Peru
Republic of Peru
Capital: Lima
History
Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, most notably that of the Incas whose empire was captured by Spanish conquistadors in 1533. Peruvian independence was declared in 1821, and remaining Spanish forces were 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 installed Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique as the new head of government - Peru's first democratically elected president of indigenous Quechuan ethnicity. The presidential election of 2006 saw the return of Alan GARCIA Perez who, after a disappointing presidential term from 1985 to 1990, oversaw a robust economic rebound. In June 2011, former army officer Ollanta HUMALA Tasso was elected president, defeating Keiko FUJIMORI Higuchi, the daughter of Alberto FUJIMORI. Since his election, HUMALA has carried on the sound, market-oriented economic policies of the three preceding administrations.
Geography
Metric Units
|
Total Area
|
1,285,216
sq km
|
| Land Boundaries |
7,461
km
|
| Border Countries |
Bolivia 1,075 km, Brazil 2,995 km, Chile 171 km, Colombia 1,800 km, Ecuador 1,420 km |
| Coastline |
2,414
km
|
| Terrain |
western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva) |
| Minimum Elevation |
0
m
|
| Maximum Elevation |
6,768
m
|
| Climate |
varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes |
| Natural Resources |
copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower, natural gas |
| Arable Land |
2.84% |
| Permanent Crops |
0.66% |
Economy
Budget & Debt
Trade
| Exports |
$47.38 billion |
| Export Items |
copper, gold, lead, zinc, tin, iron ore, molybdenum, silver |
| Export Partners |
China 18.3%, US 15.2%, Canada 11.4%, Japan 5.4%, Spain 5.3%, Chile 4.8%, South Korea 4.6%, Germany 4.1% (2011) |
| Imports |
$41.15 billion |
| Import Items |
petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, plastics, machinery, vehicles, color TV sets, power shovels, front-end loaders, telephones and telecommunication equipment, iron and steel, wheat, corn, soybean products, paper, cotton, vaccines and medicines |
| Import Partners |
US 24.5%, China 13.7%, Brazil 6.7%, Chile 5.9%, Ecuador 4.4%, South Korea 4% (2011) |
People
| Population |
29,849,303 |
| Population Growth |
1% |
| Ethnic Groups |
Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3% |
| Religion |
Roman Catholic 81.3%, Evangelical 12.5%, other 3.3%, unspecified or none 2.9% (2007 Census) |
| Life Expectancy |
72.98 years |
| Infant Mortality |
0.97 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Maternal Mortality |
1.6 deaths/100,000 live births |
Energy
