Peru
The origin of the word ' Peru ' has been traced to the name of an ancient monarch who was named Biru in the early years of the 16 th century. The picturesque country of Peru is a premier country of the South American continent with Lima being its capital city. Peru is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean in the west, Brazil on the east, Bolivia on the south east, Ecuador and Columbia in the north and Chile in the south. The magnificent stretch of the Andes Mountains divide this country into three physiographical zones and are abounding in terms of scenic beauty. These regions include the ‘sierra' or the high mountain regions comprising of the Andes and the Altiplano plateau. The second zone is known as ‘costa' which comprises of river valleys cut by the seasonal rivers. The Amazon rainforest totally constitutes the third section known as the ‘selva' with Amazon being the premier rivers of the region along with its tributaries like Maranon, Ucayali , Mantaro, Urubamba etc.
In terms of history, Peru had been witness to the life and times of the Norte Chico civilization which is known to be one of the most primitive civilizations of the world, having prospered between 3000 to 1800 BCE. Before the Spanish occupation of this territory, Peru had also been home to the Incas. The landscapes of Machu Picchu are of immense importance within the Peruvian territory and it is referred to as the ‘lost city of the Incas' and this place has even found mention amidst supreme literary works of the 20 th century as in the renowned poet Pablo Neruda's legendary work titled ‘The Heights of Machu Picchu'. Peru remained under Spanish subjugation from the 16 th century till 1821 when it became independent under the able leadership of Jose de San Martin. In the later years of the 20 th century however, Peru was again plagued by a series of internal strife resulting in the declaration of a coup. While at present Peru is a presidential representative democracy, it is still struggling with its political unrest.
Economically, Peru has been showing a promising growth and is a developing country with its exports comprising of products such as textiles, copper, zinc, gold and fish meal. The Peruvian population is a mix of multiple ethnic groups and the main language still remains Spanish though a considerable section of the population also communicates in Quechua, a local language. Peru also has a very rich and thriving cultural heritage with its ancient architecture, many and sculpture along with literature and music being well-known worldwide.
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