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Surface
Area
With an area of 1,285,215 square km, Peru is the third-largest
country in South America after Brazil and Argentina, ranking
it amongst the world's 20 largest nations. Peru also holds
sway over the sea up to 200 miles from the Peruvian coast
and has territorial rights to an area of 60 million hectares
in the Antarctic.Peru is divided into 24 departments, plus
the Constitutional Province of Callao. Lima is the capital
of Peru.
Language
Official languages:
Spanish: 80.3%
Quechua: 16.2%
Other languages: 3.0%
Foreign languages: 0.2% As part of its rich cultural tradition,
Peru features many different languages. Although Spanish is
commonly spoken across the country, Quechua is a major legacy
of the Inca empire, and is still spoken with regional dialects
in many parts of Peru. In addition, other languages are spoken
such as Aymara (in Puno) and a startling variety of dialects
in the Amazon jungle, which are divided up into 15 linguistic
families and 38 different languages.
Government
Peru is a democratic republic. The president and members of
Congress are elected every five years by universal suffrage.
The current constitutional president of Peru is Alejandro
Toledo Manrique (2001-2006).
Population
25,662,000 inhabitants
Urban: 72.3%
Rural: 27.7% Peru is a nation of mixed ethnic origins. Throughout
its history, Peru has been the meeting ground for different
nations and cultures. The indigenous population was joined
500 years ago by the Spaniards. As a result of this encounter,
and later enriched by the migration of African blacks, Asians
and Europeans, Peruvian man emerged as the representative
of a nation whose rich ethnic mix is one of its leading characteristics.
Religion
Roman Catholic: 89%
Evangelical: 7%
Other religions: 4% Peru is a naturally religious country:
a diversity of beliefs and freedom of worship can be seen
from the wide range of festivals and rituals that feature
both Catholic fervor and the mysticism of age-old pre-Hispanic
cultures.
Currency
The official currency in Peru is the Nuevo Sol (S/.), which
is divided into 100 centimos. The currency includes coins
for 5, 10, 20 and 50 centimos and 1, 2 and 5 sol coins. There
are bills in the denomination of 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 soles.
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