Background:
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| 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 Manrique 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 Perez who, after a disappointing presidential term from 1985 to 1990, has overseen a robust macroeconomic performance. |
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Location:
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| Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador
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Geographic coordinates:
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10 00 S, 76 00 W
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Map references:
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Area:
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total: 1,285,216 sq km
country comparison to the world: 27
land:
1,279,996 sq km
water:
5,220 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Alaska
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Land boundaries:
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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
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Coastline:
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2,414 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 200 nm
continental shelf:
200 nm
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Climate:
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varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes
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Terrain:
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western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Nevado Huascaran 6,768 m
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Natural resources:
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copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower, natural gas
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Land use:
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arable land: 2.88%
permanent crops:
0.47%
other:
96.65% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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12,000 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources:
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1,913 cu km (2000)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 20.13 cu km/yr (8%/10%/82%)
per capita:
720 cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards:
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earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity
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Environment - current issues:
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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
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Environment - international agreements:
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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
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Geography - note:
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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 |
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Population:
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| 29,546,963 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 29.1% (male 4,370,923/female 4,216,364)
15-64 years:
65.2% (male 9,695,270/female 9,574,018)
65 years and over:
5.7% (male 796,631/female 893,757) (2009 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 26.1 years
male:
25.8 years
female:
26.4 years (2009 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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1.229% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
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Birth rate:
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19.38 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 107
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Death rate:
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6.14 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 158
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Net migration rate:
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-0.95 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 121
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Urbanization:
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urban population: 71% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization:
1.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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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 (2009 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 28.62 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 78
male:
31.07 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
26.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 70.74 years
country comparison to the world: 138
male:
68.88 years
female:
72.69 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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2.37 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 106
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.5% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 77
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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76,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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3,300 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55
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Major infectious diseases:
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degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases:
bacterial, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease:
dengue fever, malaria, and yellow fever
water contact disease:
leptospirosis (2009)
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Nationality:
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noun: Peruvian(s)
adjective:
Peruvian
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Ethnic groups:
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Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%
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Religions:
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Roman Catholic 81.3%, Evangelical 12.5%, other 3.3%, unspecified or none 2.9% (2007 Census)
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Languages:
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Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a large number of minor Amazonian languages
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
92.9%
male:
96.4%
female:
89.4% (2007 Census)
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
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total: 14 years
male:
14 years
female:
14 years (2006)
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Education expenditures:
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2.5% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 157
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