July 28th: Peruvian Independence Day

Known as 'Fiestas Patrias', this holiday is always celebrated on July 28th and marks Peru's declaration of independence from Spain in 1821.

To mark Peru's National Day, here are some fun facts about this South American country.

The Inca city of Machu Picchu was “lost” for over 400 years.

In 2007, the site was voted in as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

There are over 3,000 different varieties of Potato grown in Peru

The Largest Flying Bird on Earth can be found in Peru, The Giant Andean Condor

Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world with an elevation of 11,436 feet.

The Amazon River is the longest river in the world and it starts in Peru!

The Atacama Desert located in Peru and Chile is the driest place on Earth.

Peru is home to the Puya Raimondii, the world’s tallest flowering plant. The Puya Raimondii stands at a height of five metres. It can take between 80 and 150 years to flower. Once it does, it can produce over 30 thousand white blooms.

Cotahuasi Canyon in Peru is the deepest canyon in the world. The Cotahuasi Canyon has a depth of 3,232 metres - to put that in perspective, that’s twice the depth of the United States’ Grand Canyon.

The Andes Mountains are the second-highest mountain range in the world, after the Himalayas.

The Camu-Camu fruit grows in the Amazon rainforest in Peru and has the highest vitamin C concentration of any food, about 60 times that of an orange.

The words “llama”, “jerky”, and “quinoa” originate from Quechua.

Peruvian Coati Dung Coffee is the most expensive in the world.

Peru is the only country in the world, whose English name can be typed on a single row of a standard computer keyboard.