Peru is the most varied and fascinating of all the South American nations. A large part of what makes Peru such a fascinating country is that its history is composed of several layers of great past civilizations. You can wander around old colonial cities that still contain examples of the legacy of the Spanish conquistadors, visit the ancient Inca capital of Cuzco, explore the lost city of Machu Picchu and wonder about the mysterious Nazca Lines.

It also has some of the most spectacular and varied nature in South America. The Peruvian Andes are possibly the most beautiful on the continent, and the mountains are home to millions of highland Indians who still speak the ancient tongue of Quechua and maintain their traditional way of life.

Geographically, Peru is South America's third largest country and can be divided into three distinct geographic regions:

Andes
The best known of these is the central high sierra of the Andes, with its massive peaks, steep canyons and extraordinary pre-Columbian archaeological sites. The Andes are still one of the world's most unstable mountain ranges, with frequent earthquakes, landslides and flash floods.

Coast
The lowland coastal region is a northern extension of the Atacama Desert. Although the Atacama is generally known as the most arid region on the planet, the climate along Peru's shores is cooler and not as dry. A dense fog caused by the collision of the frigid waters of the Humboldt Current with the heated sands of the Atacama helps cool the air. Lima, Trujillo, and Chiclayo, three of Peru's major population centers, are located along this coastal desert.

Jungle
Peru's third great region is the dense forest that surrounds the headwaters of the Amazon beneath the eastern slopes of the Andes. This part of the country is so hard to get to that only the most adventurous and intrepid travelers attempt to penetrate its mysterious emerald depths. In fact, the region's capital of Iquitos, a city of 400,000, is accessible only by air or by boat up the Amazon.