Country Information on Peru

Terrain Peru has three major geographical regions: a narrow coastal belt (11% of the total area), the Andean mountains (26%), and the rain forest (63%). The coastal plain consists of a long land strip, which extends along the whole coast from north to south. In this lowland area some of the Peruvian cities are situated. To the east the sierra runs parallel to the coastal plain. The Sierra is part of the Andes which mainly consists of three principal ranges. The Huascarán (6,768 m) is Peru's highest mountain. In the country's south-east there is an extensive highland plateau (altiplano) containing the basin of Lago Titicaca, which is drained into Lago Poopó in Bolivia by the River Desaguadero. Climate Geographically, Peru is located in the inner tropics and has a dry and a rainy season (except the central coast). The country's climate varies depending on geographical region and altitude between tropical climate in the Montaña and Arctic climate in the mountainous regions of the Andes. The coastal plain is under the influence of the cold Humboldt or Peruvian Current, which flows northward. Fauna/Flora Peru has got a multifarious flora. In the dry, sandy coastal plain, desert vegetation prevails, i.e. shrubs, grasses, and tuber plants. In the vast forested areas trees, climbers, and herbs abound. Among these, mahogany trees, cedars, India rubber trees, and vanilla plants are found, as well as a large variety of tropical flowers. Peru's fauna is abundant, too. In the coastal plain and on the offshore islands, pelicans, seagulls, terns, sea lions, lizards, insects, tarantulas, and scorpions live. The Peruvian coastal waters are the habitat of e.g. anchovies, sardines, haddocks, soles, mackerels, flounders, lobsters, and shrimps. In the Sierra Llamas, alpacas, chinchillas, and guanacos are quite common. Lago Titicaca and other stretches of stagnant water teem with fish, as well. Among the animals of the tropical Montaña there are jaguars, pumas, armadillos, peccaries, anteaters, several dozens of monkey species, alligators, turtles, and a variety of snakes and insects. History/Politics Around the 12th century, the Inca settled in Cuzco and established an empire (Tawantinsuyu) integrating older advanced civilizations, as well. In 1526 Francisco Pizarro landed in Peru with a small force of 180 men and conquered the Inca realm by taking advantage of the war of succession raging between Huascar and Atahualpa. Despite a series of uprisings during the final years of colonial rule, Peru was one of the last countries in South America to become independent. Argentinian hero José de San Martín proclaimed its independence in 1821 which was guaranteed by Simón Bolívar's military power. The country's first decades of republican rule were characterized by internal warfare. In the War of the Pacific against Chile (1879-1883) Peru suffered a disastrous defeat leading to huge losses of territory and depletion of domestic economic resources. Civil governments dominated the period from 1895 on, interrupted by Augusto Leguía taking power in 1919. Leguía's economic policies (based on loans) and the world-wide economic crisis of 1929 lead to his removal from office in 1930, with Luis Sánchez Cerro taking over. In 1933 a new constitution was adopted. In the same year the successor of President Leguía, Luis Sánchez Cerro, was assassinated. A cross-border conflict with Ecuador erupted in 1941, which was finally settled as late as the 1990s. José Luis Bustamante y Rivero, candidate of the (APRA) American Popular Revolutionary Alliance, came to power in 1945, but was overthrown by a military coup three years later. The following decades were dominated by a succession of military dictatorships and civilian governments. After 12 years of military dictatorship, a democratic government was re-established in 1980. Alberto Fujimori was elected president in 1990, suspended parts of the constitution in April 1992 and took full control of the government alleging that congress and the judiciary had blocked his efforts to fight the drug trade and the guerrillas. In September 1992, several key Sendero Luminoso guerrillas (who started their activities in the early 1980s) were arrested and press censorship was imposed. Fujimori was re-elected in the presidential elections in April 1995, winning against former UN Secretary General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar. In the 2000 presidential elections, Fujimori was reelected, but had to face charges of corruption and fraud soon after. During a journey taking him to Japan he announced his resignation as president. In June 2001 Alejandro Toledo, of Amerindian descent, was elected president after having defeated the APRA candidate . Economy Despite large deposits of raw materials the Peruvian economy faced a major crisis in the 1970s and 1980s, characterized by rampant inflation and high budget deficits. In 1990 the government implemented an austerity programme, which, together with a strict tax collection system, led to a consolidation of the national economy. Approx. 35% of the country's labour force are engaged in agriculture. Peru possesses large mineral reserves. The vastest reserves include ores of copper, gold, silver, iron, lead, and zinc, as well as crude oil and natural gas. Mining is of paramount importance for the Peruvian economy. Peru ranks as one of the world's leading producers of some metals, e.g. zinc, lead, and silver ore. Culture The Native American heritage of Peru is one of the richest in South America. Archaeological excavations have uncovered numerous monumental buildings and installations, such as the town of Machu Picchu northwest of Cuzco. The architecture of the Spanish colonial period is a blend of Spanish and Native American forms. In contemporary art, the indigenist school pointedly interprets 20th-Century Peru in a Native American manner. The pentatonic scale is still used nowadays, as are traditional instruments, such as cajón drums, flutes, ocarinas, and panpipes.