Peru

I have very tall, sleepy mountains that reach for the clouds. They are called the Andes Mountains. I also have a big, green jungle where monkeys swing and colorful birds sing happy songs all day long. My toes are a long, sandy beach where the ocean waves come to play. The water tickles my sandy toes. I am a country full of secrets and happy stories. Hello. My name is Peru.

A very long time ago, around the year 1400, some very clever people lived here. They were called the Inca people. The Inca people were amazing builders. They built stone cities high up in my mountains, hidden in the clouds. One city is called Machu Picchu. It is like a secret playground in the sky. To grow their yummy food, they made special gardens on the sides of my mountains. The gardens looked like big green stair-steps. They grew potatoes and corn to eat. The Inca people had fuzzy friends to help them. Friendly llamas and alpacas with soft, woolly coats helped carry things up and down the mountain paths. They were very good helpers.

Today, people from all over the world come to visit me. They climb my mountains to see the amazing stone cities. They listen to the toucans sing in my jungle. They taste my yummy foods, like sweet corn and potatoes. I love to share my stories and my beautiful sights with everyone. I feel so happy when children laugh and play here. My story is a happy one, and I hope you will come visit me someday to make your own happy memories, too.