Beautiful landscape and wondrous climate 'Peru'

This distant nation is, from the perspective of land mass, South America's third-largest country. Peru's land mass is 1,285,220 square kilometers, its population is 29 million and its capital is Lima.

You can reach Lima from İstanbul via a 20-hour journey that involves changing planes in Madrid. Keep in mind that this journey, in addition to being a long one, will also bring you from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere. In other words, as we live out these summer months, they are in the middle of their winter.

 The entire length of Peru's western border stretches along the Pacific Ocean; the Andes range lines the country from north to south with steep ridges that meet up with the ocean. The source of the Amazon River is in Peru, and gigantic forests mark the interior of the country.

Peru is the homeland of the Incan civilization. The Incas had the largest empire of pre-Columbian America. There is no written literature left from the Incas, as their native language, Quechua, had no alphabet. The Spanish brought an end to the Incan civilization, and Peruvians lived for many years under Spanish rule. Among other things, the gold and silver deposits of Peru were of great interest to the Spanish. Much of the country's natural wealth was brought to Europe, and over time, Spanish became the official language of Peru, with many now even saying that it is one of the countries where Spanish is spoken best. But among the people of Peru, Quechua continues to be spoken and kept alive. Since it never had its own alphabet, the Latinate alphabet is now used to write and read Quechua.

Plaza de Armas

The Incas saw horses for the first time when the Spanish arrived; the appearance of these horses caused them great surprise. In the 1530s, soldiers on horseback from Spain carried out great massacres of the Peruvian people. The result of this was that the population dwindled from 11 million to around 1.5 million. Peru was the last country in South America to see the end of Spanish colonization; it was not until 1821 that Peru gained its independence.

Mining is critically important to the Peruvian economy along with agriculture, fishing and tourism. Every year, thousand of tourists arrive in Peru to tour the remains of the Incan Empire, in particular the ancient city of Machu Picchu. The best months during which to visit to Peru are March and April when the weather is warm and the humidity is low.

The ocean waves along the Peruvian shoreline are very big, and there are swimmers there as well as surfers. In fact, in some spots, you can see many surfers dotting the water. Sometimes, the waves along the Lima coastline can be as high as nine meters.

The Peruvian capital of Lima was established in 1535 and has a population of 8 million. Lima has a truly interesting climate; despite the fact that it can be cloudy for six months on end, there is almost no rainfall. So when it even drizzles here, it's a newsworthy event! The weather is also so warm that none of the homes in Lima and its surroundings even need heaters.

Ayacuchos in traditional clothing.

One of the most important city squares in Lima is the Plaza de Armas. The Government Palace, the Municipal Palace and the Cathedral of Lima are all located on this square. It would not be wrong to typify the Plaza de Armas as being the beating heart of Lima. There are many local and foreign tourists who flock in to see it every year. Interestingly, the Plaza de Armas, also known as the Plaza de Mayor, is a place where there is always a dance show or some other kind of show going on. One thing you might see, for example, is a group dressed in traditional clothing from the state of Ayacucho, doing their local dances, or perhaps a troupe from another region of Peru.

Jiron de la Union in Lima is closed to traffic and, during daytime hours, is the busiest street in the capital. Masses of people flow up and down this street.

The monetary unit of Peru is the nuevo sol, with one dollar getting around three nuevo sols. The largest denomination of the Peruvian currency is 200 nuevo sols. But when you are shopping in the supermarkets, even on the streets, you can also use dollars. And with this being the case, there are many, many people selling currency in the streets of Lima. People tend to prefer these unofficial money changers, since they give slightly better exchange rates than the banks. These money changers, who stand around all day waiting for customers, are just one sign of the sheer effort going into the local economy. The Peruvian economy is getting stronger day by day.

In one of the large parks of Lima, Parque de la Reserva, there is a fountain that dances according to the music playing. Interestingly, this is a spot that made it into the Guinness Book of Records for being the world's largest fountain complex. In the evening hours, the park fills with people who come here with their families, looking on as the beautifully lit fountains of water appear to dance.

Students learning Turkish

Visiting Lima, you'll have the chance to see many things you may not have seen before. For example, no matter how many countries you may have visited beforehand, you may not have seen a gas station in the middle of the road, with traffic flowing by on either side. This is a typical sight in the streets of Lima.

One of the first things you notice in the many open markets of Peru is the colorful range of vegetables everywhere. Peru is rich in tropical fruits, and there are thousands of varieties of potatoes grown here. Some say that Peru's Titicaca region is where the world's first potatoes were grown. The first Peruvian potatoes arrived in Europe in 1570. Another important agricultural crop grown in the fertile soils of Peru is corn.

Alpacas are also famously Peruvian. There is much clothing made from alpaca wool in Peru. Alpaca wool is well known for being lightweight and warm. Clothing items made from alpaca wool are some of the best presents you can buy.

By the ocean, Lima

 In a small desert town called Nazca, there are enormous pictures on the ground that can be seen only from the air -- for example, if you go up in a helicopter or an airplane. These are images of things like birds, spiders, monkeys and vultures, and they are known as the Nazca Lines. Some of them stretch for kilometers in length. It is believed that the Nazca drawings pre-date the Incan Empire, and there is still mystery surrounding the question of how these drawings were made. Most suppose that the Nazca drawings were made some time between 200 B.C. and A.D. 700. The first of these enormous drawings was discovered in 1926. In 1994, UNESCO declared the Nazca drawings a World Heritage Site. Interestingly, included amongst these drawings is one that almost looks like a cartoon character, and there is one drawing known as the “Astronaut.” There many massive geometric drawings that grace this same region. The true mystery surrounding these images is the question of how people drawing so long ago, and on such a large scale, could have drawn these images so successfully.

The famous Amazon River has its source in Peru. The Amazon region covers a full 11 percent of Peruvian land. The Amazon, the world's largest river by volume, builds up force in Peru and heads from this land to Brazil, where it finally pours into the Atlantic Ocean. With its natural beauty and extraordinary civilization, Peru is a country just waiting to be seen by you, once you make the choice.

[QUICK FACTS]

Capital: Lima

Major languages: Spanish (official), Quechua (official) and Aymara

Government: Constitutional republic

President: Alan Garcia Perez

Area: 1,285,220 square kilometers

Population: 29,546,963*

GDP (per capita): $8,400**

Main religions: Roman Catholic (81.3 percent) and Evangelical (12.5 percent)

*July 2009 estimate **2008 estimate