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Peru
South America
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January
and February) and the rest of the year it is dry with sunny days and
cold nights. The jungle has a tropical, humid and extremely hot climate
POPULATION
:
Peru has a populations of almost 28
million. The coast has 48% of the inhabitants and is the site of Lima,
the capital and largest city. The Andes has 43% of the population and
features large cities such as Cusco, Puno, Arequipa and Ayacucho. The
remaining 9% of the population live in the Amazon jungle.
Close to 45% of Peru's population are Native Americans, some descendents
of the Incas and Quechuas who established a great civilization in the
fifteenth century. Practically 37% of the population is Mestizo,
descendents of Spanish and Andean roots, 15% are direct descendents of
the Spanish and the rest are Japanese, Chinese and African 75% of the
population live in urban areas.
LANGUAGE
AND RELIGION :
There are about 40 Amazonian dialects in
the Amazon jungle. Spanish and Quechua are the official languages of the
country but Aymara is also spoken in the area of Titicaca Lake. 60% of
Peruvians are Catholics and the rest are Protestants and other religious
followings.
CULTURE
:
The ancient Peruvians left us one of
the richest cultures in South America. The Spanish later brought their
language, religion and new laws, leaving behind the Inca Civilization.
Currently we have a unique fusion of Incas mixed with occidental culture.
The Andean culture remains strong through language, music, dance and
tradition. The Quechua and Aymara people who live high up in the
mountains often do not speak Spanish and maintain many of the original
customs and traditions. The coastal towns tend to live a more
contemporary lifestyle in contrast to the highlands and jungle areas.
The economic activity can be divided into different sections:
agriculture, animal breeding, mining, industry, tourism, and services
such as education, health and small and medium sized business. The most
beneficial to the country is agriculture.
The capital city of Lima has the most people with a population of
approximately 9 million. Arequipa is considered the industrial center
and Trujillo is important for commercial activity. Cusco is a
cosmopolitan city and attracts a lot of tourists whereas Iquitos is
famous for its natural resources.
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