| Population: 28 million (UN, 2005)
Capital: Lima
Area: 1.28 million sq km (496,225 sq miles)
Location: Peru is located in west-central South America. It borders with Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Chile to the south, Bolivia and Brazil to the east, with the Pacific Ocean forming its western boundary.
Major languages: Spanish and Quechua.
People: Indians whose forebears were the Incas and Mestizos, who are a mixture of Indian and European backgrounds.
Major religion: Predominantly Roman Catholic
Government: Peru is a democratic republic with a presidential system Peru has a history of ancient cultures, a rich colonial tradition and is home to one of the world's richest and most biodiverse ecologies, making it a fascinating county to visit. Geographically, Peru is made up of the three distinct regions: the arid coastal strip, the jungle, and the mountains. The great range of snow peaks and highlands that make up part of the immensely long chain of mountain range, the Andes, runs down the centre of the country from Colombia in the north to the southern tip of Chile. Early civilizations in Peru included the Chavin (1500-300BC), the Moche (200 BC-700 AD) and the Chimu Kingdom (900-1450 AD). The Inca Empire and its ancient capital, Cusco developed much later, reaching their peak in the 15th and early 16th centuries. Under the rule of the greatest Inca Pachacutec, the boundaries of the Empire expanded south to Chile and Argentina, and north to Ecuador and Columbia. But this rapid expansion came to an end with the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors, led by Francisco Pizarro in 1520. After the Spanish conquest, the Inca Manco Capac II escaped and established Vilcabamba which the Incas used as base to continue their fight against the Spaniards until 1572. At which time the Spanish mounted a devastating final attack against the last Inca resistance at Vilcabamba. This completed the downfall of the Inca dynasty and began 300 years of rule by Spain. Peru's independence was achieved by Jose de San Martin and Simon de Bolivar and was officially recognised by Spain in 1879. But throughout these years the location of the many Inca settlements were forgotten until Hiram Bingham, a university doctor, discovered Machu Picchu on an archaeological expedition in 1911. It appears that the ‘Lost City' was abandoned even before the arrival of the Spaniards and its original purpose is still a mystery and inspiration for many stories. Various theories include it being the last refuge of Inca nuns or the location where the mythical first Inca, Manco Capac, emerged from a sacred cave. More recent views are that Machu Picchu formed the ceremonial and administrative centre or that it was simply built as a 'royal estate'. Whatever the exact truth the moment you stand at the Sun Gate and look down for the first time on this magical and mysterious site, the days of trekking to get there all become worthwhile. | 
