Surface Area: With an area of 1,285,215 km2, Peru is the thirdlargest country in South America after Brazil and Argentina. Peru also holds 200 miles of Peruvian coast and has territorial rights of an area of 60 million hectares in the Antarctic. Peru is divided into 24 departments. Lima is the capital of Peru. Population: Peru is a nation of mixed ethnic origins. Throughout its history, Peru has been the meeting ground for different nations and cultures. The indigenous population was joined 500 years ago by the Spaniards. As a result of this encounter, and later enriched by the migration of African blacks, Asians and Europeans; the Peruvian man emerged as the representative of a nation