Portal:Peru

Wikipedia portals: Culture Geography Health History Mathematics Natural sciences People Philosophy Religion Society Technology edit   THE PERU PORTAL Peru is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico civilization, one of the oldest in the world, and to the Inca Empire, the largest state in Pre-Columbian America. The Spanish Empire conquered the country in the 16th century and established a Viceroyalty, which included most of its South American colonies. After achieving independence in 1821, Peru has undergone periods of political unrest and fiscal crisis as well as periods of stability and economic upswing. Peru is a presidential representative democratic republic divided into 25 regions. Its geography varies from the arid plains of the Pacific coast to the peaks of the Andes mountains and the tropical forests of the Amazon Basin. It is a developing country with a medium Human Development Index score and a poverty level around 40%. Its main economic activities include agriculture, fishing, mining, and manufacturing of products such as textiles. The Peruvian population, estimated at 28 million, is multiethnic, including Amerindians, Europeans, Africans and Asians. The main spoken language is Spanish, although a significant number of Peruvians speak Quechua or other native languages. edit   Selected article The regions of Peru (Spanish: Regiones del Perú) are the first-level administrative subdivisions of Peru. Since its 1821 independence, Peru had been divided into departments (Spanish: departamentos) but faced the problem of an increasing centralization of political and economic power in its capital, Lima. After several unsuccessful decentralization attempts, departments were replaced by regions and regional governments elected on November 20, 2002. Under the new arrangement, the former 24 departments plus the Callao Province have become regions. The province of Lima has been excluded of this process and does not form part of any region. Unlike the earlier departments, regions have an elected government and have a wide array of responsibilities within their jurisdiction. Under the 2002 Organic Law of Regional Governments (Spanish: Ley Orgánica de Gobiernos Regionales), there is an ongoing process of transfer of functions from the central government to the regions. A 2005 referendum for the merger of several regions failed to get the necessary electoral support. (more...) edit   Selected picture Photo credit: Quinet The Peruvian population has been formed by the combination of different groups over five centuries. Amerindians inhabited Peruvian territory for several millennia before Spanish Conquest in the 16th century. Spaniards and Africans arrived in large numbers under colonial rule, mixing widely with each other and with indigenous peoples. After independence, there has been a gradual European immigration. Chinese arrived in the 1850s and have since become a major influence. Other immigrant groups include Arabs and Japanese. (more...) edit   Selected battle The Battle of Ollantaytambo took place in January 1537 between the forces of the Inca emperor Manco Inca and a Spanish expedition led by Hernando Pizarro during the Spanish conquest of Peru. A former ally of the Spaniards, Manco Inca rebelled in May 1536 and laid siege to a Spanish garrison in the city of Cusco. To end the stand-off, the besieged mounted a raid against the emperor headquarters, located in the town of Ollantaytambo. The expedition was commanded by Hernando Pizarro and included 100 Spaniards and some 30,000 Indian auxiliaries against an Inca army of more than 30,000. (more...) edit   In this month March 16, 1892 - César Vallejo, the most important Peruvian poet, is born in Santiago de Chuco. March 19, 1742 - José Gabriel Túpac Amaru Túpac Amaru II, leader of an indigenous uprising in 1780 against the Spanish in Peru, is born. March 28, 1936 - Writer, politician, journalist and essayist Mario Vargas Llosa representing the Latin American Boom is born. March 31, 1950 - The National Flag is adopted in its present form by removing the Coat of Arms from the center of the flag. More anniversaries... edit   Peru news August 2 Peru government to ration energy in north. Reuters August 1 Peru to beef up state energy companies -minister. Reuters July 28 Ollanta Humala is sworn in as new Peru president. BBC July 28 Pisco sours and ceviche for Peruvian Independence Day. CNN July 26 Peru renews $5 bln shelf registration for new govt. Reuters edit   Did you know... ...that the city of Lima (pictured) flourished in the 17th century as the center of a trade network which extended as far as Europe and the Philippines? ...that Alejandro Toledo led the opposition against president Alberto Fujimori and was elected as president in the 2001 general election? ...that the Peru national football team withdrew from the 1936 Berlin Olympics after its victory over Austria was annulled? ...that in the Quechua language sentences are marked by an evidential suffix which indicates how certain the speaker is about his statement? ...that soprano Yma Sumac became an international success based on the merits of her extreme vocal range? edit   Categories Peru Culture • Architecture • Art • Cinema • Literature • Music • Cuisine • Dances • Media • National symbols • Sport Economy • Agriculture • Energy • Mining • Tourism • Companies • Currencies • Trade unions Geography • Geology • Landforms • Natural disasters • Populated places • Protected areas • Subdivisions Government • Foreign relations • Political office-holders History • Andean • Inca • Colonial • Military • Disasters • Elections • Massacres • Historians • Revolutionaries Politics • Elections • Political parties • Politicians Society • Crime • Demographics • Ethnic groups • Languages • Religion edit   Things you can do Assess and prioritise articles (log) Check for copyvios at Special:Contributions/Priscilla D, tag as {{Db-copyvio}} where appropriate Create: Expand: new articles; top importance articles FAC / FLC: GAN: Merge requests: Amazonas before the Inca Empire, Chachapoyas culture Review: Shining Path, Universitario de Deportes Translate: National University of San Marcos Work on Lima, the current article improvement drive Wikify: articles needing attention edit   Basic facts & figures edit   Peru Topics edit   WikiProjects edit   Related portals edit   Associated Wikimedia What are portals? List of portals Featured portals Purge server cache