Peru has a population of 27 million people living in an area of 1.28 million square kilometers, with a capital of Lima and currency of Nuevo Sol. In 1528, Spanish explorers led by Pizarro arrived in Peru, executed the Inca emperor and took control of the region, introducing Catholicism and the Spanish language while killing many Incas through forced labor and disease and stealing gold and silver to take back to Spain. Peru gained independence from Spain in 1824 after earlier rebellion attempts.