Peru

Geography Peru is a country located on the western part of South America just below the equator. The country is made up of a coastal plain in the west, tall mountains in its center (also called “The Andes”) and a jungle in the east that leads into the Amazon River basin. The highest point in Peru is Nevado Huascaran which is a mountain that is 22,205 feet tall. The climate of Peru varies based on the landscape but it is mostly tropical in the east, desert in the west and temperate in the Andes. Lima, which is located on the coast, has an average February high temperature of 80˚F and in August low of 58˚F.Geography Peru is a country located on the western part of South America just below the equator. The country is made up of a coastal plain in the west, tall mountains in its center (also called “The Andes”) and a jungle in the east that leads into the Amazon River basin. The highest point in Peru is Nevado Huascaran which is a mountain that is 22,205 feet tall. The climate of Peru varies based on the landscape but it is mostly tropical in the east, desert in the west and temperate in the Andes. Lima, which is located on the coast, has an average February high temperature of 80˚F and in August low of 58˚F.

Culture Peru has a long history that dates back to the Norte Chico civilization (a complex pre-Columbian society) and the Inca Empire. The Spanish landed on the territory in 1531 and discovered the Inca civilization. In the early 1530's the Spain's Francisco Pizarro (Spanish conquistador) began searching the area for wealth and by 1533 had taken over Cuzco. In 1535 Pizarro founded Lima and in 1542 a viceroyalty was established there that gave the city control over all Spanish colonies in the region. The Spanish controlled Peru until the early 1800s when Jose de San Martin and Simon Bolivar began a push for independence. On July 28, 1821 San Martin declared Peru independent and in 1824 it achieved partial independence. Spain fully recognized Peru as