2008 Edition

Background

Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, most notably that of the Incas whose empire was captured by the Spanish conquistadors in 1533. Peruvian independence was declared in 1821, and remaining Spanish forces defeated in 1824. After a dozen years of military rule, Peru returned to democratic leadership in 1980, but experienced economic problems and the growth of a violent insurgency. President Alberto FUJIMORI's election in 1990 ushered in a decade that saw a dramatic turnaround in the economy and significant progress in curtailing guerrilla activity. Nevertheless, the president's increasing reliance on authoritarian measures and an economic slump in the late 1990s generated mounting dissatisfaction with his regime, which led to his ouster in 2000. A caretaker government oversaw new elections in the spring of 2001, which ushered in Alejandro TOLEDO as the new head of government - Peru's first democratically elected president of Native American ethnicity. The presidential election of 2006 saw the return of Alan GARCIA who, after a disappointing presidential term from 1985 to 1990, returned to the presidency with promises to improve social conditions and maintain fiscal responsibility.

Area

total: 1,285,220 sq km land: 1.28 million sq km water: 5,220 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Alaska

Climate

varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes

Coastline

2,414 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Nevado Huascaran 6,768 m

Environment - current issues

deforestation (some the result of illegal logging); 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

Environment - international agreements

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 20.13 cu km/yr (8%/10%/82%) per capita: 720 cu m/yr (2000)

Geographic coordinates

10 00 S, 76 00 W

Geography - note

shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake, with Bolivia; a remote slope of Nevado Mismi, a 5,316 m peak, is the ultimate source of the Amazon River

Irrigated land

12,000 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

total: 7,461 km border countries: Bolivia 1,075 km, Brazil 2,995 km, Chile 171 km, Colombia 1,800 km, Ecuador 1,420 km

Land use

arable land: 2.88% permanent crops: 0.47% other: 96.65% (2005)

Location

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

Map references

South America

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm

Natural hazards

earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity

Natural resources

copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower, natural gas

Terrain

western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)

Total renewable water resources

1,913 cu km (2000)

Age structure

0-14 years: 29.7% (male 4,409,227/female 4,253,836) 15-64 years: 64.7% (male 9,501,597/female 9,381,139) 65 years and over: 5.6% (male 770,389/female 864,711) (2008 est.)

Birth rate

19.77 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate

6.16 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Education expenditures

2.5% of GDP (2006)

Ethnic groups

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.5% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

4,200 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

82,000 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 29.53 deaths/1,000 live births male: 32.02 deaths/1,000 live births female: 26.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Languages

Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a large number of minor Amazonian languages

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 70.44 years male: 68.61 years female: 72.37 years (2008 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.7% male: 93.5% female: 82.1% (2004 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: dengue fever, malaria, Oroya fever, and yellow fever water contact disease: leptospirosis (2008)

Median age

total: 25.8 years male: 25.5 years female: 26.1 years (2008 est.)

Nationality

noun: Peruvian(s) adjective: Peruvian

Net migration rate

-0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Population

29,180,900 (July 2008 est.)

Population growth rate

1.264% (2008 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 81%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.4%, other Christian 0.7%, other 0.6%, unspecified or none 16.3% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 14 years male: 14 years female: 14 years (2006)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.42 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Administrative divisions

25 regions (regiones, singular - region) and 1 province* (provincia); Amazonas, Ancash, Apurimac, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Callao, Cusco, Huancavelica, Huanuco, Ica, Junin, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, Lima*, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Moquegua, Pasco, Piura, Puno, San Martin, Tacna, Tumbes, Ucayali

Capital

name: Lima geographic coordinates: 12 03 S, 77 03 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

29 December 1993

Country name

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador P. Michael MCKINLEY embassy: Avenida La Encalada, Cuadra 17s/n, Surco, Lima 33 mailing address: P. O. Box 1995, Lima 1; American Embassy (Lima), APO AA 34031-5000 telephone: [51] (1) 434-3000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Felipe ORTIZ de Zevallos chancery: 1700 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 833-9860 through 9869

Executive branch

chief of state: President Alan GARCIA Perez (since 28 July 2006); First Vice President Luis GIAMPIETRI Rojas; Second Vice President Lourdes MENDOZA del Solar (since 28 July 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Alan GARCIA Perez (since 28 July 2006); First Vice President Luis GIAMPIETRI Rojas; Second Vice President Lourdes MENDOZA del Solar (since 28 July 2006) note: Prime Minister Yehude SIMON Munaro (since 14 October 2008) does not exercise executive power; this power is in the hands of the president cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a nonconsecutive reelection); presidential and congressional elections held 9 April 2006 with runoff election held 4 June 2006; next to be held in April 2011 election results: Alan GARCIA elected president in runoff election; percent of vote - Alan GARCIA 52.5%, Ollanta HUMALA Tasso 47.5%

