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Peru
Physical.
Peru is located in western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean,
Chile and Ecuador. It covers an area slightly smaller than Alaska. The climate
varies from tropical in the east to dry desert in the west. The terrain includes
a western coastal plain, a high and rugged Andes mountain range in the center
and the eastern lowland jungle of the Amazon Basin. Some natural resources
include copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, potash
and phosphates.
People.
About 27.5 million people live in Peru. Spanish and Quechua are the official
languages, while some inhabitants also speak Aymara.
Ethnically, the population is composed of diverse groups: Amerindian (45%),
Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white 37%), and white
(15%). The main religious group is Roman Catholic. The capital, Lima, has long
dominated the country, which has an indigenous majority.
Government.
In April 2000, Alejandro Toledo organized a massive national protest when
then-President Fujimori was re-elected in what
observers saw as an election rife with fraud. Violence in the streets, press
censorship and revelations of massive corruption forced
Fujimori to resign and flee the country. As president, Toledo’s attempts
to deal with corruption were hampered by the archaic court system unable to
handle the caseload and corruption. His failure to deliver on campaign promises to clean up the
government, increase the number of jobs and improve healthcare reduced his
popularity. President Alan Garcia was elected in 2006.
Economy.
Varied geography and climate provide challenges to the agriculture sector, with
only about 7% of the land able to produce crops. Peru contains the lowest per
capita amount of arable land in South America. Governments in Lima have
attempted to impose a variety of development models on the inhabitants of the
sierra without an understanding of existing agrarian systems or appreciation for
the logic of their systems. Toledo’s attempts to stimulate the economy
with an infusion of foreign investments, privatization, and a renegotiation of
outstanding trade agreements with the IMF were overshadowed by political
scandal.
Areas of Concern.
Environmental concerns include land deforestation, soil erosion, over grazing
and water pollution. The greatest concern is that the failure of the economic
policies, bureaucratic corruption and lack of understanding by the government in
Lima will lead to a rise of the violent guerillas.
Peru statistics
Geography
Area: 496,087 square miles
Capital: Lima (pop 6,743,000)
Environmental concerns: deforestation; over grazing; soil erosion;
desertification; water pollution
Geographical features: western coastal plain; high and rugged Andes Mountains
in the center; eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin
Climate: tropical in east: dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes
People
28,302,603 people; Indian (45%);
Mestizo (37%); white (15%)
Annual growth rate: 1.39%
Major language: Spanish; Quechua; Aymara
Religions: Roman Catholic (90+%)
Health and social
issues
Life expectancy: Men, 67 years;
women, 71 years
Infant mortality: 3 deaths per 1000 live births
54% of the population lives in poverty
1 physician per 1,116 people
HIV/AIDS rate in adults: 0.5%
90.9% of adults are literate
Compulsory education: ages 6-11; free
Communication and
transportation
1,766,100 main telephone lines
2.5 million Internet users
44,803 miles of highway
1,267 miles of railroad
234 airfields
775,000 motor vehicles
Government
Peru is a constitutional republic
that gained its independence from Spain on July 28, 1821.
President Alan Garcia is both the
head of state and government
8 major political parties
Suffrage: universal at 18
Military
Military expenditures are 1.3% of
the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Current disputes: a boundary dispute with Ecuador was resolved in 1999
Economy
Currency:
nuevo sols
Per capita income: $5,200
GDP: $146 billion
GDP growth rate: 4%
Inflation rate: 2.2%
Labor force: agriculture (5.9%); mining and quarrying (0.4%); manufacturing
(12.6%); construction (5.3%); commerce (26.3%); household work (4.9%); other
services (44.6%) (2004)
Resources and industry
Natural resources: copper; silver;
gold; petroleum; timber; fish; iron ore; coal; phosphate; potash
Agriculture: coffee; sugarcane; cotton; rice; wheat; potatoes; plantains;
coca; livestock; wool; fish
Industry: mining; petroleum; fishing; textiles and clothing; food processing;
cement; auto assembly; steel; shipbuilding; metal fabrication
Exports: $8.9 billion
Imports: $8.2 billion
Suggested web sites
Search ‘Peru’ at
www.dmoz.org
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