1995 Edition

Area

total area: 1,285,220 sq km land area: 1.28 million sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Alaska

Climate

varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west

Coastline

2,414 km

Environment

current issues: deforestation; overgrazing of the slopes of the costa and sierra leading to soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Lima; pollution of rivers and coastal waters from municipal and mining wastes natural hazards: earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity international agreements: party to - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Tropical Timber 94

International disputes

three sections of the boundary with Ecuador are in dispute

Irrigated land

12,500 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

total 6,940 km, 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: 0% meadows and pastures: 21% forest and woodland: 55% other: 21%

Location

Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador

Map references

South America

Maritime claims

continental shelf: 200 nm territorial sea: 200 nm

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)

Age structure

0-14 years: 35% (female 4,152,520; male 4,296,293) 15-64 years: 61% (female 7,280,287; male 7,378,227) 65 years and over: 4% (female 535,156; male 444,889) (July 1995 est.)

Birth rate

24.88 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate

6.84 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Ethnic divisions

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

Infant mortality rate

52.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Labor force

8 million (1992) by occupation: government and other services 44%, agriculture 37%, industry 19% (1988 est.)

Languages

Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 66.07 years male: 63.86 years female: 68.38 years (1995 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 82% male: 92% female: 74%

Nationality

noun: Peruvian(s) adjective: Peruvian

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Population

24,087,372 (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate

1.8% (1995 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic

Total fertility rate

3 children born/woman (1995 est.)

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 mandated the creation of regions (regiones, singular - region) to function eventually as autonomous economic and administrative entities; so far, 12 regions have been constituted from 23 of the 24 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 and organizational and political difficulties, the regions have yet to assume major responsibilities; the 1993 Constitution retains the regions but limits their authority; the 1993 Constitution also reaffirms the roles of departmental and municipal governments.

Capital

Lima

Congress

elections last held 9 April 1995 (next to be held NA 2000); results - C90/NM 52.1% of the total vote, UPP 14%, eleven other parties 33.9%; seats - (120 total, when installed on 28 July 1995) C90/NM 67, UPP 17, APRA 8, FIM 6, (CODE)-Pais Posible 5, AP 4, PPC 3, Renovacion 3, IU 2, OBRAS 2, MIA 1, FRENATRACA 1, (FREPAP) 1

Constitution

31 December 1993

Digraph

PE

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Ricardo V. LUNA Mendoza chancery: 1700 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 833-9860 through 9869

Executive branch

chief of state and head of government: President Alberto Kenyo FUJIMORI Fujimori (since 28 July 1990); election last held 9 April 1995 (next to be held NA 2000); results - Alberto FUJIMORI 64.42%, Javier PEREZ de CUELLAR 21.80%, Mercedes CABANILLAS 4.11%, other 9.67% cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president note: Prime Minister Efrain GOLDENBERG Schreiber (since NA February 1994) does not exercise executive power; this power is in the hands of the president

FAX

[1] (202) 659-8124 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Paterson (New Jersey), and San Francisco

[51] (14) 316682

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)

Legal system

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral

Member of

AG, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG (suspended), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Names

conventional long form: Republic of Peru conventional short form: Peru local long form: Republica del Peru local short form: Peru

National holiday

Independence Day, 28 July (1821)

Other political or pressure groups

leftist guerrilla groups include Shining Path, Abimael GUZMAN Reynoso (imprisoned); Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement, Nestor SERPA and Victor POLAY (imprisoned)

Political parties and leaders

Change 90-New Majority (C90/NM), Alberto FUJIMORI; Union for Peru (UPP), Javier PEREZ de CUELLAR; American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA), Agustin MANTILLA Campos; Independent Moralizing Front (FIM), Fernando OLIVERA Vega; Democratic Coordinator (CODE) - Pais Posible, Jose BARBA Caballero and Alejandro TOLEDO; Popular Action Party (AP), Raul DIEZ CANSECO; Popular Christian Party (PPC), Luis BEDOYA Reyes; Renovacion, Rafael REY Rey; Civic Works Movement (OBRAS), Ricardo BELMONT; United Left (IU), Agustin HAYA de la TORRE; Independent Agrarian Movement (MIA), Rolando SALVATERRIE; Peru 2000-National Front of Workers and Peasants (FRENATRACA), Roger CACARES; Popular Agricultural Front (FREPAP), Ezequiel ATAUCUSI

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

republic

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Alvin P. ADAMS, Jr. embassy: corner of Avenida Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and Avenida Espana, Lima mailing address: P. O. Box 1995, Lima 1; American Embassy (Lima), APO AA 34031 telephone: [51] (14) 338000

Agriculture

accounts for 12% 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: $2 billion expenditures: $1.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $300 million (1992 est.)

Currency

1 nuevo sol (S/.) = 100 centimos

Economic aid

recipient: 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

capacity: 4,190,000 kW production: 11.2 billion kWh consumption per capita: 448 kWh (1993)

Exchange rates

nuevo sol (S/.) per US$1 - 2.20 (February 1995), 2.195 (1994),1.988 (1993), 1.245 (1992), 0.772 (1991), 0.187 (1990)

Exports

$4.1 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: copper, zinc, fishmeal, crude petroleum and byproducts, lead, refined silver, coffee, cotton partners: US 19%, Japan 9%, Italy, Germany

External debt

$22.4 billion (1994 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Illicit drugs

world's largest coca leaf producer with about 108,600 hectares under cultivation in 1994; 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, but exports of finished cocaine are increasing

Imports

$5.1 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum, iron and steel, chemicals, pharmaceuticals partners: US 21%, Colombia, Argentina, Japan, Germany, Brazil

Industrial production

NA

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

15% (1994 est.)

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $73.6 billion (1994 est.)

National product per capita

$3,110 (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate

8.6% (1994 est.)

Overview

The Peruvian economy has become increasingly market-oriented, with major privatizations completed in 1994 in the mining and telecommunications industries. 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 came to a halt late that year, and in 1991 output rose 2.4%. 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, although it faced $14 billion in arrears on its external debt. By working with the IMF and World Bank on new financial conditions and arrangements, the government succeeded in ending its arrears by March 1993. In 1992, GDP had fallen by 2.8%, in part because a warmer-than-usual El Nino current resulted in a 30% drop in the fish catch, but the economy rebounded as strong foreign investment helped push growth to 6% in 1993 and 8.6% in 1994.

Unemployment rate

15%; extensive underemployment (1992 est.)

Radio

broadcast stations: AM 273, FM 0, shortwave 144 radios: NA

Telephone system

544,000 telephones; fairly adequate for most requirements local: NA intercity: nationwide microwave radio relay system and 12 domestic satellite links international: 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

Television

broadcast stations: 140 televisions: NA

Airports

total: 236 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 6 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 16 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 5 with paved runways under 914 m: 97 with unpaved runways over 3,047 m: 1 with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 21 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 77

Highways

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

Inland waterways

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

Merchant marine

total: 10 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 90,501 GRT/144,913 DWT ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 6, refrigerated cargo 1 note: in addition, 4 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, Chimbote, Ilo, Iquitos, Matarani, Paita, Pucallpa, Salaverry, San Martin, Talara, Yurimaguas note: Iquitos, Pucallpa, and Yurimaguas are all on the upper reaches of the Amazon and its tributaries

Railroads

total: 1,801 km standard gauge: 1,501 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 300 km 0.914-m gauge

Branches

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

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $810 million, about 2.7% of GDP (1994) ________________________________________________________________________ PHILIPPINES

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 6,369,157; males fit for military service 4,300,772; males reach military age (20) annually 251,798 (1995 est.)