Peru

1. Peru Cody G.

2. Peru’s location, capital and basic facts • Peru is located in Western South America, on the border of the South Pacific Ocean. Its neighboring countries are: Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Bolivia, and Ecuador. • Capital: Lima • Other facts: • Peru’s climate varies from humid and tropical in the east to dry desert in the west and temperate to frigid in the Andes. • The countries natural resources are: copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower, and natural gas. • Peru has 5 main natural disasters: earthquakes, • tsunamis, flooding, landslides, and mild volcanic activity.

3. Peru’s Flag • Peru’s flag is made up of 3 equal vertical bands of red, white and red. The Coat of Arms is centered in the white band, with a shield bearing vicuna, a cinchona tree, and a yellow cornucopia spilling out gold coins, which is framed in a green wreath. • Red - stands for hardiness, bravery, strength, and valor. • White - peace and honesty. • Coat of Arms meanings: • A shield with an image of a vicuna, which is a llama-like mammal that possesses a fine silky fleece. • A cinchona tree - the source of quinine. • Yellow cornucopia spilling out gold coins; a cornucopia is a cone-shaped ornament with overflowing contents which signifies prosperity (a.k.a – horn of plenty). • Finally, all of these items are framed by a green wreath, a symbol of economy for the indigenous people of Peru – called the TupacKatari.

4. Independence • Peru had been under Spanish control since 1531 until Jose de San Martin of Argentina and Simon Bolivar of Venezuela led a movement in 1820. • San Martin proclaimed Peruvian independence from Spain on July 28, 1821. But the emancipation was not completed until December 1824, when General Antonio Jose de Sucre defeated Spanish troops at Ayacucho, ending Spain’s rule in South America. • Spain officially recognized Peru as an independent nation in 1879, after many futile attempts to regain its former colonies.

5. Historical event • In 1988, the historic centre of Lima was declared an UNESCO World Heritage site because it contained a large amount of historic buildings dating back to the Spanish colonial era in Peru. • In particular is the monumental Plaza Mayor, complete with a 16th century cathedral. In addition, the original city walls are still standing in some areas.

6. Holidays • A major holiday in Peru is the month-long celebration of the Lord of the Earthquakes in October. Peru is shaken by constant tremors and earthquakes, and in its past numerous cities have been severely damaged by them. • During the celebration, a weekly procession through the streets of Lima features a painting of Christ that has survived successive quakes, trailed by many followers dressed in purple robes.

7. Famous man-made structure • The Machu Picchu in the Andes Mountains is an ancient Inca fortress, that was thought to have been built and occupied in the mid-15th century. It is surrounded on 3 sides by stepped agricultural terraces, which were connected to the main plazas and buildings by thousands of step stones.

8. Environmental Features • On the border of Peru and Bolivia is Lake Titicaca. It is the largest lake in South America and the highest commercially navigable lake in the world. It sits at 3,811m (12,500ft) above sea level and 281m (922ft) at its deepest point. The lake is made up of two nearly separate sub-basins called Lago Grande and LagoPequeno.

9. Famous Man • Juan Diego Florez was born on January 13th, 1973 in Lima Peru. In his early years he intended on pursuing a career in popular music; at the age of 17 he entered the ConservatorioNacionalMusica in Lima. • He later received a scholarship to the Curtis institute in Philadelphia where he studied from 1993 to 1996. • He became a student in opera productions and had his first breakthrough in 1996, at the Rossini festival in the Italian city of Pesaro. • Then on June 24, 2007 he received Peru’s highest decoration, the Gran Cruz de la Orden de Sol del Peru.

10. Famous Woman • Kina Malpartida was born on March 25th, 1980 in Lima, Peru. As a child she loved contact sports and did Karate from ages 6 to 14. • When she turned 19 she moved to Australia and took a university course in business and restaurant management, and also became a competitive boxer. She had only fought 2 amateur fights before deciding to go professional. • Then in February 21, 2009 she won the title of WBA Junior Lightweight and still defends this title today with a 11-3-1 (wins-Ok’s-loses) record.

