Geography
Peru finds itself placed in the middle, and to the west of South America. The highest peak in Peru is Mount Huascarán located in the Cordillera Blanca (White Range), which has an altitude of 6,768 meters above sea level. The lowest point in Peru is the Cotahuasi canyon, which is deeper than the famous Grand Canyon. The longest river in Peru is the Ucayali river (A tributary of the Amazon river) with a length of 1,100 miles. The highest navigable lake in the world is Lake Titicaca on the Puno region of Peru, and the country of Bolivia, with a surface area of 3232 sq. miles. The largest island on the Peruvian coast is the island of San Lorenzo with an area of 6.4 sq. miles. Peru is the 3rd largest country in South America and on April 10th, 1981, the Peruvian government declared that they now own an Antarctic territory. The geographical diversity of Peru is expressed in five major areas: the sea, the coast, the Andes, the Amazon basin and the Antarctic with its ice plain.
Population
This information is basd on modern census facts and historical calculations. In 1520 when the hispanic invasion began, it is estimated that there were more than 12 million indigenous people in what is now Peru (this figure varies according to the sources), but a century later and because of the genocide, epidemics, slavery and massacres, there were only one million indigenous people in the Viceroyalty of Peru. In 1821, there were approximately 1.1 to 1.4 million inhabitants. In 1835, with the first official census, there were approximately 1,873,736 inhabitants. In 2007, with the 10th census, there were 28,220,764 inhabitants. The inhabitants of the mountains are mainly of Andean origin, while on the coast are mainly mestizos, with a significant European influence, mainly Spanish. Although due to successive immigrations for more than 100 years, in Peru coexist more various ethnic groups.
Food
Peruvian cuisine is considered one of the most varied and original in the world. It holds the Guiness world record for the most varied and diverse dishes in the world (491). Meanwhile, there has been more than two thousand different soups just on the coast and more than 250 traditional desserts nationally. The formation of Peruvian cuisine reflects the mix that shaped the Peruvian culture. The first fusion occured along the colony with supplies and pre-Columbian techniques combined with Spanish cuisine and the culinary customs of Africa, later influenced by French cuisine, the Sino-Cantonese, Japanese and Italian, and with expansion into the jungle, Amazon cuisine is transformed within this crucible. Among the cuisines of Peru, include the Creole cuisine (northern and Lima), the marine gastronomy, the Andean cuisine, Chinese food and Amazon cooking. Perhaps the most representative dishes of Peru are cebiche (or ceviche) on the coast, the pachamanca in the mountains and juane in the jungle.
Music
Before the Viceroyalty of Peru, much of Peru was the Inca Tahuantinsuyo uniting several of the most ancient cultures such as Chavin, Paracas, Moche, Chimu, Nazca and 20 others. The ancient inhabitants of the Nazca culture, were the most important pre-Columbian music of the continent, using some chromaticism in ceramic antaras, unlike the 5 notes of Incan melodies. After the Viceroyalty, hundreds of years of cultural miscegenation has created a vast musical landscape all across Peru. Typical instruments used are, for example, flute and dulcimer antara, the Afro-Peruvian drum and the traditional guitar, which in Peru also has a smaller variant, known as the "charango" and mandolin. There are thousands of dances of pre-Hispanic and mestizo origin. The sierra center, north and south of the Andes is famous for preserving the traditional rhythms of huayno and passacaglia. They represent different cultures that have occurred in the mountains of this country, as well as those currently in effect.
