Peru’s name may come from the Spanish misapplication of the Quechua word pelu, meaning a river.[21]
Spaniards may have brought potato starts from Peru to Europe as early as 1562. Ancient Peruvians domesticated the potato as far back as 8,000 years ago. Today, it is the world’s fourth-largest food crop. There are over 3,000 different varieties grown in Peru.[12]
Peru was officially declared the world’s biggest producer of cocaine in 2013 by the United Nations. Peru’s cocaine industry takes in about US$1 billion per year in under-the-table money and employs some 200,000 Peruvians.[5]
Peru is the sixth-largest producer of gold in the world. According to Thomson Reuters, Peru produced 162 tons of gold, worth over US$6.3 billion in 2010. Fourteen percent of Peru’s government revenue is provided by gold.[18]
Peru grows over 55 varieties of corn, and consumers can find it in colors ranging from yellow to purple, white, and black. Ancient Peruvians used corn for bartering and as a form of currency as well as for food.[18]
