Peru
Edited by:
Massimo Martini
Access
Peru can be reached from Europe by air with stopovers in Madrid, Miami or other cities, to the Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima. Lima is located at sea level: those wishing to reach high altitude areas (Cusco is at 3,400m, Lake Titicaca at 3,810m, Huascarán over 5,000m) must acclimatise gradually to avoid mountain sickness (soroche). Overland one enters from Ecuador to La Balsa-Zumba, from Colombia through the Amazon rainforest (difficult), from Bolivia to Copacabana-Desaguadero or Yunguyo, from Chile to Tacna-Arica. The Carretera Panamericana runs along the coast. Intercity transport is mainly by bus, with services of varying quality; for many Andean areas, access takes hours on unpaved mountain roads. The Belmond Hiram Bingham railway from Cusco to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo) is the main tourist line. For the Central Andes and the Huascarán Park, the base is Huaraz, which can be reached in 7-8 hours from Lima by road.
Introduction
Peru occupies the central part of the Pacific coast of South America, bordering Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil and Bolivia to the east, and Chile to the south. The territory is divided into three parallel belts: the desert coast on the Pacific, the Central Andes Mountains and the eastern Amazon jungle. The Peruvian Andes reach their highest altitudes in the Cordillera Blanca massif, where the South Huascarán (6,768m) is the highest peak in Peru and the highest peak in the tropical zone of the world. The Inca civilisation, which flourished in the 15th century with its capital in Cusco, has left a monumental heritage including Machu Picchu, the world's best-known high altitude Inca city, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983. Peru is among the most biodiverse countries on the planet, thanks to the extraordinary variety of ecosystems between sea level and the glacial peaks of the Andes.
Description
The Peruvian Coast is a desert strip on average 60-100 km wide, whose aridity is caused by the cold Humboldt Current, which cools the air and inhibits rainfall. Lima is located in this environment: the capital is the second largest desert city in the world after Cairo. The Sierra is the Andean region, with high plateaus (puna and altiplano) at altitudes between 3,500m and 5,000m and glacial ranges that include the Cordillera Blanca, the world's largest frozen tropical mountain range, with 27 peaks over 6,000m. The Cordillera Huayhuash, south of the Blanca, is home to Yerupajá (6,635m) and was the scene of the most famous mountaineering survival story of the modern age - that of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, recounted in the book "Touching the Void" (1988), translated into Italian as "Joe's Choice". The eastern jungle occupies more than half of the national territory and includes the Peruvian Amazon rainforest, the second largest after the Brazilian rainforest.
The Inca civilisation reached its apogee between the 14th and 16th centuries, creating the Tahuantinsuyo, the largest empire in pre-Columbian America, which stretched from Colombia to Argentina along the Andes. The Inca road network - the Qhapaq Ă‘an - covered over 30,000 km of paved paths; its main portion was inscribed in UNESCO in 2014. Cusco, capital of the empire, was founded in puma form and housed the Temple of the Sun (Qorikancha). The Spanish conquest, led by Francisco Pizarro from 1532 and consecrated with the capture and subsequent execution of the Inca Atahualpa, led to the end of the Tahuantinsuyo and the birth of the Viceroyalty of Peru, one of the richest in the Spanish Empire thanks to the silver mines of PotosĂ (today Bolivia). Independence was proclaimed in 1821 with the decisive contribution of JosĂ© de San MartĂn; the war with Chile (1879-1883) deprived Peru of the nitrate regions in the north.
The Peruvian economy is based on mineral exports (gold, copper, zinc, silver), fishing, agriculture (asparagus, quinoa, potatoes - Peru is the birthplace of more than 3,000 varieties of potato) and tourism. Since 2010, Lima has become the gastronomic capital of Latin America, with a creative cuisine that fuses Andean, Spanish, Japanese and African traditions: corvina ceviche in tiger milk, lomo saltado, ajĂ de gallina and tiradito are among the best-known dishes. Peruvian quinoa, an Andean cereal with a high protein content, has become a global export.
Peru is home to some of the most significant UNESCO sites in Latin America: Machu Picchu (Historic Sanctuary, 1983), the Parque Nacional Huascarán (1985), the site of ChavĂn de Huántar, the Nazca Lines, the city of Cusco and Caral-Supe, the oldest city in the Americas (3,000 BC). The Huascarán National Park protects the Cordillera Blanca with the Huascarán, the Chopicalqui (6,354m), the Chopicalqui, the Artesonraju (6,025m - the mountain that inspired the logo of the Olympic Games) and the Pastoruri glaciers. The fauna of the Peruvian Andes includes the Andes condor (Vultur gryphus), the vicuña (Vicugna vicugna), the guanaco (Lama guanicoe), the llama (Lama glama), the l'alpaca (Vicugna pacos) and the spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus).
The Cordillera Blanca is the main theatre of South American mountaineering. The Huascarán (6,768m) - the highest peak in the tropical zone of the world - was first climbed on the north face in 1908 by Annie Peck and two Swiss guides; the higher south peak was reached in 1932 by a German expedition. The Huascarán Park offers more than 50 peaks of 5,000m and 6,000m frequented by mountaineers from all over the world. Huaraz, the main base of the Cordillera Blanca, hosts thousands of mountaineers and hikers every year. The Cordillera Huayhuash is the scene of classic routes of world mountaineering, made famous by Simpson with "Touching the Void". The Cordillera Vilcanota and Cordillera Vilcabamba, near Cusco, are home to glaciers such as Ausangate (6,384m) and Salkantay (6,271m).
The Camino Inca (Inca Trail), a four-day trek from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu via three mountain passes between 3,600m and 4,200m, is the most famous trek in South America; the number of participants per day is limited. The Salkantay trek, an alternative to the Inca Trail, crosses the Salkantay Pass at 4,600m starting from Mollepata. The Huayhuash Circuit, a 10-12 day traverse around the Cordillera Huayhuash between 4,000m and 5,000m, is considered one of the most spectacular treks in the world. The Lares Trek connects Andean communities with arrival in Aguas Calientes. Peruvian trail running includes the Ultra Trail Machu Picchu, a 50 km race around the historic sanctuary at altitudes between 2,000m and 4,000m, and the Inca Trail Marathon, which follows portions of the historic trail.
Information
General Data
Capital: Lima
Area: 1.285,216 km²
Minimum elevation: 0m (Pacific coast)
Maximum elevation: 6,768m - Huascarán [to be verified slug inalto.org]
Number of inhabitants: 32,972,000 (2020 estimates)
Official name: RepĂşblica del PerĂş
Name of inhabitants: Peruvians
Bordering countries: Ecuador - Colombia - Brazil - Bolivia - Chile
Institutional website: https://www.gob.pe