Peru

~ Land of the Inca

Peru ~ Land The Andes sweep

through the center of Peru.

South-central Peru contains a large highland plateau called the altipiano.

Here you can see Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world.

Peru ~ Land East of the Andes you descend to the foothills and flat plains of the Amazon Basin. Foothills are the low hills at the base of a mountain range.

Rainfall is plentiful here and temperatures remain high throughout the year. Thick forests cover almost all of the plains area.

Peru ~ Economy

Peru has many natural resources. Peru’s biggest export is copper; its second- largest export is fish.

Peru Economy Most people work on subsistence farms, where they grow enough food to meet their family’s needs. Chief crops are rice, plantains, and corn.

Native Americans of the Andes were the first to grow potatoes, Peru’s main food crop today. (over 4000 types of potatoes)

Peru ~ History During the

1400s, a Native American people called the Inca had a powerful civilization in the area that is now Peru.

Inca Empire Their empire, or

group of lands under one ruler, stretched more than 2,500 miles along the Andes from northern Ecuador to central Chile.

Peru ~ History In the 1500s, the Spaniards arrived and

conquered the Inca, making Peru a Spanish colony.

Peru ~ History Peru gained independence in the 1820s and is

now a republic.

Peru ~ People Lima, with more

than 6 million people, is the capital and largest city.

A majority of European descendents are Roman Catholic

Peru ~ People About half of Peru’s people are Native American. In fact, Peru has one of the largest Native American populations in the Western Hemisphere.