Few destinations have as much to offer visitors as Peru, an astonishingly varied country. Here you’ll find panoramic
mountain ranges, vast
deserts, beautiful
beaches and tropical
jungle, not to mention fantastically rich
history,
archaeology,
wildlife and enduring
indigenous cultures.
Images of the extraordinary remains of
ancient civilizations will inevitably jump to mind. The
Inca stronghold
Machu Picchu is one of the most famous and photogenic archaeological sites in the world and the mysterious
Nazca Lines boggle the mind, but there are hundreds of similarly fascinating and even older sites to discover.
All are set in
stunning landscapes, whether parched desert
costa (coast), soaring
sierra (mountains) or remote
selva (rainforest) overflowing with wildlife. Such a
diverse landscape generates diverse pleasures; the visitor can hike through snowy peaks one day, and relax on the beach the next; paddle a dugout through lowland rainforest or hop on a traditional reed boat on some of the world’s highest lakes.
There are a wealth of
sports and
activities on offer, from sandboarding and surfing to extreme mountain biking and rafting. Add to this medicinal hot springs, mesmeric music, well-stocked museums, rich culture and uncommonly friendly people and you have a destination with something for everybody.
GeographyPeru is a large, mountainous country on the Pacific coast of South America. It has borders with Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil and Bolivia to the east, and Chile to the south. The Pacific Ocean lies to the west.
There are three natural zones. The
Costa region, which contains Lima (the capital), is a narrow coastal plain consisting of large tracts of desert broken by fertile valleys. The cotton, sugar and rice plantations and most of the so-far exploited oil fields lie in this area. The
Sierra contains the Andes, with peaks over 6,000m (20,000ft), most of the country’s mineral resources (silver, zinc, lead, copper and gold) and the greater part of its livestock. The
Selva, an area of fertile, subtropical land, lies between the Andes and the border with Brazil. The Amazonian jungle has vast natural resources. The absence of land communications, however, left the area largely uncharted until full-scale oil exploration began in 1973. The population is largely Indian and Mestizo with a noticeable influence from African, Chinese and European (mainly Spanish) settlers.
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