- There are over 3 million people who speak Quechua as their first language in Peru – this is more people than there are living in the countries of Cyprus, Guyana and Surinam combined.
©Mikolaj Idziak.
- Peru also shares claim with Bolivia to Lake Titicaca– at 3,730 meters above sea level, the world highest navigable lake.
- Peru ranks 5th country in the world for megadiversity. There are only about a dozen or so countries that can claim ‘megadiversity’ – that is, they contain in their forests and mountains the greatest, most diverse quantity of plant and animal life.
- Peru is #20 in the list of world countries rated by size. At 1,285,216 km2, it ranks just after Mongolia.
- On a list of tropical countries with the greatest extent of forests in the world, Peru rates fourth. Almost 60% of Peru is jungle – a total of 756,665 km2 (292,150 square miles).
- In Peru, you’ll find the third largest mineral deposit in the World, following Russian and Australia. 28 different minerals are exported from Peru, including copper, zinc, silver iron, and tin.
- Peru is first in the world in its number of domesticated plants with 460 species. According to the UN Development Program, it has provided the world with over 120 species, the most of any country.
- The highest sand dune in the world is Cerro Blanco in Ica, Peru. It measures 2078 meters above sea level.
- Today, Peru has nearly 16.5 million hectares of protected land, an area equivalent to three times the size of Costa Rica.
- The amount of glacier loss in Peru so far from global warming is equivalent to 10 years worth of water usage in Lima.
Colca Canyon in Arequipa, Peru. ©Nad Hemnani. - Of the 3 deepest canyons in the world, 2 are found in Peru. Cotahuasi Canyon, with a depth of 3600m (11811 ft) and Colca Canyon at 3400m (11155 ft) are both more than double the depth of the Grand Canyon in the US.
To learn more interesting facts about Peru, visit:
The People of Peru
About Peru – Peruvian Society
Immigration to Peru
