1992 Edition

Climate

varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west

Coastline

2,414 km

Comparative area

slightly smaller than Alaska

Disputes

three 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 area

1,280,000 km2

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

arable land 3%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 21%; forest and woodland 55%; other 21%; includes irrigated 1%

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 (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)

Territorial sea

200 nm

Total area

1,285,220 km2

Birth rate

27 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate

7 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Ethnic divisions

Indian 45%; mestizo (mixed Indian and European ancestry) 37%; white 15%; black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%

Infant mortality rate

59 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Labor force

6,800,000 (1986); government and other services 44%, agriculture 37%, industry 19% (1988 est.)

Languages

Spanish and Quechua (both official), Aymara

Life expectancy at birth

63 years male, 67 years female (1992)

Literacy

85% (male 92%, female 29%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Nationality

noun - Peruvian(s); adjective - Peruvian

Net migration rate

0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Organized labor

about 40% of salaried workers (1983 est.)

Population

22,767,543 (July 1992), growth rate 2.0% (1992)

Religions

predominantly Roman Catholic

Total fertility rate

3.3 children born/woman (1992)

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; note - the 1979 Constitution and legislation enacted from 1987 to 1990 mandate the creation of regions (regiones, singular - region) intended to function eventually as autonomous economic and administrative entities; so far, 12 regions have been constituted from 23 existing departments - Amazonas (from Loreto), Andres Avelino Caceres (from Huanuco, Pasco, Junin), Arequipa (from Arequipa), Chavin (from Ancash), Grau (from Tumbes, Piura), Inca (from Cusco, Madre de Dios, Apurimac), La Libertad (from La Libertad), Los Libertadores-Huari (from Ica, Ayacucho, Huancavelica), Mariategui (from Moquegua, Tacna, Puno), Nor Oriental del Maranon (from Lambayeque, Cajamarca, Amazonas), San Martin (from San Martin), Ucayali (from Ucayali); formation of another region has been delayed by the reluctance of the constitutional province of Callao to merge with the department of Lima; because of inadequate funding from the central government, the regions have yet to assume their responsibilities and at the moment coexist with the departmental structure

Capital

Lima

Chamber of Deputies

last held 8 April 1990 dissolved on 5 April 1992; because of suspension of constitutional role, next election not yet scheduled; results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (180 total) FREDEMO 62, APRA 53, Change 90 32, IU 16, IS 4, FNTC 3, other 10; note - as a result of the dissolution of FREDEMO and defections and expulsions from the various parties, the seats have been

FNTC 3, independents 15, other 4, and 2 currently nonvoting deputies

reallocated

APRA 53, AP 25, Change 90 25, PPC 23, IU 16, ML 7, FIM 3, IS 4,

Chief of State

President Alberto FUJIMORI (since 28 July 1990); note - slots for first and second Vice Presidents vacant as of 19 May 1992

Communists

Peruvian Communist Party-Unity (PCP-U), 2,000; other minor Communist parties

Constitution

28 July 1980 (often referred to as the 1979 Constitution because the Constituent Assembly met in 1979, but the Constitution actually took effect the following year); suspended 5 April 1992

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador vacant; 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 C. E. QUAINTON; Embassy at the corner of Avenida Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and Avenida Espana, Lima (mailing address is P. O. Box 1991, Lima 1, or APO AA 34031); telephone [51] (14) 33-8000; FAX [51] (14) 316682

Executive branch

president, two vice presidents (vacant as of 19 May 1992), 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

Head of Government

Prime Minister Oscar DE LA PUENTE Raygada (since 6 April 1992)

Independence

28 July 1821 (from Spain)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia)

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 (Camara de Diputados); note - dissolved on 5 April 1992; being reconstituted

Long-form name

Republic of Peru

Member of

AG, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

National holiday

Independence Day, 28 July (1821)

Other political or pressure groups

leftist guerrilla groups: Shining Path, Abimael GUZMAN; Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement, Nestor SERPA and Victor POLAY

Political parties and leaders

Change 90 (Cambio 90), Alberto FUJIMORI; Popular Christian Party (PPC), Luis BEDOYA Reyes; Popular Action Party (AP), Eduardo CALMELL del Solar; Liberty Movement (ML), Luis BUSTAMANTE; American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA), Luis ALVA Castro, Alan GARCIA; National Front of Workers and Peasants (FNTC), Roger CACERES; United Left (IU), leader NA; Independent Moralizing Front (FIM), Fernando OLIVERA Vega; Socialist Left (IS), leader NA; note - Democratic Front (FREDEMO) was a loosely organized coalition of the PPC, AP, and ML during the 8 April 1990 elections, but the parties no longer maintain a formal alliance

