Throughout the world Peru is known for emblematic places such as Machu Picchu, the Amazon River, Huacachina Oasis and many other destinations, in addition to its exquisite food. However, there is much more to discover in this beautiful country. Auri Peru tells you some facts about Peru that will make you see it in a much more interesting way.
Facts about Peru: Machu Picchu Cuzco
1.- UNIQUE FLAVORS IN THE WORLD, PERUVIAN GASTRONOMY
Let’s start with the interesting facts about Peru related to food. It is no surprise to anyone that Peru does not go unnoticed regarding gastronomy, since it is considered one of the countries with the most famous typical dishes such as ceviche, lomo saltado and much more. However, something that you didn’t know about this is that the flavor varies depending on the ingredients and their place of origin, since having many varieties the flavor is unpredictable, a clear example of this is the potato since it has more than 3 thousand varieties.
One of the dishes that is based on potatoes is a very popular appetizer called “Causa Limeña”, this in turn has a very interesting history that takes us back to times when Peru was going through one of its worst moments when they had conflicts with the neighbors countries of the territory, in this way in the large squares of Lima, the citizens worried about the lack of money, the citizens collected ingredients that they had on hand and took advantage of the large potato production of the time, in this way they created a spectacular dish to which they did not give a name but when distributing it they said “it is for the Lima cause” which it gave him popularity later and that is how finally a mixture of potato and yellow chili became part of the culture and to be one of the facts about Peru.
Central Restaurant Lima
An interesting fact about Peru and its gastronomy is the recognition that it has had during the last year since the Central restaurant in Lima was crowned the best and first place within the 50 best restaurants in the world, which further raised the value it represents the delicious Peruvian gastronomy, we also cannot miss the brilliance that the Maido restaurant had in the 50 best restaurants in Latin America in which it also had first place as a Nikkei food proposal, which is the fusion between Peruvian and Japanese food.
2.- ANIMALS THAT GIVE US SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT PERU
Peru is one of the countries that has a great variety of animals, as well as others that are quite particular to the area:
- The spectacled bear: It is an animal that is currently protected by the state in addition to being the symbol of the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu.
- Giant armadillo: It is typical of the Peruvian jungle and can weigh close to 45 kilos.
- Bearded dragon: This little friend is typical of the desert areas of the country, it has a diet based mainly on insects.
- Yellow-eared slider: As its name suggests, the particular thing is the striking color it has and it can be found mainly in places with stagnant water.
- Pink dolphin: A beautiful specimen that we can find in the Peruvian Amazon in addition to being the largest of its species in the river with its 2.5 meters long.
Pink dolphin Peruvian amazon
- Humbold Penguin: A strange but pleasant variety that prefers rocky spaces instead of ice and humidity, an expert anchovy hunter.
- Andean Cat: They are easily confused with the ones we have at home, the difference is that they live at very high altitudes close to 4800 meters above sea level.
- Titicaca giant frog: With its overwhelming size of between 30 to 50 cm, it can weigh almost 200 grams. We found them on our side of Lake Titicaca and they are currently in danger of extinction.
- Blue-footed Gannet: A peculiar bird that has the distinctive feature of having blue legs.
- Pudu: It belongs to the deer family, although smaller because it only measures 33 cm and can weigh 7 kilos, it is also in danger of extinction.
- Llama: A high Andean camelid that has a direct relationship with the Inca culture, so much so that in the most special festival, which was the Inti Raymi, they sacrificed one in honor of the sun god. This sacrificed flame had to be black because black was a symbol of purity.
- Cock of the rock: This unique bird is recognized as the national bird of Peru because of its incomparable plumage. In addition, it is a bird that spreads seeds, which helps in the preservation of nature as a form of reforestation. Unfortunately today it is in danger of extinction.
Cock of the rock
And there are still many more that we cannot list due to the large variety that exist around the Peruvian country. From river animals such as the Paiche, which with its 2 meters in length makes it the largest freshwater fish, to ancestral specimens such as the beautiful Andean condor. which is a symbol of tradition and is related to stories and festivities such as the Yawar festival, which makes it part of the interesting facts about Peru.
3.- WHAT ARE SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT PERU
Just as there are interesting facts about Peru with its culture and tradition, there are also other interesting facts about Peru and its nature, some of these short facts about Peru are:
- It contains 28 of the 32 climates in the world, on the coast you can enjoy an arid climate with lots of sun, in the jungle you can enjoy a tropical climate with a little humidity and in the mountains or Andes its cool and warm climate at the same time. Therefore, you can enjoy different landscapes in a single country.
