Facts About Peru Population: 29,399,817 (2011) Total Area:
496,200 sq. miles Currency: Peruvian nuevo sol 1 USD=2.6 PEN
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Language and People in Peru Ethnic Groups Amerindian 45%
mestizo 37% white 15% black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%
Language Spanish (official) 84.1%, Quechua (official) 13%, Aymara
(official) 1.7%, Ashaninka 0.3%, other native languages (includes a
large number of minor Amazonian languages) 0.7%, other 0.2% (2007
Census) Many poor children temporarily or permanently drop out of
school to help support their families. About a quarter to a third
of Peruvian children aged 6 to 14 work, often putting in long hours
at hazardous mining or construction sites.
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Religion in Peru Religious breakdown Roman Catholic 81.3%
Evangelical 12.5% other 3.3% unspecified or none 2.9% Law prohibits
any religious discrimination, but the church is given preferential
treatment. The General Education law states that all schools have
religious education as part of the curriculum throughout the
education process This is true for primary and secondary schools as
well as public or private. Catholicism is the only sect of
Christianity taught in public schools. (2007 Census)
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Government in Peru Democratic republic President and Congress
elected by popular vote every five years Families in Peru 5.1
average number in a household High degree of unity among
generations, no matter social standing
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Education in Peru The typical school year runs from April
through December. There are private and public schools. Although
grades one through 12 are free, public education is not available
for many of the poor and those in remote, rural areas. According to
law, all Peruvians have the right to attend school. Therefore, the
government has created public schools to ensure it to those who are
not able to pay high amounts to get an education. But in reality,
many families live on US$1.00 a day, and even public schools
require some payments such as registration fees (that are cheap),
uniforms, books, school supplies, bus fares, etc., which make it
impossible for many children to attend. In the Amazon jungle and
the high Andean towns, there are very few schools and a tremendous
lack of teachers. Additionally, many people who are farmers in
rural areas do not send their children to school because they are
needed to help at the farm or to help their mothers with household
chores. A middle-class family may send their children to attend
school and finish a career, but in Peru it is not easy to find
jobs. Therefore, many professionals perform simple jobs, such as
driving taxis, and the majority of professionals emigrate out of
the country.
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Sports/Recreation in Peru boys play soccer girls play
volleyball Surfing middle and upper classes Popular in Lima and on
the northern coast of Peru
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Geography and Climate of Peru Divided into 3 regions The Coast
Deserts, beaches, fertile valleys Formed by a long snaking desert
between the sea and the mountains. The Andes to the east and the
cold Humboldt sea current that runs along the coast are what make
this area so arid. split by valleys covered by a thick layer of
cloud and drizzle in the winter. Temperatures rarely dip below 54F.
300 days of sunshine and temperatures around 90-95F.
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Geography and Climate of Peru The Highlands dry and pleasant
climate makes it possible to grow a wide variety of crops A
characteristic of the mountain region is the drop in temperature
during the day: temperatures commonly range around 75F at midday
before plunging to 24F at night. two well-defined seasons: the dry
season (from April to October), marked by sunny days, cold nights
and the lack of rain rainy season (November to March) frequent rain
showers (generally more than 1000 mm).
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Geography and Climate of Peru The Jungle surrounds the wide and
winding Amazon river divided into two differentiated areas: the
cloud forest subtropical, balmy climate heavy rain showers (around
3000 mm a year) between November and March sunny days from April to
October lowland jungle dry season runs from April to October
sunshine and high temperatures often topping 35C. The jungle
features high humidity all year long. In the southern jungle, there
are sometimes cold spells known locally as friajes or surazos, cold
fronts which drift up from the far south of the continent between
May and August, where temperatures can drop to 46-54F
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Fast Facts About Peru It is the world's top producer of silver,
second in zinc, third in copper and tin, fourth in lead, and sixth
in gold. The popular Lima bean which originated in Peru. The llama
originated in Peru. Peru is the world's second-largest producer of
cocaine. More than 50 percent of Peruvians live in poverty. The
poverty line for a family of four is $300 month. Per capita income
is $3,500 a year. About 60 percent of Peruvians earn less than $190
a month. Because of the rampant poverty, Lima has a large number of
pueblos jovenes, or shantytowns, where residents live without
running water or electricity.
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Machu Picchu Experts believe that Machu Picchu was one in a
series of royal Inca estates built in the Urubamba Valley. To
researchers, the sites multiple observation points suggest that the
Inca worshipped the sun, and its location, surrounded by rivers and
mountains, indicates a reverence for nature. El Misti Volcano,
Arequipa The El Misti volcano towers more than 19,000 feet (5,800
meters) above Arequipa, Perus second largest city. The city, which
serves as a commercial and agricultural center for southern Peru,
is filled with buildings made from the volcanic stone. Inca
Terraces Ancient Inca terraces spiral across the land in Moray,
near Cusco. Inca workers paying off a labor tax, or mita, terraced
thousands of mountainsides for farming. Chinchero Market Many
mothers in Peru, such as these at a market in Chinchero, carry
their children in mantas, brightly colored woven shawls that they
sling across their backs. Tortora Boats, Huanchaco A row of
traditional boats made of totora, a type of reed, are lined up on
the beach in Huanchaco, near Trujillo. Nasca Lines The giant lines
and figures traced in the sands of the Nasca Valley were created by
the Nasca, an ancient coastal people who lived between 100 B.C. and
A.D. 700. Some scientists believe the markings were used in
astronomical observations. The sun sets over a small river that
feeds directly into the Amazon.