PERU

Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, 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.

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 50%. 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 and other native languages. This mixture of cultural traditions has resulted in a wide diversity of expressions in fields such as art, cuisine, literature, and music.

MISSIONARIES:

Myers, Len & Cyndy

HISTORY:

In 1532, a group of conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro defeated Inca Emperor Atahualpa and imposed Spanish rule. Ten years later, the Spanish Crown established the Viceroyalty of Peru, which included most of its South American colonies.

In the early 19th century, while most of South America was swept by wars of independence, Peru remained a royalist stronghold, where the elite hesitated between emancipation and loyalty to the Spanish Monarchy. Peru finally achieved independence in 1821, since then. Peru has undergone periods of political unrest and fiscal crisis as well as periods of stability and economic upswing. Between the 1840s and 1860s, Peru enjoyed a period of stability.

Peru was defeated by Chile in the 1879 - 1883 War of the Pacific. Internal struggles after the war were followed by a period of stability. The Great Depression followed which renewed political turmoil, and the emergence of the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA).

In 1968, the Armed Forces staged a coup. The new regime undertook radical reforms aimed at fostering development but failed to gain widespread support. In 1975, new leadership paralyzed reforms and oversaw the reestablishment of democracy. During the 1980s, Peru faced a considerable external debt, ever-growing inflation, a surge in drug trafficking, and massive political violence. In the late 90s the country started to recover and now Peru is trying to fight corruption while sustaining economic growth; the current president is Alan Garcia.

RELIGION:

Peru has a large Roman Catholic population (about 75%). However, recently there has been a surge is Protestant growth. Many other religions have small followings in Peru such as Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Adventists, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, and Hare Krishna's.
Very few Peruvians claim to be Atheist or Agnostic.