Republic of Peru is a country in western South America. Peru 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. Peru territory was home to Norte Chico - civilization, one of the oldest civilization in the world. There was also the Inca Empire - the largest state in America before Columbus. The Spanish Empire conquered the region in the 12th century and made it their colony. The country received independence in 1821.

Peru today is a representative democratic republic divided into 25 regions. Peru geography varies from the arid plains of the Pacific coast to the peaks of the mountains of the Andes and the Amazon tropical forests. Peru is a developing country to the subsistence level of approximately 40%. Her main areas of activity include agriculture, fishing, mining, and manufacturing of products such as textile.

Peru's population of 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. This mixture of cultural traditions has led to a wide variety of expressions in fields such as art, cuisine, literature, and music.

Peru is One of the most visited countries in Latin America - the territory of this country contains the largest number of monuments of the ancient Inca Empire - Machu Picchu, Cuzco, and many others. Also in Peru, are monuments of ancient civilizations such as the Nazca (Nazca lines, which are visible only from space), monuments Chavin culture and Quechua. Machu Picchu - an ancient city, lost in the Andes, one of the most important monuments of the Inca civilization. Due to the strategic location in the Andes, the city was not captured by the Spanish conquistadors, that saved the city from pillaging, and now it is fully preserved and most important architectural monument of Peru.

Machu Picchu
At 112 km northwest of Cusco is the most famous and most mysterious monument of culture of the Incas on the continent - Machu Picchu. The ancient holy city of the Incas, about the true purpose of which up to now there are disputes, occupies about 33 hectares on a flat plateau, situated at an altitude of 2700 m above sea level in the Valley of Urubamba. Excavations carried out in Machu Picchu, discovered the world famous Gateway of the Sun "Intiuatana and observatory, carved into the rock or built of carefully fitted huge blocks of palaces, temples and more than two hundred other buildings, defensive walls, stairs, gutters and swimming pools, thousands of terraces cut into the rocks for the cultivation of agricultural crops, the palace of the moon at the foot of the next mountain Huayna Picchu, as well as numerous burial objects and pre-Incan period.