Peru - General Information

REGIONES Y CLIMA

Peru is traditionally divided into three regions: Coast, Mountain Range and Jungle. This division reflects the general appearance of our geography even though in reality it is rich and complex; in Peru nature comes in the form of solid mountains, plains, jungles and valleys which converts into unique habitats.

Coast

This is a zone that is next to the Pacific Ocean and has close to 300 km of deserts, fertile valleys and beautiful beaches.
The north coast has close to 300 days of sun with a warm climate all throughout the year (about 35° C / 95° F in the summer). The rainy period comes during the months of November to March..
The central and southern coast possess two clearly marked seasons: The winter season between April and October and during the months of June to August there exists a major humidity which at times can produce a minor cold sensation, even though it rarely goes down to 12° C / 53.6°F; and a summer season from November to March. During the summer the sun shines strongly and the temperature frequently reaches 30°C / 86°F from December to March.

Mountain Range

Mountainous zone dominated by the Cordillera of the Andes, where the top of the snow-capped mountain Huascaran reaches 6,768 meters ( 22,204 feet).
In the mountain range there are two climate seasons that are clearly defined: the months of April to October are characterized by sunny days, very cold nights and the absence of rain (ideal time to trek the area) and a rainy season during the months of November to March.
The principal characteristic of this region is that its climate can change in a day with a marked variation of temperature: hot / warm during the mid day with a temperature of 20°C / 68°F and down to a -2°C / 28.4°F during the dawn.

Jungle

Tropical vegetable region in the Amazon basin where one can find the largest natural reserve in Peru.
The deep Amazon river passes through the Peruvian jungle which is divided into two different zones: The upper jungle or the cloud forest (above 7000 masl) that possesses a warm sub tropical climate with plentiful of rainfall during the months of November to March and sunny days during the months of April and October. The other zone is the lowland jungle (under 7000 meters above sea level) which has its summer during the months of April to October and is an ideal time for tourism. During this time there are sunny days with high temperatures often topping 35°C / 95°F.
Humidity in the jungle is very high throughout the year. In the south region of the jungle, there are sometimes cold spells known locally as friajes or surazos, cold fronts which drift up from the far south of the continent between May and August, where temperatures can drop to 8-12°C / 46.4 – 53.6°F.

EXTENSIÓN

With 1,285.215 km2, Perú is the third largest country in South America. It possesses more than 200 miles of seacoast and territorial rights over 60 million hectare in the Antarctic.

POBLACIÓN

There are over 27,000,000 people in Peru (Urban: 72.3% Rural: 27.7%) Peru is a country of all kinds of blood which blends a number of ethnics, races and cultures. About 500 years ago the Spaniards united themselves to the native population. The result of this meeting has been enriched by the immigration of people from Africa, Asia and Europe, making the Peruvian man a representative of a nation with rich ethnic blending.

LANGUAGE

Spanish: 80,3%
Quechua: 16,2%
Other languages: 3,0%
Foreign language: 0,2%

Spanish and Quechua are the official language of Peru that is part of its rich culture and is spoken with variants according to the zone in addition there are other dialects like Aymara and a diverse of native amazonic languages.

CURRENCY

The official currency in Peru is the Nuevo Sol (S/.), which is divided into 100 centime. The currency includes coins for 5, 10, 20 and 50 centime and 1, 2 and 5 sol coins. There are bills in the denomination of 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 soles.

GOVERNMENT

Peru is a democratic republic. The president and members of Congress are elected every five years.

RELIGION

Catholic: 89,03%
Evangelic: 6,73%
Other Religions: 2,56%
No religion: 1,65%

Peru is religious by nature with a diversity of beliefs. Their free form of worship have given roots to a variety of festivities and rituals that are part of its catholic fervor, its Spanish heritage and the mysticism of the millenary pre Hispanic cultures.