Peru: Capital, Flag and Fun Facts

About Peru

Peru is on the Pacific coast of South America, with a desert coast, the high Andes Mountains and Amazon rainforest in the east. It was the heart of the Inca Empire. Peru is famous for Machu Picchu, llamas and alpacas, and thousands of kinds of potatoes.

About Lima

Lima lies on Peru's central Pacific coast in a desert area where rain is very rare. Founded in 1535 as the "City of the Kings," it has a UNESCO-listed historic centre and is famous for its food, including ceviche.

Fun facts about Peru

1. Machu Picchu, a 15th-century Inca citadel standing 2,430 metres high in the Andes, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
2. The Nazca Lines are giant drawings of animals, plants and shapes scratched into the desert between 500 BC and AD 500.
3. Lake Titicaca, shared with Bolivia, sits about 3,812 metres high and is often called the highest navigable lake in the world.
4. On Lake Titicaca, the Uros people live on floating islands they build from layers of totora reeds.
5. Potatoes were first grown as a crop in southern Peru and nearby Bolivia, and about 3,000 varieties grow in Peru.
6. Huascarán, more than 6,700 metres high, is the highest mountain in Peru and one of the highest in the Andes.