1990 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1990 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west
Coastline
2,414 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than Alaska
Disputes
two sections of the boundary with Ecuador are in dispute
Environment
subject to earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, mild volcanic activity; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Lima
Land boundaries
6,940 km total; Bolivia 900 km, Brazil 1,560 km, Chile 160 km, Colombia 2,900 km, Ecuador 1,420 km
Land use
3% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 21% meadows and pastures; 55% forest and woodland; 21% other; includes 1% irrigated
Natural resources
copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash
Note
shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake, with Bolivia
Terrain
western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center
Territorial sea
200 nm
Total area
1,285,220 km2; land area: 1,280,000 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
28 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
8 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
45% Indian; 37% mestizo (mixed Indian and European ancestry); 15% white; 3% black, Japanese, Chinese, and other
Infant mortality rate
67 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
6,800,000 (1986); 44% government and other services, 37% agriculture, 19% industry (1988 est.)
Language
Spanish and Quechua (official), Aymara
Life expectancy at birth
62 years male, 66 years female (1990)
Literacy
80% (est.)
Nationality
noun--Peruvian(s); adjective--Peruvian
Net migration rate
0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Organized labor
about 40% of salaried workers (1983 est.)
Population
21,905,605 (July 1990), growth rate 2.1% (1990)
Religion
predominantly Roman Catholic
Total fertility rate
3.6 children born/woman (1990)
Government
Administrative divisions
24 departments (departamentos, singular--departamento) and 1 constitutional province* (provincia constitucional); Amazonas, Ancash, Apurimac, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Callao*, Cusco, Huancavelica, Huanuco, Ica, Junin, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Moquegua, Pasco, Piura, Puno, San Martin, Tacna, Tumbes, Ucayali
Capital
Lima
Communists
Peruvian Communist Party-Unity (PCP-U), pro-Soviet, 2,000; other minor Communist parties
Constitution
28 July 1980 (often referred to as the 1979 Constitution because constituent assembly met in 1979, but Constitution actually took effect the following year); reestablished civilian government with a popularly elected president and bicameral legislature
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Cesar G. ATALA; Chancery at 1700 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 833-9860 through 9869); Peruvian Consulates General are located in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Paterson (New Jersey), San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico); US--Ambassador Anthony QUAINTON; Embassy at the corner of Avenida Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and Avenida Espana, Lima (mailing address is P. O. Box 1995, Lima 1010, or APO Miami 34031); telephone [51] (14) 338-000
Elections
President--last held on 10 June 1990 (next to be held April 1995); results--Alberto Fujimori xx%, Mario Vargas Llosa xx%, others xx%; Senate--last held on 8 April 1990 (next to be held April 1995); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(60 total) APRA 32, IU 15, AP 5, others 8; Chamber of Deputies--last held 8 April 1990 (next to be held April 1995); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(180 total) APRA 107, IU 48, AP 10, others 15
Executive branch
president, two vice presidents, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Flag
three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), white, and red with the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a shield bearing a llama, cinchona tree (the source of quinine), and a yellow cornucopia spilling out gold coins, all framed by a green wreath
Independence
28 July 1821 (from Spain)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia)
Leaders
Chief of State--President-elect Alberto FUJIMORI (since 10 June 1990; Vice President-elect Maximo San ROMAN (since 10 June 1990); Vice President-elect Carlos GARCIA; President Alan GARCIA Perez (since 28 July 1985); First Vice President Luis Alberto SANCHEZ Sanchez (since 28 July 1985); Second Vice President Luis Juan ALVA Castro (since 28 July 1985); Head of Government--Prime Minister Guillermo LARCO Cox (since 3 October 1989)
Legal system
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
bicameral Congress (Congreso) consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies
Long-form name
Republic of Peru
Member of
Andean Pact, AIOEC, ASSIMER, CCC, CIPEC, FAO, G-77, GATT, Group of Eight, IADB, IAEA, IATP, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, ILZSG, INTERPOL, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, ISO, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, LAIA, NAM, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WSG, WTO