11. School system • In Peru there are 3 distinct levels of instruction: • Initial – 3 years (ages 3-5) • Primary – 6 years • Secondary – 5 years • Unfortunately many children have to walk 2-3 hours to and from school, and in some cases the primary and secondary grades will have to stay during the week with a family in a nearby town and return to their families only on the weekends. • In the highlands of Peru where many families do not speak Spanish; rather, they speak Qechua or Aymara (the languages from the Inca empire). The students will most likely become bilingual in order to study, since classes are taught in Spanish.

12. Works Cited • https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pe.html • https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/maps/maptemplate_pe.html • http://www.flags-flags-flags.org.uk/peru-flag.htm • http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35762.htm • http://www.perufacts.org/lima.html • http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Norway-to-Russia/Peruvians.html • http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001328.html#axzz0w9qMh49F • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Titicaca • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Diego_Flórez • http://www.wban.org/biog/kmalpartida.htm • http://www.midwestaugustinians.org/missionchildreneduc.html • http://www.worldmapsinfo.com/flags/1205819342fPeru_flag(1).gif • http://www.andes.org.uk/siteimages/flags/peru-flag.jpg • http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5a-ir0UQnn4/SgxVPj_GLGI/AAAAAAAAB4U/zwdzsAlHoRA/s400/don_jose_de_san_martin_1.jpg • http://www.unique-southamerica-travel-experience.com/images/simon-bolivar.jpg • http://www.addictedtotravel.com/Resources/Images/Cache/2007/7/99592021-f8c1-41ab-bb61-b7b041dd06d1-320-320_320-235.tif&imgrefurl=http://www.addictedtotravel.com/travelguides/attractions/

13. Work cited (cont.) • http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.kosherexpeditions.com/aeuploads/caliaga_sala.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.kosherexpeditions.com/Trip/index.cfm%3FFuseaction%3Dperu&usg=__Z5zW51SrwgW5IpNDi4OUpGnRM6A=&h=274&w=448&sz=65&hl=en&start=0&tbnid=Cvdkucjvw35k3M:&tbnh=132&tbnw=169&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhistoric%2Bcentre%2Bof%2BLima%26hl%3Den%26gbv%3D2%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D993%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=1144&vpy=86&dur=265&hovh=175&hovw=287&tx=98&ty=81&ei=j55gTKPFMoP78AbdzfX8CA&oei=j55gTKPFMoP78AbdzfX8CA&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=30&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0 • http://www.theworldstopcities.com/userfiles/lima.jpg • http://www.peruvianodyssey.com/En/Images/lord_of_earthquakes.jpg • http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2317/2346446804_1a117a6dbc.jpg • http://www.freewebs.com/suebryan/Machu-Picchu-Peru-100806.jpg • http://www.pariwana-hostel.com/blog/images/stories/Cusco/cuzco-machupicchu-incas-ruins-peru-pariwana-hostel.jpg • http://blogs.bootsnall.com/old_travel_blogs/www.steveislost.com/archives/images/machu%20picchu%20(9).JPG • http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/06/33/ca/ah-i-can-see-some-people.jpg • http://www.zonu.com/imapa/americas/Satellite_Image_Photo_Lake_Titicaca_Bolivia_Peru.jpg • http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1057/904991188_e3b474c3fd_o.jpg • http://www.mansionvitraux.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/juan-diego-florez.jpg • http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ez2dGvuokjs/SfOnuT9ndSI/AAAAAAAAArY/809oTae2JQY/s400/Juan+Diego+Florez.jpg • http://www.blawer.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/kina-malpartida.jpg • http://www.peruencontacto.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Kina-Malpartida-peruencontacto.jpg • http://www.learn4good.com/schools/frontend/img/contact_form_img/0/contact_form_185.jpg • http://perufoundation.org/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/P5100129.164104435_std.jpg • http://www.peru-travel-adventures.com/gfx/Map.gif