Portal:Peru
THE PERU PORTALPeru 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. Selected articleLANSA Flight 502 was a Lockheed Electra L-188A operated by Lineas Aéreas Nacionales Sociedad Anónima (LANSA) which crashed shortly after takeoff on August 9, 1970, after losing one of its engines. The aircraft, registered OB-R-939, was bound from Cusco to Lima in Peru, carrying 8 crew and 92 passengers. All but one of the occupants died from injuries sustained from impact forces and post crash fire. Two people on the ground were also killed. There were 46 American high school exchange students on board, all of whom perished. A Peruvian government investigations concluded that the accident was caused by improper execution of engine-out procedures by the flight crew, aggravated by lack of maintenance and overloading. LANSA was fined and its operations suspended for 90 days. At the time, the crash was the worst ever in Peruvian history. (more...) Selected pictureThe Peruvian Legislative Palace (Spanish: Palacio Legislativo) houses the unicameral Congress of Peru (Spanish: Congreso de la República) with its 120 Members of Congress (Spanish: Congresistas). The current building was finished in 1938, during the presidency of Óscar R. Benavides. It is located on Bolívar Square, named in honor of the South American independence leader Simon Bolívar whose statue is in front of the building. (more...) Selected battleThe Battle of Angamos (8 October 1879) was an important struggle in the War of the Pacific, where the Peruvian ironclad Huáscar was surrounded and captured by the Chilean Navy. The captain of the ironclad, Peruvian Admiral Miguel Grau, was killed in the combat. After this battle, the Peruvian Navy was unable to prevent the invasion of its territorial sea. The seas were cleared for the invasion of Peru and Bolivia. (more...) In this month
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