FAX

[1] (202) 659-8124 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Hartford, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Paterson (New Jersey), San Francisco, Washington, DC

[51] (1) 618-2397

Flag description

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 vicuna, cinchona tree (the source of quinine), and a yellow cornucopia spilling out gold coins, all framed by a green wreath

Government type

constitutional republic

Independence

28 July 1821 (from Spain)

International organization participation

APEC, CAN, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are appointed by the National Council of the Judiciary)

Legal system

based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Legislative branch

unicameral Congress of the Republic of Peru or Congreso de la Republica del Peru (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 9 April 2006 (next to be held in April 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - UPP 21.2%, PAP 20.6%, UN 15.3%, AF 13.1%, FC 7.1%, PP 4.1%, RN 4.0%, other 14.6%; seats by party - UPP 45, PAP 36, UN 17, AF 13, FC 5, PP 2, RN 2

National holiday

Independence Day, 28 July (1821)

Political parties and leaders

Alliance For Progress (Alianza Para El Progreso) [Cesar ACUNA Peralta]; Alliance For The Future (Alianza Por El Futuro) or AF (a coalition of pro-FUJIMORI parties including Cambio 90, Nueva Mayoria, and Si Cumple); Central Front (Frente Del Centro) or FC (a coalition of Accion Popular, Somos Peru, and Coordinadora Nacional de Independientes) [Victor Andres GARCIA Belaunde]; National Renovation Party (Partido Renovacion Nacional) [Rafael REY]; National Restoration Party (Restauracion Nacional) or RN [Humberto LAY Sun]; National Unity (Unidad Nacional) or UN (a coalition of Partido Popular Cristiano and Partido Solidaridad Nacional) [Lourdes FLORES Nano]; Peru Possible (Peru Posible) or PP [Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique]; Peruvian Aprista Party (Partido Aprista Peruano) or PAP [Alan GARCIA] (also referred to by its original name Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana or APRA); Peruvian Nationalist Party (Partido Nacionalista Peruano) or PNP [Ollanta HUMALA Tasso]; Union for Peru (Union por el Peru) or UPP [Aldo ESTRADA Choque]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Shining Path [Abimael GUZMAN Reynoso (imprisoned), Gabriel MACARIO (top leader at-large)] (leftist guerrilla group); Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement or MRTA [Victor POLAY (imprisoned), Hugo AVALLENEDA Valdez (top leader at-large)] (leftist guerrilla group)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory until the age of 70; note - for the first time in recent elections, members of the military and national police were eligible to vote in the 2006 elections

Agriculture - products

asparagus, coffee, cotton, sugarcane, rice, potatoes, corn, plantains, grapes, oranges, coca; poultry, beef, dairy products; fish, guinea pigs

Budget

revenues: $32.54 billion expenditures: $29.15 billion (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate

5.75% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

22.86% (31 December 2007)

Currency (code)

nuevo sol (PEN)

Currency code

PEN

Current account balance

$1.516 billion (2007 est.)

Debt - external

$32.83 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

52 (2003)

Economic aid - recipient

$397.8 million (2005)

Economy - overview

Peru's economy reflects its varied geography - an arid coastal region, the Andes further inland, and tropical lands bordering Colombia and Brazil. Abundant mineral resources are found in the mountainous areas, and Peru's coastal waters provide excellent fishing grounds. However, overdependence on minerals and metals subjects the economy to fluctuations in world prices, and a lack of infrastructure deters trade and investment. After several years of inconsistent economic performance, the Peruvian economy grew by more than 4% per year during the period 2002-06, with a stable exchange rate and low inflation. Growth jumped to 7.5% in 2007, driven by higher world prices for minerals and metals. Risk premiums on Peruvian bonds on secondary markets reached historically low levels in late 2004, reflecting investor optimism regarding the government's prudent fiscal policies and openness to trade and investment. Despite the strong macroeconomic performance, underemployment and poverty have stayed persistently high. Growth prospects depend on exports of minerals, textiles, and agricultural products, and by expectations for the Camisea natural gas megaproject and for other promising energy projects. Upon taking office, President GARCIA announced Sierra Exportadora, a program aimed at promoting economic growth in Peru's southern and central highlands.

