Useful Information

Peru has a Surface Area With an area of 1,285,215 square km, Peru is the third-largest country in South America after Brazil and Argentina, ranking it among the world's 20 largest nations.

Peru also holds sway over the sea up to 200 miles from the Peruvian coast and has territorial rights to an area of 60 million hectares in the Antarctic. Peru is divided into 24 departments, plus the Constitutional Province of Callao. Lima is the capital of Peru.

POPULATION

25.662.000 inhabitants.

• Urban: 72,3% 
  
• Rural: 27,7 %
  

Peru is a nation of mixed ethnic origins. Through its history, Peru has been the meeting ground for different nations and cultures. The indigenous population was joined 500 years ago by the Spaniards.

The Peruvians, as a result of this encounter, and later enriched by the migration of African blacks, Asians and Europeans, have emerged as the representatives of a nation whose rich ethnic mix is one of its leading characteristics.

LANGUAGE:

Official languages:

Spanish: 80.3% 

Quechua: 16.2%

Other indigenous languages: 3.0%

Foreign languages: 0.2%

As part of its rich cultural tradition, Peru features many different languages. Although Spanish is commonly spoken across the country, Quechua is a major legacy of the Inca Empire and is still spoken with regional dialects in many parts of Peru.

In addition, other languages such as Aymara (in Puno) are still spoken, as well as a startling variety of dialects in the Amazon jungle, which are divided into 15 linguistic families and 38 different languages.

CURRENCY

The official currency in Peru is the Nuevo Sol (s/.), which is divided into 10 cents. The currency includes coins for 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents and 1, 2 and 5 sol coins. There are bills in the denomination of 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 soles.

Peru is typical of many South American countries in that it effectively operates a dual-currency system. Both the US dollar (dólares) and the Peruvian Nuevo Sol (soles) are in circulation and although the government prefers people to use soles, most sizeable purchases are made in dollars. In practice this means that anything costing more than, say, a meal in a nice restaurant, is paid for in dollars. The Nuevo Sol is perfectly stable so you don't have to worry about inflation problems during your stay!

As far as changing money goes, the exchange rates you get when withdrawing from cash machines are good and so this is the approach we usually recommend.

Cash machines dispense both dollars and soles and most accept the major UK debit cards - check with us before travelling if you're not sure.

If you want to change dollars or euros into soles then you can either go to a bank or use one of the street money-changers. This may sound like a recipe for disaster but in actual fact it's very safe and a lot quicker than waiting in line at the bank.

GOVERNMENT

Peru is a democratic republic. The president and members of Congress are elected every five years by universal suffrage. The current constitutional president of Peru is Alan Garcia Perez (2006-2011).

RELIGION

Roman Catholic: 89%
Evangelical: 7%
Other religions: 4%
Peru is a naturally religious country; a diversity of beliefs and freedom of worship can be seen from the wide range of festivals and rituals that feature both Catholic fervour and the mysticism of age-old pre-Hispanic cultures.