What is the population of the city of Cusco? What is the city of Cuzco as?

Cusco has a population of about 300,000. Cusco is the capital of the Department of Cusco in southern Peru approximately 850 kilometers from Lima. The center of Cusco is quite small and there are quite a lot of tourists, especially in high season. In and around the Plaza de Armas, the main square, there's lots of good restaurants, pubs and cafes, as well as travel agencies, souvenir shops and Casas de Cambio (in exchange for their money). Outside the center are the residential neighborhoods. There are two universities, three hospitals, a swimming pool, several secondary schools and primary schools, a theater, and an (international) airport.
How is the weather? When do you recommend to go to Peru?
Peru is a varied and diverse country due to climatic conditions, natural and cultural diversity of its regions: Coast, Mountains (sierra) and Jungle.

Mountains

The rainy season in Cusco occurs between November and March. In general, clear, dry morning, with most outbreaks of heavy rain in the afternoon. The daily temperatures are 18 ° C, with only a slight fall in the night, 15 ° C. During the dry season from April to October, the weather is usually sunny and dry with warm days (20-25 ° C) and cold, dry nights, often hovering just above freezing in June and July . We recommend bringing a rain coat and warm clothes for the nights and inside buildings as they have no heating. As the sun is very hot and we could easily get burned.

Costa

It's summer on the coast from December to April when the weather is hot and dry and is ideal for swimming. The average temperatures range between 25 - 35 ° C. From May to November the temperature drops a little and you will find blankets of sea mist engulfing the coast from the south to about 200 km north of Lima. At this time of year just north of Tumbes, near the beaches are hot enough to provide pleasant swimming.
 

Selva

The "dry" season with average daily temperatures of 30 - 35 ° C is from December to April. However, cold fronts from the South Atlantic are common when temperatures can drop to 15 ° C during the day and 13 ° C at night. The dry season is the best time to visit the jungle ... there are fewer mosquitoes and the rivers are low, the exposure of the beach. The rainy season is from March to November and is hot and humid. You can expect heavy rain at any time. Only rains for a few hours at a time, so it is not enough to ruin your trip.

In the news I have heard that there are a lot of problems in Peru at the time and that is a very dangerous country. Is this true?
Our experience is that the international news on Peru tends to be exaggerated. Especially Cusco is a relatively peaceful. If you take into account some basic rules (do not wear a lot of cash with you, do not walk alone at night), usually certain. Elements that are in the news tends to happen in the field or in other isolated places where tourists do not visit.