History of Machu picchu

Peru is located on the central west coast of south America. Its neighboring countries are: Ecuador and Colombia to the North; Chile to the south; Brasil and Bolivia to the East; and the Pacific Ocean to the West.

It is the thirds largest country in South America, with a surface area of 1 285 215,6Km, distributed approximately in the following manner: 12% coastal territory, 28% Andean highlands and 60% Amazon jungle.

Peru Population

Peru has a population of of some 30 million inhabitants, 7 million of whom live in Lima, the capital of Peru. The coastal strip is home to around 54% of the population; the Andean highlands, where Machu picchu Located, 36%; and the Amazon Jungle, 10%; 70% of Peruvians live in urban areas. Peru is divided into 24 departments, containing a total of 194 provinces, plus the constitutional province of Callao.

Peru Economy

Peru is a country with mining, agricultural, fishing and forestry resources, Its principal exports are mineral (gold, silver, copper, zinc and lead), crude petroleum and petroleum products, fish-meal, cotton, sugar, coffee, as well as unconventional products such as hardwoods from the Amazon.

Based on rates of employments, the principal economic activities of the country are mining, tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, the Cusco is the city where tourism is centered, thanks to the History of Machu Picchu and its main tourist attractions.

The economy of Cusco is based on tourism and the main transportation is Cusco to Machu Picchu Train.

Peru Language

The official languages of Peru are Spanish, spoken by 73% of the population, and Quechua spoken by 24% of Peruvians. The majority of Quechua speakers are bilingual and speak Spanish as a second language, as do the Aymara people, whose languaje is spoken primarily on the southern altiplano.

There are also some 55 languages spoken in the Peruvian Amazon as Ashaninka, Aguaruna and Machiguenga.

Peru Religion

The official religion of Peru is the Roman Catholic faith, practiced fervently by to 80% of Peruvians, However, there is freedom of religion in the country and a marked variance in religious practices, particularly throughout the Andes and the Jungle, where the people practice Catholicism in addition to their traditional beliefs generally related to worship of the Earth, called Pachamama and natural phenomena.

Peru Currency and Exchange

Peru’s official currency is NUEVO SOL; its symbol S/. The denominations in circulation are bills of 10,20,50,100 and 200 nuevos soles; coins of 1,2 and 5 Nuevos Soles; and coins of 10,20and 50 centimo, or Hundredths of a nuevo sol.

The foreign currency most readily exchanged in Peru for local money is the United States dollar (us$), commonly used in commercial transactions and in purchasing goods.

Exchange offices abound in the larger cities. It is also possible to exchage money, but do so at a lower rate. The exchange rate fluctuates weekly, but not enough to be significant. Peru does not limit the amount of money you can bring into the country.

Peru Current and Voltage

Electrical current in Peru runs at 220 volts, 60 cycles, The hotels of five stars have 110 volt sockets in guest rooms, but nowadays all the hotels have adapters, although it is advisable to bring an adapter to change flat-pronged plugs to round-pronged plugs.