Browse listings of B&B, Home Exchange, Vacation Rentals (furnished apartments, villas, cottages, condos, farmhouses and other types of accommodations) of Peru:
Last Minute Tips Before you Travel to Peru
- Time Zone: GMT/UTC -5
- Electricity: 220V, 60 Hz (bring an adapter/transformer for your hair drier, laptop, cellullar phone etc.)
- Currency: Nuevo Sol
- Country Dialing Code: 51
Must See - Properties on UNESCO World Heritage List by
- City of Cuzco
- Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu
- Chavin (Archaeological Site)
- Huascarán National Park
- Chan Chan Archaelogical Zone
- Manú National Park
- Historic Centre of Lima
- Río Abiseo National Park
- Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Pampas de Jumana
- Historical Centre of the City of Arequipa
Peru
Location
Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador
Capital
Lima
Population
27,925,628 (July 2005 est.)
Regions
25 regions (regiones, singular - region) and 1 province* (provincia); Amazonas, Ancash, Apurimac, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Callao, Cusco, Huancavelica, Huanuco, Ica, Junin, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, Lima*, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Moquegua, Pasco, Piura, Puno, San Martin, Tacna, Tumbes, Ucayali
Climate
varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes
Ethnic groups
Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%
Religions
Roman Catholic 81%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.4%, other Christian 0.7%, other 0.6%, unspecified or none 16.3% (2003 est.)
Languages
Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a large number of minor Amazonian languages
Government type
constitutional republic
Background
Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, most notably that of the Incas whose empire was captured by the Spanish conquistadors in 1533. Peruvian independence was declared in 1821, and remaining Spanish forces defeated in 1824. After a dozen years of military rule, Peru returned to democratic leadership in 1980, but experienced economic problems and the growth of a violent insurgency. President Alberto FUJIMORI's election in 1990 ushered in a decade that saw a dramatic turnaround in the economy and significant progress in curtailing guerrilla activity. Nevertheless, the president's increasing reliance on authoritarian measures and an economic slump in the late 1990s generated mounting dissatisfaction with his regime. FUJIMORI won reelection to a third term in the spring of 2000, but international pressure and corruption scandals led to his ouster by Congress in November of that year. A caretaker government oversaw new elections in the spring of 2001, which ushered in Alejandro TOLEDO as the new head of government; his presidency has been hampered by allegations of corruption.
Visitor's Impressions
If you would like to share your experiences of traveling to Peru or to other countries, please send us your article and we will gladly post it at this site.
