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Enjoy!. Steve Page (Author)

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Country Facts & figures

Area : 1.28 million square kilometres

Population 27,012,899

Capital – Lima, (popn circa 8 Million)

Language – predominantly Spanish

Government – Democracy

Major Industries – Paper, coca leaves, steel, chemicals, oil, minerals

Travel facts

Visas – most nationals dont need a visa for stays up to 90 days

Health Risks – Altitude sickness, cholera, hepatitis, Malaria (lowlands), rabies and typhoid. Yellow fever.

Electricity – 220v, 60Hz

Tourists season – Peak season is June – August which coincides with the dry season. Wet season being from January into April.

Climatic Zones

Peru has distinct climatic zones. In summer (Nov-Apr) the coast is dry & Sunny – average daytime temperature 25oC; the rest of the year, it’s a few degrees cooler but rarely rains. In the mountains, days are warm (low 20’s year round but in the dry season (Apr-Oct) nights are cold (sometimes below freezing). During the wet season nights are warmer and although mornings are generally clear rain in the afternoon is to be expected.

A Violent History

The first inhabitants of Peru are believed to be in around 12000BC but settlements did not start to occur in any great number until nearer 4000BC. Little is known of early inhabitants and by the late 14th Century / early 15th the Inca dominated the region.

The Spanish Conquistador, Francisco Pizarro explored the coastal areas in 1527 and returned with devastating effect in 1533 when he executed the Inca Emperor and then founded the capital city of Lima . Pizarro was assassinated in 1541 and despite a number of hostile actions and all out rebellion by the Incas in 1572, the country remained under colonial control. Unrest reappeared in the late 1700’s with another rebellion but the Spanish retained control until 1824. For a hundred years or so the country remained largely peaceful but again unrest once again showed itself, this time in the form of guerrilla warfare – most famously by the Shining Path  which grew through the 1980’s and whilst these groups remain active (Website) , the region has been largely peaceful in recent times.