About PERU

Peru is located in western South America and covers an area of 496,226.22 square miles, and is the third-largest country in South America after Brazil and Argentina, ranking it amongst the world's 20 largest nations.

Peru has a very rich history and a promising future. It is a democracy with a multi-party system. The government is divided in three branches: the Executive, a unicameral Congress and the Judiciary. The president and members of Congress are elected every five years by universal suffrage. The current constitutional president of Peru is Ollanta Humala Tasso.

Peru’s main economic activities, which reflect the richness of its diverse geography, include agriculture, fishing, mining, and manufacturing of products.

Peru is located in the Pacific coast of South America, bordering Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil and Bolivia to the east and Chile to the south. Peru is South America’s third largest country, with a total land area of 1.28 square kilometers (496,225 square miles)

It's geography varies from the arid plains of the Pacific coast to the peaks of the Andes Mountains and the tropical forests of the Amazon Basin. An extraordinary variety of eco-systems shelters a wide diversity of animals and plants.

Peru is the birthplace of significant pre-Hispanic civilizations and great cultures, such as the Inca Empire in the High-Andean region. The Peruvian population, estimated at 29.5 million, is multiethnic, including Amerindians, Europeans, Africans and Asians. The main spoken language is Spanish, although many Peruvians still speak Quechua and other native languages. This mixture of cultural traditions has resulted in a wide diversity of expressions in fields such as art, cuisine, literature, and music.

Geopolitically is divided into 25 regions and the province of Lima, which is also the capital of the country.