Peru travel deals provide complete information about Peru's tourist attractions. Peru was once part of the great Incan Empire and later the major vice-royalty of Spanish South America. It was conquered in 1531-1533 by Francisco Pizarro. On July 28, 1821, Peru proclaimed its independence, but the Spanish were not finally defeated until 1824. For a hundred years thereafter, revolutions were frequent; a new war was fought with Spain in 1864-1866, and an unsuccessful war was fought with Chile from 1879 to 1883 (the War of the Pacific).
Peru emerged from 20 years of dictatorship in 1945 with the inauguration of President José Luis Bustamente y Rivero after the first free election in many decades. But he served for only three years and was succeeded in turn by Gen. Manuel A. Odria, Manuel Prado y Ugarteche, and Fernando Belaúnde Terry. On Oct. 3, 1968, Belaúnde was overthrown by Gen. Juan Velasco Alvarado. In 1975, Velasco was replaced in a bloodless coup by his prime minister, Gen.

Peru, in western South America, extends for nearly 1,500 mi (2,414 km) along the Pacific Ocean. Colombia and Ecuador are to the north, Brazil and Bolivia to the east, and Chile to the south. Five-sixths the size of Alaska, Peru is divided by the Andes Mountains into three sharply differentiated zones. To the west is the coastline, much of it arid, extending 50 to 100 mi (80 to 160 km) inland. The mountain area, with peaks over 20,000 ft (6,096 m), lofty plateaus, and deep valleys, lies centrally. Beyond the mountains to the east is the heavily forested slope leading to the Amazonian plains.

494,208 sq mi (1,279,999 sq km); total area: 496,226 sq mi (1,285,220 sq km)

28,302,603 (growth rate: 1.3%); birth rate: 20.5/1000; infant mortality rate: 30.9/1000; life expectancy: 69.8; density per sq mi: 57

Lima, 8,180,000 (metro. area), 7,029,928 (city proper)

Arequipa, 837,300; Trujillo, 725,200; Chiclayo, 598,400

Nuevo sol (1991)

Spanish, Quéchua (both official); Aymara; many minor Amazonian languages

Amerindian 45%, mestizo 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%

Roman Catholic 81%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1%, other Christian 1%, unspecified or none 16% (2003 est.)

91% (2003 est.)

Copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower, natural gas.

Coffee, cotton, sugarcane, rice, potatoes, corn, plantains, grapes, oranges, coca; poultry, beef, dairy products; fish.

Required by all except the following:
(a) 1. nationals of countries shown in the chart above traveling as tourists for stays of up to 90 days with the exception of Malta nationals of which do require a visa.
(b) nationals of Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong (SAR), Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Kiribati, Korea (Rep), Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Nauru, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niue, Norway, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, The Philippines, Russian Federation, Serbia & Montenegro, St Kitts & Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines.