#small globe

Summertime blues

Turquoise or Cool Blue? Continuing on with #GlobeFacts Peru Peru is home to the Puya raimondii, the world’s tallest flowering plant. A bromeliad, relative of the pineapple, it can take up to a century or more to bloom. In full bloom, each plant flaunts up to 8,000 white flowers resembling lilies. It blooms only once in its lifetime and then dies At one point in the mid-1800s, Peru was the world leader in terms of guano (bird droppings) production and export, as countries like France and England saw the value of the guano as a natural fertilizer The Amazon River is the longest river in the world. It rises high in the Peruvian Andes at Nevado Mismi and ends in the Atlantic Ocean over 3,278 miles (6,000 km) from its source. At its mouth, it is a massive 186 miles (300 km) wide. The mighty river was named by Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana during his epic voyage Some places in the coastal desert of Peru are so dry, they have received just 1 inch (3 cm) of rain in the past 30 years By about 3,000 B.C., almost every weaving technique known today had been invented by the Peruvians It is thought that early farmers in Peru grew five species of hot peppers, which were transported over the years to Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico Christopher Columbus, who was searching for black pepper, may be responsible for their English name Peru is the world’s largest exporter of asparagus, with over 117,000 metric tons in 2012 More #PeruFacts & #SouthAmericaFacts Kirsty finishing up 23cm Mini Desk Globes www.bellerbyandco.com