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Peru

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THE FACTS ABOUT PERU

CAPITAL	Lima

AREA	1.3 million sq km

POPULATION	25 million

LANGUAGE	Spanish and Quechua

CURRENCY	Neuvo Sol

TIME	GMT -5 hours

TELEPHONE CODES	00 51

ELECTRICITY	220V, 60Hz



Peru

Visas: Most travellers visiting Peru on holiday do not need visas. Those travelling on business will need a business visa.

Public holidays: New Year's Day; Maundy Thursday; Good Friday; Labour Day; St. Peter and St. Paul Day (29 June); 30 June; Independence (28/29 July); St Rose of Lima Day (30 Aug); Battle of Angamos (8 Oct); All Saints' Day; Immaculate Conception; Christmas; New Year?s Eve.

Good buys: Local arts and crafts, particularly weavings, ceramics, woollen clothing and jewellery.

Local dishes: Typical food includes lomo saltado (chopped steak fried with onions), cebiche de corvina (white sea bass marinated in lemon, chilli and onions, often served cold with a boiled potato or yam), and sopa a la criolla (a lightly spiced noodle soup with beef, egg, milk and vegetables). An Inca delicacy, often on the menu in the highlands, is roast guinea pig.

Funny fact: The national soft drink Inca Kola outsells Coca Cola in Peru.

Good reading: Inca Kola: A Traveller's Tale of Peru by Matthew Parris is a readable travelogue of his visit with a group of friends. The National Geographic published a fascinating article about Hiram Bingham, the discoverer of the Maccu Ichu ruins. Also read Exploring Cusco by Peter Frost, an interesting book about the city and its history.