Portal:Peru

Topics Culture Geography Health History Mathematics Nature People Philosophy Religion Society Technology 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. Peruvian territory was home to the Norte Chico civilization, one of the oldest in the world, and to the Inca Empire, the largest state in Pre-Columbian America. The Spanish Empire conquered the country in the 16th century and established a Viceroyalty, which included most of its South American colonies. After achieving independence in 1821, Peru has undergone periods of political unrest and fiscal crisis as well as periods of stability and economic upswing. 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 40%. 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 or other native languages. Template:/box-footer The Communist Party of Peru (Spanish: Partido Comunista del Perú), more commonly known as the Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso), is a Maoist guerrilla organization in Peru that launched the internal conflict in Peru in 1980. Its more familiar name originates from a maxim of José Carlos Mariátegui, founder of the original Peruvian Communist Party in the 1920s: "El Marxismo-Leninismo abrirá el sendero luminoso hacia la revolución" (“Marxism-Leninism will open the shining path to revolution”). The followers of the group are generally called senderistas. Shining Path's stated goal is to replace Peruvian bourgeois institutions with a communist peasant revolutionary regime, presumably passing first through the Maoist developmental stage of New Democracy. They claimed to understand the reality of the Peruvian society. The Inca society, which was destroyed by the Spanish conquistadors, was, according to Mariátegui, a kind of primitive communist society. The senderistas hoped that the future would combine revolutionary Marxism with the society of the Incas. "A new path of arms" was expected to lead Peru towards a transformed society that served its people. Since the capture of its leader Abimael Guzmán in 1992, it has only been sporadically active. Shining Path's ideology and tactics have been influential on other Maoist insurgent groups, notably the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and other Revolutionary Internationalist Movement-affiliated organizations. (more...) Photo credit: Ericbronder The Peruvian Legislative Palace (Spanish: Palacio Legislativo) houses the unicameral Congress of Peru (Spanish: Congreso de la República) with its 120 Members of Congress (Spanish: Congresistas). The current building was finished in 1938, during the presidency of Óscar R. Benavides. It is located on Bolívar Square, named in honor of the South American independence leader Simon Bolívar whose statue is in front of the building. (more...) The Battle of Callao (in Spanish, sometimes called el Combate del Dos de Mayo in South America, or Guerra del Pacífico in Spain) occurred on May 2, 1866 between a Spanish fleet under the command of Admiral Casto Méndez Núñez and an alliance of Peru, Chile, Bolivia, and Ecuador, in the Peruvian port city of Callao during the Chincha Islands War. The Spanish fleet bombarded the port of Callao (or El Callao), but eventually withdrew without any major damage to the city structures. (more...) More anniversaries... August 2, 2011 Peru government to ration energy in north. Reuters August 1, 2011 Peru to beef up state energy companies -minister. Reuters July 28, 2011 Ollanta Humala is sworn in as new Peru president. BBC July 28, 2011 Pisco sours and ceviche for Peruvian Independence Day. CNN July 26, 2011 Peru renews $5 bln shelf registration for new govt. Reuters Template:/box-footer Lama at Machu Picchu ...that in the Andean mountains llamas (pictured) are used as pack animals, as well as for the production of fiber and meat? ...that the Argentinian General José de San Martín proclaimed the independence of Peru on July 28, 1821? ...that football player Reimond Manco was selected as the best player of the 2007 South American Under 17 Football Championship? ...that as of 2004 access to water in Peru extended to 89% of the urban population but only to 65% of the rural population? ...that U.S. citizen Lori Berenson is serving a 20-year prison term in Peru for collaborating with the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement? Peru Culture • Architecture • Art • Cinema • Literature • Music • Cuisine • Dances • Media • National symbols • Sport Economy • Agriculture • Energy • Mining • Tourism • Companies • Currencies • Trade unions Geography • Geology • Landforms • Natural disasters • Populated places • Protected areas • Subdivisions Government • Foreign relations • Political office-holders History • Andean • Inca • Colonial • Military • Disasters • Elections • Massacres • Historians • Revolutionaries Politics • Elections • Political parties • Politicians Society • Crime • Demographics • Ethnic groups • Languages • ReligionTemplate:/box-footer Assess and prioritise articles (log) Check for copyvios at Special:Contributions/Priscilla D, tag as {{Db-copyvio}} where appropriate Create: Expand: new articles; top importance articles FAC / FLC: Peru national football team GAN: Merge requests: Amazonas before the Inca Empire, Chachapoyas culture Review: Shining Path, Universitario de Deportes Translate: National University of San Marcos 15px Work on Lima, the current article improvement drive Wikify: articles needing attentionTemplate:/box-footer Template:/box-footer Template:/box-footer Template:/box-footer The following Wikimedia sister projects provide more on this subject: What are portals? List of portals Featured portals Purge server cache