Peru, FIL 2005's Guest of Honor

Located on the central western flank of South America, Peru has a land area of 1.28 million square kilometers, which makes it one of the twenty largest countries in the world. Peru's population exceeds 25 million, with 72% of its citizens living in cities and the remaining 28% in rural areas. Twenty-four percent of Peru's population lives in Lima, the capital, making the western zone the most densely populated in the country.

The Pacific Ocean is on Peru's western flank, and it extends its sovereignty 200 miles beyond its shores. It also has 60 million hectares of territorial rights in Antarctica. Politically, Peru is divided into 24 departments and the Constitutional Province of Callao. The Andes, the Amazon River and the coastal region define Peru's complex geography and climactic diversity, all of which deeply influence the Peruvian character.

Peru is the cradle of one of the eight original cultures of world civilization. Though Inca ruins play an important role in the significance of Peruvian history, many cultures preceded the Incas and developed art and engineering to its highest levels. The ancient Peruvians harnessed nature and used its geographic and natural diversity for its own benefit and development.

Peru's cultural diversity is one of its main features. The blending of races and cultures, the product of migrations that reached its apex through the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, has converted Peru into a nation defined by its cultural and ethnic richness. Proof of this is the variety of native languages—Peru has 15 distinct linguistic tongues, of which Quechua and Aymara are the best known. Spanish, which is spoken by 80% of all Peruvians, is the official language.

According to the 2004 United Nations Development Program's Human Development Report, Peru ranks 85th economically from among 162 countries, and it has registered marked economic growth in the last few years. The 2003 GNP rate of 4.1%—$55 trillion—was one of the highest in the region, with exports in mining and textiles leading the way.

Being chosen as the Guadalajara International Book Fair's 2005 Guest of Honor is a challenge for Peru as it strives to display the synthesis of its culture—the traditional with the modern—at one of the most dynamic and creative cultural venues in Latin America. Peruvian letters in all fields will be represented, including its most renowned writers. Ancient Peru contributed the important Chronicles of Garcilaso de la Vega, a seminal text of the New World. Many of the most important ideas of the Independence movement were incubated in Peru, as well as some of the most groundbreaking works of 20th century social and political thought penned by such figures as José Carlos Mariátegui, Victor Raúl Haya de la Torre and Gustavo Gutiérrez. Further, Peru has given birth to some of the most important fiction writers of the century—José María Arguedas, Mario Vargas Llosa and Julio Ramón Ribeyro—and the brilliant poetry of César Vallejo, Jorge Eduardo Eielson and countless other writers. Peru's scholarly and artistic contributions will project a new vision of that country in Guadalajara. Peru's contrasts, the creativity of its people and above all, its huge potential will be shared with the attending Mexican public and doubtlessly spark spirited discussion.