=Population.= As no census of Peru has been taken for many years the population is merely estimated and a variety of figures is given. The estimate of 5,800,000 appears probable; this number would place Peru in the third or fourth rank according to the figures assigned to Colombia. =Boundary.= The boundary of the country may be slightly affected by the decision of arbitrators; as usually given, Peru has Ecuador and a little of Colombia on the north, Brazil and Bolivia east, Chile south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. HISTORY The name of Peru is always a reminder of the Incas, and all but the utterly ignorant have heard the amazing tale of the conquest of Peru by Pizarro. A few dates may here be recalled. As early as 1527, Francisco Pizarro, incited by rumors of prodigious wealth of gold in a country south of Panamá, made a voyage of exploration in which he landed at Tumbes and proceeded as far as Trujillo. Satisfied with his discoveries he returned to Spain, to procure a royal warrant for an invasion. In 1531, with Diego de Almagro, Hernando de Luque, a priest, and subordinates, he set out on his career of conquest. With 180 men, 67 of whom were cavalry, in 1532 he crossed the desert and the first mountain range, then descending to Cajamarca. How he treacherously seized and later slew the Inca Prince, Atahuallpa, in spite of the enormous gold ransom which had been furnished, afterwards captured Cuzco, the Inca capital, and in 1535 founded Lima on the banks of the Rimac is a Twice Told Tale. Quarrels developed soon after the conquest. Subsequently to his return from Chile the nobler Almagro was executed by order of his associate, Pizarro, who himself was assassinated in 1541 by former adherents of Almagro. For centuries Lima was the seat of Spanish government in South America and the residence of the Viceroy. Great wealth of gold and silver had been extorted from the Incas in addition to the ransom paid for Atahuallpa, and further riches were later obtained from mines by forced labor of the Indians. Severe exactions and cruelties excited one or two insurrections, but in spite of vicissitudes of various kinds the city of Lima was the continental centre of wealth and culture for generations.