Andes facts

Quechua is spoken in the Andes by some 8 to 10 million speakers. Today, Quechua has the status of an official language in Bolivia and Peru, along with Spanish.

Food. Guinea Pig is traditional food in the Andes. Peruvians consume an estimated 65 million guinea pigs each year. Since the 1960s, efforts have been made to increase consumption of the animal outside South America.

Camel. The llama is a domesticated South American camelid. The genera Lama and Vicugna are, with the two species of true camels, the sole existing representatives of even-toed ungulates, called Tylopoda.

Peru. La Rinconada is a town in the Peruvian Andes near a gold mine. At 5,100 m (16,700 ft) above sea level, it is the highest permanent settlement in the world.

Sword-billed. The sword-billed hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera) is a neotropical species of hummingbird from the Andean regions of South America. It is the sole member of the genus Ensifera and is characterized by its unusually long bill; it is the only bird to have a beak longer than the rest of its body. This uncommon bird is also one of the largest hummingbird species.