Electricity - consumption

22.37 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production

24.92 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 14.5% hydro: 84.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0.8% (2001)

Exchange rates

nuevo sol (PEN) per US dollar - 3.1731 (2007), 3.2742 (2006), 3.2958 (2005), 3.4132 (2004), 3.4785 (2003)

Exports

$27.96 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities

copper, gold, zinc, crude petroleum and petroleum products, coffee, potatoes, asparagus, textiles, guinea pigs

Exports - partners

US 19.5%, China 12.7%, Canada 7.6%, Japan 7.5%, Chile 5.9%, Switzerland 4.2%, Spain 4.1% (2007)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 8.4% industry: 25.6% services: 66% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$7,600 (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

9% (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$109.1 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$219.6 billion (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1.3% highest 10%: 40.9% (2003)

Imports

$19.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities

petroleum and petroleum products, plastics, machinery, vehicles, iron and steel, wheat, paper

Imports - partners

US 20.5%, China 10.8%, Brazil 9%, Ecuador 6.1%, Argentina 5.6%, Chile 5%, Colombia 4.8% (2007)

Industrial production growth rate

9.8% (2007 est.)

Industries

mining and refining of minerals; steel, metal fabrication; petroleum extraction and refining, natural gas; fishing and fish processing, textiles, clothing, food processing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.8% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

23% of GDP (2007 est.)

Labor force

9.839 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 9% industry: 18% services: 73% (2001)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$59.66 billion (2006)

Natural gas - consumption

1.78 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - production

1.78 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

337.8 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Oil - consumption

167,900 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports

69,090 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - imports

115,600 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - production

125,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

382.9 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Population below poverty line

44.5% (2006)

Public debt

29.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$27.78 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$1.476 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$24.72 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$17.88 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of money

$14.66 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money

$19.95 billion (31 December 2007)

Unemployment rate

6.9% in metropolitan Lima; widespread underemployment (2007 est.)

Internet country code

.pe

Internet hosts

271,745 (2008)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

10 (2000)

Internet users

7.636 million (2007)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 472, FM 198, shortwave 189 (1999)

Radios

6.65 million (1997)

Telephone system

general assessment: adequate for most requirements domestic: fixed-line teledensity is only about 9 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity, spurred by competition among multiple providers, has increased to roughly 55 telephones per 100 persons; nationwide microwave radio relay system and a domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations international: country code - 51; the South America-1 (SAM-1) and Pan American (PAN-AM) submarine cable systems provide links to parts of Central and South America, the Caribbean, and US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

2.673 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular

15.417 million (2007)

Television broadcast stations

13 (plus 112 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions

3.06 million (1997)

Airports

237 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 54 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 20 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 183 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 24 914 to 1,523 m: 40 under 914 m: 117 (2007)

Heliports

1 (2007)

Merchant marine

total: 8 by type: cargo 3, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 4 foreign-owned: 1 (Bahamas 1) registered in other countries: 17 (Belize 1, Panama 16) (2008)

Pipelines

gas 1,181 km; gas/liquid petroleum gas 61 km; liquid natural gas 106 km; liquid petroleum gas 517 km; oil 1,749 km; refined products 13 km (2007)

Ports and terminals

Callao, Iquitos, Matarani, Paita, Pucallpa, Yurimaguas; note - Iquitos, Pucallpa, and Yurimaguas are on the upper reaches of the Amazon and its tributaries

Railways

total: 1,989 km standard gauge: 1,726 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 263 km 0.914-m gauge (2006)

Roadways

total: 78,829 km paved: 11,351 km (includes 276 km of expressways) unpaved: 67,478 km (2004)

Waterways

8,808 km note: 8,600 km of navigable tributaries of Amazon system and 208 km of Lago Titicaca (2007)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 7,653,898 females age 16-49: 7,531,329 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 5,796,449 females age 16-49: 6,217,524 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 306,260 female: 296,819 (2008 est.)

Military branches

Army of Peru (Ejercito Peruano), Navy of Peru (Marina de Guerra del Peru, MGP (includes naval air, naval infantry, and Coast Guard)), Air Force of Peru (Fuerza Aerea del Peru, FAP) (2008)

Military expenditures

1.5% of GDP (2006)

Military service age and obligation

18-30 years of age for voluntary male and female military service; no conscription (2008)

Disputes - international

Chile and Ecuador rejected Peru's November 2005 unilateral legislation to shift the axis of their joint treaty-defined maritime boundaries along the parallels of latitude to equidistance lines which favor Peru; organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia have penetrated Peru's shared border; Peru rejects Bolivia's claim to restore maritime access through a sovereign corridor through Chile along the Peruvian border

IDPs

60,000-150,000 (civil war from 1980-2000; most IDPs are indigenous peasants in Andean and Amazonian regions) (2007)

Illicit drugs

until 1996 the world's largest coca leaf producer, Peru is now the world's second largest producer of coca leaf, though it lags far behind Colombia; cultivation of coca in Peru declined to 36,000 hectares in 2007; second largest producer of cocaine, estimated at 210 metric tons of potential pure cocaine in 2007; finished cocaine is shipped out from Pacific ports to the international drug market; increasing amounts of base and finished cocaine, however, are being moved to Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia for use in the Southern Cone or transshipment to Europe and Africa; increasing domestic drug consumption This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008