Peru is located in western South
America. It 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 South Pacific Ocean. It has an area
of 1,285,220 square kilometers, and is slightly smaller
than Alaska. Its largest lake is Lake Titicaca,
the world's
highest navigable lake, which Peru shares with Bolivia.
The source of the Amazon River is located in Peru, on a
slope of Nevado Mismi, a mountain peak 5,316 meters in
elevation.
Peru was the home of several ancient civilizations, most particularly of the Inca Empire, which was conquered by the Spanish in 1533. Independence from Spain was declared in 1821, and final defeat of the Spanish forces was accomplished by 1824. The Inca fortress of Machu Picchu is the country's most famous tourist site.
The government of the Republic of Peru (the official name) is a constitutional republic with three branches: the Executive (the President and the Council of Ministers), the Legislative (a single chamber Congress whose members are elected by popular vote), and the Judicial (the Supreme Court of Justice). Judges on the Supreme Court of Justice are appointed by the National Council of the Judiciary. The capital city is Lima.
Recent decades of political history in Peru have been stormy, with several periods of military or authoritarian dictatorship and a violent guerilla movement known as Shining Path. The violent insurgency was curtailed somewhat under President Alberto Fujimori in the 1990's, who oversaw an economic improvement until the late 1990's. He was overthrown in 2000. The government brokered an accord with social and religious groups and political parties on July 22, 2002 which was aimed at improving political stability in the country.
The population of Peru is 28,674,757 (estimated as of July 2007). The population is Amerindian (45 percent), mestizo (mixed European and indigenous Amerindian ancestry) (37 percent), white 15 percent, black, Japanese, Chinese and other, 3 percent.
The official languages are Spanish and Quechua; other languages spoken are Aymara, and various Amazonian languages.
The predominate religion is Roman Catholic (81 percent), Seventh Day Adventist 1.4 percent, other Christian 0.7 percent, unspecified or none 16.3 percent (2003 estimate).
The currency is the Nuevo sol.
Web Sites
Catalog
Search the library's catalog for Peru.
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