Peru

Peru, third largest country in South America. With an area of 496,225 sq mi (1,285,216 sq km), Peru is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia; on the east by Brazil and Bolivia; on the south by Chile; and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.

Land and climate

The 1,400 mi (2,253 km) long coastal strip, a central mountain region, and the eastern Amazonian plains are the country's main regions. The coastal zone is mainly desert, but the sands are very fertile when irrigated and the region supports agriculture and contains about 35% of the population. Most of Peru's important cities are also located on the coast. The mountainous region consists of parallel ranges of the Andes with intervening deep valleys and mountain bases. Among the lofty peaks in this part of Peru is Huascarán (22,205 ft/6,768 m). Straddling the border with Bolivia is also Lake Titicaca at 12,500 ft (3,810 m) above sea level, the highest navigable body of water in the world. Although conditions are harsh and the soil mostly poor, more than half of Peru's people live in the region. It is also susceptible to earthquakes and on May 31, 1970, a devastating quake took the lives of some 50,000 Peruvians and left some 800,000 homeless. The lush eastern slopes of the Andes with their heavy rainfall give way to the dense tropical forests of the eastern plains draining into the Amazon River. The climate of the coastal area is dominated by the Humboldt Current that comes northward from the Antarctic Ocean. In the mountains, the western slopes are generally dry while the northern and eastern areas have heavy rainfall from October to April. The climate of the eastern plains is tropical. The capital of Peru is Lima.

People

The people are about 50% Native American, 32% mestizo (a mixture of Spanish and Native American), and 12% Spanish. The majority of the mestizos and Spanish are Roman Catholic. The official languages are Spanish and Quechua.

Economy

Cotton, sugarcane, and coffee are grown for export. Fishing is a major industry and processed fish meal is the country's chief export. Copper, iron, silver, phosphates, and other minerals are mined and exported; some are also processed and refined in Peru.

History

The Inca empire, the last of several great indigenous cultures, was conquered by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro beginning in 1532. Spanish rule, based in Lima, continued until the revolution led by Simon Bolívar and José de San Martín from 1820 to 1824. After independence, power continued to be concentrated in the hands of a small number of wealthy landowners. Attempts to redress inequalities or retrench privilege have dominated Peru's politics since its independence and throughout the twentieth century, leading to unstable regimes and military coups. In 1968 Gen. Juan Velasco Alvarado instituted a program of social reform, suspended the constitution, and seized U.S. owned companies. Gen. Alvarado was overthrown by military coup in 1975 under the leadership of Francisco Morales Bermudez. The country returned to constitutional rule in 1980 and on July 28, 1985, Alan Garcia Peres was elected president in a democratic election. He was succeeded by Alberto Fujimori in 1990. In 1997 the guerrilla movement Túpac Amaru occupied the Japanese embassy where they held hostages.