Currency : Nuevo Sol - $1 = 3.15 sol

Population: Approx 28 million

Official Languages: Spanish, Quecha, Aymara

Current head of State : Dr Alan Garcia - APRA party (centre left)

Political system: Constitutional Republic

Main regions: Costa (coast), Sierra (Andean range), Selva (Jungle)

History

Peru is a country with a long heritage. Many civilizations ruled the land long before the arrival of Francisco Pizzaro and the Conquistadors in 1533. The Chimu culture flourished along the coast of Northern Peru for centuries until colonised (not conquered) by the invading Incas in the 12th Century. Giant mud adobe citadels such as the ruins of Chan Chan represent their contribution to pre-Hispanic Peruvian culture. Ancient cultures such as the Chavin and later the Chachapoyas built strong mountain fortresses, some of which have only recently been discovered, along with hoards of ancient treasure.

The Incas, in essence, colonised many of the existing cultures of Peru and incorporated them into a vast empire which stretched from Colombia in the north to Chile and Argentina in the south. The Incas are said to have originated from the Isla de Sol on Lake Titicaca (on the border of Peru and Bolivia), their first king being Manco Capac. The Incas worshipped the sun, as it was all powerful and brought life. The empire was run from the Inca Capital, Cusco, a centre of administration, religion and magnificent splendour that even the later Spanish invaders could not comprehend. The Incas learnt from the many civilisations they conquered. They had running water and underground water systems, advanced construction techniques in areas prone to earthquakes, an advanced smelting ability to turn precious metals and stones into works of art as well as developing an empire with little, if any, internal strife.

The year of 1533 changed all of this. Fransisco Pizarro and a small invading force of a little over 200 Spanish soldiers invaded Peru with the intent of capturing treasures for the Spanish crown, and converting the pagans to Christianity. He encountered little resistance, as there was a civil war at the time between the ruling Incas. After Pizzaro had killed off any opposition he then set about plundering the country and subjecting it to Spanish rule. Some natives did resist, such as the famed Atahualpa, however to little avail. The Spanish were too well advanced militarily and too well organized for isolated attempts to topple them from power. Peru suffered from the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition and was the last country in the world to end this painful period (in the mid 19th Century).

Peru was named a republic in 1821 after a long war of independence. Peru became involved in the war of the Pacific with Chile in the 1890s over the disputed oil rich border region of Atacama. As a result of the war Peru lost territory and Bolivia lost access to the sea. In 1991 Peru had skirmishes with Ecuador over a disputed border in the Amazon Jungle in the north of the country. Peru has had a recent history of terrorism with groups such as the "sendero luminoso " (roughly translated to "shining path") guerrilla group trying to overthrow the government and subject the country to socialism, however President Alberto Fujimori (1990 - 1998) put an end to this threat. Peru is at present attempting to move away from a history of corruption in politics and current centre – left President, Alan Garcia, is developing the economy into one of the most stable in the Latin American region. Tourism has increased dramatically since the end of terrorism and is now a major industry.