The following information is from
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/pe.html
General History
Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, most notably that of the Incas whose empire was captured by the Spanish conquistadors in 1533. Peruvian independence was declared in 1821, and remaining Spanish forces defeated in 1824. After a dozen years of military rule, Peru returned to democratic leadership in 1980, but experienced economic problems and the growth of a violent insurgency. President Alberto FUJIMORI's election in 1990 came in a decade that saw a dramatic turnaround in the economy and significant progress in curtailing guerrilla activity. In the spring of 2001, Alejandro TOLEDO became the new head of government till this day.
General information on its land and climate
Peru is located in the Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador. It is has a total land area of 1,285,220 sq km and 5,220 sq km of water. In comparison to other states in the US Peru is slightly smaller than Alaska. Peru has a coastline of 2,414 km. Peru¡¯s lowest elevation point is 0 m in the Pacific Ocean and it¡¯s highest is Nevado Huascaran 6,768 m. Total irrigated land in Peru is 11,950 sq km.
General information on its population
Population:
27,925,628 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 31.5% (male 4,479,278/female 4,323,356)
15-64 years: 63.3% (male 8,891,785/female 8,776,343)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 685,179/female 769,687) (2005 est.)
Median age:
total: 24.95 years
male: 24.69 years
female: 25.21 years (2005 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.36% (2005 est.)
Birth rate:
20.87 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate:
6.26 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate:
-1.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 31.94 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 34.53 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 29.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.53 years
male: 67.77 years
female: 71.37 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.56 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Peruvian(s)
adjective: Peruvian
Ethnic groups:
Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 81%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.4%, other Christian 0.7%, other 0.6%, unspecified or none 16.3% (2003 est.)
Languages:
Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a large number of minor Amazonian languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.7%
male: 93.5%
female: 82.1% (2004 est.)