- An interesting fact about Peru is that it has the highest sand dune in the world. Cerro Blanco is located between the Pacific coast and the Andes mountain range, in the Nazca Valley, a very arid and hot place. This place is popular for sandboarders because it offers a descent of almost 780 meters.
- It has two canyons of natural origin, the Colca Canyon which has an average depth of 4160 meters where a very special attraction is the flight of the condor that gives us an incredible natural spectacle and the Cotahuasi Canyon which has a depth of 6093 meters where we appreciate the beautiful cactus forest of Judio Pampa, both are located in Arequipa and are by far deeper than the Grand Canyon of the United States, which only has a depth of 800 meters.
Colca Canyon Chivay
- It has the highest navigable lake in the world, Titicaca, with a large volume of water and is the largest in South America. It shares its space between 2 countries, Peru and Bolivia, for this reason the inhabitants who reside in its waters share traditions from both countries. Something interesting about this is that there are 2 types of islands, natural ones like Taquile or Amantani and artificial ones like Uros, the latter are built from reeds that grow in the deep waters of this lake.
Lake Titicaca Puno
- As part of the amazing facts about Peru, it has a great enigma that is the Nazca Lines, an enigma that persists for 80 years, since they are lines drawn in a large area, thus forming 70 shapes of giant animals, of which to this day oday there is no certainty of its meaning. There are many theories of its origin and meaning but the most related to this is that it is a type of astronomical calendar which was aligned either by projecting shadows during the day or related to the stars at night.
Facts About Peru: Nazca Lines
- It also houses the snow-capped Huascarán, this being the highest point in Peru with 6768 meters above sea level and an incredible and unimaginable view, in addition to having the 5th place in height in all of Latin America. Something peculiar about this snow-capped mountain is that its name, when translated from Quechua, is related to twin mountains due to the 2 peaks it contains.
- One of the Peru quick facts is that it is one of the countries with colorful mountains, such as the one found in the city of Cusco, between the towns of Cusipata and Pitumarca, the Rainbow Mountain of Vinicunca but it is not the only one, also we have Palcoyo colorful mountain that is nearby.The most interesting thing about these sectors is the material they contain since their structure is basically minerals such as iron, iron oxide and copper, due to the passage of time they settled and gave rise to these beautiful mountain chains that have this peculiar color.
Rainbow Mountain Cusco
- In its natural spaces we can find about 1,200 types of butterfly species identified in various natural points, one of these points is the Manu National Park, which is a reserve protected by the state where many species are also cared for so that they do not reach the extreme. of extinction. In addition to housing about a thousand species of birds that are mainly residents and do not migrate from one place to another.
- Peru is the second country in the world where alternative medicine is practiced, it is more frequent and with the highest type of Andean priests in the Andes, they are in charge of all types of ceremonies such as offerings to the earth, spiritual healings, the most popular are those belonging to the Q’eros community since they have in a certain way inherited the tradition very closely as part of their training. The Andean cosmogony remains latent in all people in various parts of the country and it is common for them to share this belief.
- It is also home to one of the oldest cultures in America, it is Caral, considered the cradle of cultures since it is the oldest with almost 5000 years old. Due to its complexity in structure as well as the state in which this place was found, it has exceptional value for everyone. Thanks to the studies carried out, we can know that it did have influence and expansion in many parts of the country.
Caral Lima
- It has among its destinations one of the seven wonders of the world, which is Machu Picchu. A citadel made of stone and located on the top of a mountain, surrounded by natural spaces, which gives it that incredible and desired particularity of being visited by travelers from all over the world.
- Another surprising fact about Peru is that its jungle is home to the largest freshwater turtle in all of America, this is the charapa, most found in the city of Loreto. Thanks to the action of many organizations, today this is a protected species since some people hunted them excessively, which greatly reduced their population.
Charapa Turtle
- A brief fact about Peru is that it has the smallest church in the world with 50m2, called Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary, located in Lima, it is highly visited due to its peculiar size.
Rosary Lady Chapel Lima
Whether it is for something impressive that we really want to know or simply enjoy our next vacation, Peru is your ideal destination. Auri Perú will be your best travel companion this 2024, don’t wait any longer and contact us.
“An understanding of the natural world and what’s in it is a source of not only a great curiosity but great fulfillment.”