President

last held on 10 June 1990 (next to be held NA April 1995); results - Alberto FUJIMORI 56.53%, Mario VARGAS Llosa 33.92%, other 9.55%

Senate

last held on 8 April 1990; dissolved on 5 April 1992; because of suspension of constitutional role, next election not yet scheduled; results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (62 total; 60 elected, 2 ex-presidents who are senators for life) FREDEMO 20, APRA 16, Change 90 14, IU 6, IS 3, FNTC 1; note - as a result of the dissolution of FREDEMO and defections and

17, Change 90 13, AP 8, IU 6, PPC 5, ML 4, IS 3, FNTC 1, independents 4, other 1 (January 1992)

expulsions from the various parties, the seats have been reallocated

APRA

Suffrage

universal at age 18

Type

in transition, President FUJIMORI on 5 April 1992 suspended the constitution and dissolved the legislative and judicial branches

Agriculture

accounts for 10% of GDP, about 35% 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 6.9 million metric tons (1990)

Budget

revenues $1.7 billion; expenditures $1.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $250 million (1991 est.)

Currency

(S/.) nuevo sol (plural - nuevos soles); 1 nuevo sol (S/.) = 100 centavos

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.7 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $4.3 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $577 million

Electricity

4,896,000 kW capacity; 15,851 million kWh produced, 709 kWh per capita (1991)

Exchange rates

nuevo sol (S/. per US$1 - 0.960 (March 1992), 0.772 (1991), 0.187 (1990), 2.666 (1989), 0.129 (1988), 0.017 (1987)

Exports

$3.3 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.) commodities: copper, fishmeal, zinc, crude petroleum and byproducts, lead, refined silver, coffee, cotton partners: EC 28%, US 22%, Japan 13%, Latin America 12%, former USSR 2%

External debt

$19.4 billion (December 1991 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $20.6 billion, per capita $920; real growth rate 2.4% (1991 est.)

Illicit drugs

world's largest coca leaf producer with about 121,000 hectares under cultivation; source of supply for most of the world's coca paste and cocaine base; at least 85% of coca cultivation is for illicit production; most of cocaine base is shipped to Colombian drug dealers for processing into cocaine for the international drug market

Imports

$3.5 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.) commodities: foodstuffs, machinery, transport equipment, iron and steel semimanufactures, chemicals, pharmaceuticals partners: US 32%, Latin America 22%, EC 17%, Switzerland 6%, Japan 3%

Industrial production

growth rate 1.0% (1991 est.); accounts for almost 24% of GDP

Industries

mining of metals, petroleum, fishing, textiles, clothing, food processing, cement, auto assembly, steel, shipbuilding, metal fabrication

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

139% (1991)

Overview

The Peruvian economy is becoming increasingly market oriented, with a large dose of government ownership remaining in mining, energy, and banking. In the 1980s the economy suffered from hyperinflation, declining per capita output, and mounting external debt. Peru was shut off from IMF and World Bank support in the mid-1980s because of its huge debt arrears. An austerity program implemented shortly after the FUJIMORI government took office in July 1990 contributed to a third consecutive yearly contraction of economic activity, but the slide halted late in the year, and output rose 2.4% in 1991. After a burst of inflation as the austerity program eliminated government price subsidies, monthly price increases eased to the single-digit level and by December 1991 dropped to the lowest increase since mid-1987. Lima obtained a financial rescue package from multilateral lenders in September 1991, and, although it faces $14 billion in arrears on its external debt, is working to pay some $1.8 billion of these to the IMF and World Bank by 1993.

Unemployment rate

15.0%; underemployment 65% (1991 est.)

Airports

221 total, 201 usable; 36 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 23 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 43 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

44 major transport aircraft

Highways

69,942 km total; 7,459 km paved, 13,538 km improved, 48,945 km unimproved earth

Inland waterways

8,600 km of navigable tributaries of Amazon system and 208 km Lago Titicaca

Merchant marine

26 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 286,313 GRT/461,233 DWT; includes 14 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 petroleum tanker, 7 bulk; note - in addition, 8 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

1,801 km total; 1,501 km 1.435-meter gauge, 300 km 0.914-meter gauge

Telecommunications

fairly adequate for most requirements; nationwide microwave system; 544,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 273 AM, no FM, 140 TV, 144 shortwave; satellite earth stations - 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 12 domestic

Branches

Army (Ejercito Peruano), Navy (Marina de Guerra del Peru), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea del Peru), National Police

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $430 million, 2.4% of GDP (1991)

Manpower availability

males 15-49, 5,863,227; 3,964,930 fit for military service; 236,484 reach military age (20) annually