 Peru,
the largest in area in the Andean countries, was the cradle of the most
advanced indigenous civilizations and most powerful empire in pre-Columbian
South America - that of the Incas.
Peru was also the focus of Spanish colonial domination for its first two
hundred years of rule. What remained of pre-Columbian America with
regard to people, culture, and settlements is perhaps better represented
in Peru than in any other country. The Andes are the site of the most
fascinating pre-Columbian cities of South America-like the great city of
the clouds, Machu Picchu.The country
has a 2,400 kilometer (1,500 miles) long coast on the Pacific Ocean and
borders Colombia and Ecuador in the north, Brazil and Bolivia on the
east, and Chile on the south. It is the only country that borders all
the other Andean states.
 The
Andes are by no means the only
region to visit in Peru. Also of great interest is Peru's narrow,
lowland coastal region, a northern extension of the Atacama Desert.
Although the Atacama is generally known as the most arid region on the
planet, the climate along Peru's shores is made cooler and less dry by
La Garuła, a dense fog created by the collision of the frigid waters of
the Humboldt Current with the heated sands of the Atacama. Lima,
Trujillo, and Chiclayo, three of Peru's major population centres, are
located along this coastal desert.
Peru's third great region is the dense forest that surrounds the
headwaters of the Amazon beneath the eastern slopes of the Andes. This
part of the country is so inaccessible that only the most adventurous
and intrepid travelers should attempt to penetrate its mysterious
emerald depths. In fact, the region's capital of Iquitos, a city of
400,000, is accessible only by air or by boat up the Amazon.
Peru's climate varies considerably
by region, although January through March tends everywhere to be the wet
season. The coastal areas, which are quite hot and humid during those
months, are cooled during the rest of the year by La Garuła. The fog
doesn't penetrate very far inland, however, and the western side of the
Andes are very clear, warm, and dry for the greater part of the year. As
one moves up into the mountains, night-time temperatures become
considerably colder. The eastern slope of the Andes, like the Amazon
basin, experiences very heavy rainfall during the wet season, which
extends from January all the way through April.
 Lima
is the capital of Peru and of its most populous department. The city
lies at the heart of the largest conurbation on the western side of
South America: nearly 26 percent of Peru's population resides in Lima.
Lima is in fact, a huge oasis in the very arid Peruvian coastal area
(with less than 2 inches of average annual rainfall, hedged between the
Pacific coast and the foot of the Andes. The site, on the southern banks
of the Rio Rimac, 13 kilometers from the coast, was chosen in 1535 by
Francisco Pizarro because of the adequate supply of water from the
river, the irrigated agriculture in the area, a headland, and an
adjoining elongated island along the nearby coast, which provided good
anchorage and protection for ships. Callao, which was built on this
headland, is Lima's harbor. The site is also advantegous for access
inland.
 The
Spaniards made it the capital of most of their colonial posessions in
Souh America and only toward the end of the colonial period was its
dominance confined to the Viceroyalty of Peru. The Spanish city was laid
out in a rectangular pattern around a central square (plaza), a pattern
that the old city retains to this day, although much of the original
city was ruined by an earthquake in 1746. The city and conurbation has
been growing rapidly since the beginning of the tweentieth century,
first in the south, where settlements that grew into towns became the
forst suburbs of Lima, then westward into the open area separating Lima
from Callao. Many old colonial style buildings have been preserved in
the older part of the city, which now forms Lima's center. These include
the cathedral, churches, government buildings, and private mansions.
Some of the towns in the southwestern part of the conurbation, such as
Miraflores, are wealthy residential suburbs and seaside resorts.
Lima dominates Peru's economic and
cultural life. It has five national Universities (including the
Universidad Mayor de San Marcos, which is the oldest in the Americas)
and seven private universities, attended by a total of more than 150,000
students. There are also many museums and galleries.
©
- Copyright hotels-world.com Travel Info - 2001-2006
|
