural highlands and in shantytowns surrounding coastal cities, this group remains largely uneducated and impoverished.