Peru is a land of legends and mysteries. This is a country with amazing traditions, original culture, unique history. What are the features of this country? What are the characteristics of the population of Peru? What is the name of the capital of this country? These issues are covered in the text of the article.
Geographical features of Peru
Peru occupies a vast territory in the western part of mainland South America. The state is considered one of the largest on the mainland - after Brazil and Argentina. It borders with Ecuador and Colombia in the north, with Brazil in the east, in the south - with Chile and Bolivia. The country of Peru has a long coastline along the Pacific Ocean, a narrow strip of which is a desert plain - costa. To the east are the majestic Andes. Here rises one of the highest mountain peaks - Huascaran.
Even further east inland is the Amazonian lowland. The climate in the country is varied: on the coast about 20 degrees, in the mountains also, but dry and windy, intense heat and high humidity in the jungle of the Amazonian plain.
History of Peru: legendary Incas
Peru is one of the most visited countries in South America. Most tourists are attracted by ancient monumentsThe Inca empires located in the Peruvian Andes. This is a great civilization that existed in the 12th-16th centuries. The population of Peru keeps legends associated with this tribe. As if the ancestor of the tribe was Manco Capaca, who came out of Lake Titicaca. This is an Indian family, the largest in world history.
The cult of the Incas was spread on the territory of a number of current Latin American countries - from Ecuador to Argentina. The achievements of the Inca super-civilization still amaze scientists. For example, their manner of writing - with ropes and knots, their administrative division, laws, economy, roads, water pipes and much more. The Inca Empire is largely considered exemplary: due to the severity of the laws, there was no corruption in the tribe, there were no robberies and relatively few crimes. The Inca people are also unique because history does not know examples of the creation of a civilization of this magnitude in the highlands.
Peruvians
The composition of the population of Peru is very diverse. About half are Quechua Indians (by the way, their language is official) and Aymara. The Quechua people, according to historians, are a descendant of the Incas.
A significant part of the population are mestizos and creoles - about 30%. A few percent are Spaniards, African Americans, Japanese, Chinese. For many centuries the country has been densely populated. For example, during the heyday of the Inca civilization, the number of inhabitants of the state was 4% of the total percentage of the world's population. The current population of Peru is about 31.2 million.man.
When considering the religious composition of the country's inhabitants, it should be noted that more than 80% of the population, including Indians, profess Catholicism. Evangelicals make up about 13%. The rest of the residents are atheists and undecided.
Characteristics of the population
The European discoverers of the lands of Peru were the Spaniards. They broke the Inca Empire, created an immigration center here - the current capital of the country - Lima. The onslaught of the Europeans was not too cruel: and today many Indian tribes have been preserved intact, with their own special rites and traditions.
The distribution of the country's population is uneven. The population of Peru is concentrated mainly in that natural area called the costa. These are the lands of the Pacific coast. Less populated is the Sierra, that is, the mountain valleys. The selva is poorly populated - this is the name of the Amazonian jungle.
Interesting is the fact that the largest Japanese diaspora in South America has been created in this country. A Japanese even led the country in the last decade of the 20th century - this is Alberto Fujimori, the first Japanese in history to lead a non-Japan.
Culture of Peru
The people of Peru are distinguished by benevolence, disinterestedness and simplicity. Their culture is unique. Marinera is a romantic and passionate Peruvian dance performed with a guitar. The dance with complex steps and white handkerchiefs is calm and gentle, unlike other Latin American dances. Another Peruvian dance, the scissor dance, is one of the cultural heritage of the UNESCO organization. Danzaki, the male dancers, perform the movementssimilar to a ritual, to the sounds of a harp and a violin.
Scissors in the hands of men close in the most intense moments of the dance as a sign of opposition to evil spirits. Men do not just move beautifully, they demonstrate their acrobatic abilities and virtuoso possession of the subject.
The costumes of the population of Peru, festivals, traditional ancient holidays are exceptional.
Capital and major cities
The country of Peru is administratively divided into 25 regions. The capital of the state is Lima. It is home to 1/4 of the total population of the country. This is a city founded by the Spaniards on the Pacific coast. Here is the historical center of Peru, listed by UNESCO. Other major cities in Peru are Arequipa and Trujillo, also founded by the Spaniards on the coast. Their population is approaching a million.
Tourism in Peru
Peru attracts tourists from all over the world with its many archaeological sites, Amazon jungle trekking, colonial period architecture and many others. One of the most visited tourist centers in the country is the city of the Incas - Machu Picchu.
It is called the City in the Sky, as it was built at an altitude of over 2400 m.
Another frequently visited place in Peru is the city of Cusco. It was considered the capital of the Inca Empire. Here a large numberarchaeological sites full of legends and mysteries of ancient civilization.
