Peru

a republic of South America. It lies on the Pacific coast, approaching within three degrees of the equator. It borders with Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, and Chile. A large triangular tract of territory on the east is in dispute between Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. The undisputed area of Peru is about 480,000 square miles. The territory claimed increases the total to 695,733. The Cordilleras, corresponding to the coast range of North America, follow the coast about twenty miles from the ocean. The main range of the Andes lies farther inland. The country is thus divided into three physical regions, the central, or Sierra region, including the two ranges of mountains mentioned, together with their intervening tableland, the district on the east of the Andes, and a narrow region lying along the coast.

CHARACTERISTICS. The mountains rise to a great height. The more prominent peaks attain an altitude of from 16,000 to 22,000 feet. The strip along the coast is rainless and arid. It has few good harbors. The headlands are for the most part abrupt and lofty. These and the islets along the coast are frequented by myriads of seabirds, terns and gulls. They hover along the coast in white flocks resembling clouds. They live on fish snatched from the sea. They nest on barren islets. Their guano, formerly found in deposits of from ten to fifty feet in thickness, has been a source of national revenue, but it is now almost exhausted.

The heart of the Sierra region is a valley about 380 miles in length. It was the seat of the civilization of the Incas, the scene of Pizarro's cruel exploits. This valley has a general altitude of about 12,000 feet. It is hemmed in by ranges of lofty mountains. The line of perpetual snow lies about 16,000 feet above the sea. The region east of the Andes is clothed with tropical forests, including millions of rubber trees.

PRODUCTS. Although lying between the equator and the tropic of Capricorn, Peru has every variety of climate. The lower regions produce cotton. Corn grows abundantly in valleys of moderate altitude. The tableland of the Sierras is the original home of the potato. Peru is still a land of precious metals, as Pizarro found it. The annual production of gold is not far from $2,000,000. Silver and copper are produced also. Other minerals are cinnabar, zinc, lead, borax, sulphur, arsenic, and antimony. There are extensive coal fields and veins of iron ore. The Pacific coast is rich in petroleum.

AGRICULTURE. The chief agricultural productions are cotton, coffee, and sugar. Irrigation canals have been constructed which may, in time, it is hoped, convert a considerable portion of the arid coast into sugar lands. Cocoa, rice, tobacco, grapes, wheat, oranges, Indian corn, ramie, silk, quinine, and dyes are produced in considerable quantities. Rubber produced in the eastern region is shipped down the Amazon. There are large exports of wool and alpaca.

GOVERNMENT, RELIGION, ETC. The republic of Peru declared its independence from Spain in 1821, but did not gain its actual freedom until 1824. The government, like that of the other South American republics, resembles that of the United States. There is a congress of two houses. The president is elected by direct vote for a term of four years. In the absence of a recent census the population is estimated at 4,600,000. About sixty per cent of the inhabitants are Indians still speaking their native language. The Roman Catholic faith is the religion of the state. The constitution of Peru forbids the public exercise of any other religion, but, as a matter of fact, Protestant churches are tolerated in the larger cities. A system of public schools has been established in the towns. In 1900 there were about 80,000 pupils enrolled. The children of white people are pretty well provided for. The Indians are still in ignorance. Government high schools are maintained in each province. A central university at Lima, the capital, is the most ancient school of any sort in the New World. Its charter, granted by Charles II, bears the date of 1551.

The revenues of the government are derived chiefly from customs levied on imported cottons, woolens, furniture, provisions, wines, drugs, and machinery. Internal revenues are collected on alcohol, opium, and tobacco. Oil is a government monopoly. There are over 1,000 miles of railway and about 2,000 miles of telegraphic lines. The loftiest railroad on earth is the Oroya Railroad of Peru. The locomotive climbs to an altitude 1,400 feet higher than Pike's Peak. Gold is the basis of coinage. The national coin is the libra, corresponding in value as well as name to the English pound.

STATISTICS. The following statistics are the latest to be had from trustworthy sources:

See Pizarro; Lima; Condor; Alpaca; Guano; Titicaca; Prescott; Incas