National holiday
Independence Day, 28 July (1821)
Other political or pressure groups
NA
Political parties and leaders
American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA), Alan Garcia Perez; United Left (IU), run by committee; Democratic Front (FREDEMO), headed by Mario Vargas Llosa of the Liberty Movement (ML), coalition also includes the Popular Christian Party (PPC), Luis Bedoya Reyes and the Popular Action Party (AP), Fernando Belaunde Terry; Socialist Left (ISO), Alfonso Barrantes Lingan
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 12% of GDP, 37% of labor force; commercial crops--coffee, cotton, sugarcane; other crops--rice, wheat, potatoes, plantains, coca; animal products--poultry, red meats, dairy, wool; not self-sufficient in grain or vegetable oil; fish catch of 4.6 million metric tons (1987), world's fifth-largest
Aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $1.6 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $3.7 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $577 million
Budget
revenues $3.2 billion; expenditures $3.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $796 million (1986)
Currency
inti (plural--intis); 1 inti (I/) = 1,000 soles
Electricity
4,867,000 kW capacity; 15,540 million kWh produced, 725 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
intis (I/) per US$1--5,261.40 (December 1989), 128.83 (1988), 16.84 (1987), 13.95 (1986), 10.97 (1985)
Exports
$3.55 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--fishmeal, cotton, sugar, coffee, copper, iron ore, refined silver, lead, zinc, crude petroleum and byproducts; partners--EC 22%, US 20%, Japan 11%, Latin America 8%, USSR 4%
External debt
$17.7 billion (December 1989)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
$18.9 billion, per capita $880; real growth rate - 12.2% (1989 est.)
Illicit drugs
world's largest coca producer and source of supply for coca paste and cocaine base; about 85% of cultivation is for illicit production; most of coca base is shipped to Colombian drug dealers for processing into cocaine for the international drug market
Imports
$2.50 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--foodstuffs, machinery, transport equipment, iron and steel semimanufactures, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; partners--US 23%, Latin America 16%, EC 12%, Japan 7%, Switzerland 3%
Industrial production
growth rate - 25.0% (1988 est.)
Industries
mining of metals, petroleum, fishing, textiles, clothing, food processing, cement, auto assembly, steel, shipbuilding, metal fabrication
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2,775% (1989)
Overview
The economy is verging on hyperinflation and economic activity is contracting rapidly. Deficit spending is at the root of domestic economic problems, but poor relations with international lenders--the result of curtailing debt payments since 1985--are preventing an inflow of funds to generate a recovery. Reduced standards of living have increased labor tensions, and strikes, particularly in the key mining sector, have cut production and exports. Foreign exchange shortages have forced reductions in vital consumer imports such as food and industrial inputs. Peru is the world's leading producer of coca, from which the drug cocaine is produced.
Unemployment rate
15.0%; underemployment estimated at 60% (1989)
Communications
Airports
242 total, 226 usable; 35 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 24 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 39 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
27 major transport aircraft
Highways
56,645 km total; 6,030 km paved, 11,865 km gravel, 14,610 km improved earth, 24,140 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways
8,600 km of navigable tributaries of Amazon system and 208 km Lago Titicaca
Merchant marine
32 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 341,213 GRT/535,215 DWT; includes 18 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 8 bulk; note--in addition, 7 naval tankers and 1 naval cargo are sometimes used commercially
Pipelines
crude oil, 800 km; natural gas and natural gas liquids, 64 km
Ports
Callao, Ilo, Iquitos, Matarani, Talara
Railroads
1,876 km total; 1,576 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 300 km 0.914-meter gauge
Telecommunications
fairly adequate for most requirements; nationwide radio relay system; 544,000 telephones; stations--273 AM, no FM, 140 TV, 144 shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations, 12 domestic antennas
Military and Security
Branches
Peruvian Army (Ejercito Peruano), Peruvian Navy (Marina de Guerra del Peru), Peruvian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea del Peru)
Defense expenditures
4.9% of GNP (1987)
Military manpower
males 15-49, 5,543,166; 3,751,077 fit for military service; 236,814 reach military age (20) annually