About Perú

Peru, the largest in area in the Andean countries, was the cradle of the most advanced indigenous civilizations and most powerful empire in pre-Columbian South America-that of the Incas. Peru was also the focus of Spanish colonial domination for its first two hundred years of rule. What remained of pre-Columbian America with regard to people, culture, and settlements is perhaps better represented in Peru than in any other country. The country has a 2,400 kilometer (1,500 miles) long coast on the Pacific Ocean and borders Colombia and Ecuador in the north, Brazil and Bolivia on the east, and Chile on the south. It is the only country that borders all the other Andean states.

Area	1,285,216 sq. km	(496,225 sq. mi.)
Capital City	Lima
Gross National Product per capita	$ 1,470	(1987 estimate)
Currency unit	Nuevo Sol
Population	26'749,000	(1990 estimate)
Density	40.7 persons/sq. mi.	(1986 estimate)
Urban-rural population	70.2 % urban, 29.8% rural
Nartural increase	2.5%	(1985-1990)
Illiteracy rate	15.2%	(1985 estimate)
Highest point	22,205 ft	(Huascaran)
Main cities	Arequipa, Trujillo, Chicalyo, Cusco
National Holiday	Independence Day, 28-29 July