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.
Capital: Lima
Population: 29,549,517 (July 2011 est.)
Currency: Nuevo Sol (PEN)
Language:
Español (official)
Quechua (official)
Aymara
Gran cantidad de lenguas amazónicas menores
Time zone: UTC-5
Government: Constitutional Republic
Chief of State: Ollanta Humala Tasso
Country Dialing Code: +51
Emergency Number: 105 to call police
National Airline: LAN Peru
Voltage: 220
Detailed country profile
ECONOMY
GDP real growth rate:
6.9% (2011 est.)
8.8% (2010 est.)
0.9% (2009 est.)
9.2% (2008 est.)
9% (2007 est.)
7.6% (2006 est.)
GDP-Composition by Sector (2011):
Agriculture: 8%
Industry: 38%
Services: 54%
Labor force by occupation (2005):
Agriculture: 0.7%
Industry: 23.8%
Services: 75.5%
Agriculture products:
Asparagus
Coffee
Cotton
Sugarcane
Rice
Potatoes
Corn
Plantains
Grapes
Oranges
Coca
Poultry
Beef
Dairy products
Fish
Guinea pigs
Industries:
Mining and refining of minerals
Steel
Metal fabrication
Petroleum extraction and refining
Natural gas
Fishing and fish processing
Textiles
Clothing
Food processing
Exports:
$46.27 billion (2011 est.)
$35.56 billion (2010 est.)
Export Commodities
Copper
Gold
Zinc
Crude petroleum and petroleum products
Coffee
Potatoes
Asparagus
Textiles
Fishmeal
Main Export Partners:
China 15.2%
Switzerland 13%
US 12.7%
Canada 9.1%
Japan 4.8%
Germany 4.2%
Imports:
$36.97 billion (2011 est.)
$28.82 billion (2010 est.)
Import commodities:
Petroleum and petroleum products
Plastics
Machinery
Vehicles
Iron and steel
Wheat
Paper
Import partners:
US 19.5%
China 16.6%
Brazil 6.5%
Ecuador 5.2%
Argentina 4.8%
Ports and Terminal:
Callao
Iquitos
Matarani
Paita
Pucallpa
Yurimaguas
Note - Iquitos, Pucallpa, and Yurimaguas are on the upper reaches of the Amazon and its tributaries
Unemployment rate:
7.9% (est. 2011)
7.9% (est. 2010)
GOVERNMENT
Government Type: Constitutional Republic
Executive Branch:
Chief of state: President Ollanta Humala Tasso (since 28 July 2011) First Vice PresidentMarisol ESPINOZA Cruz (since 28 July 2011) Note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government Note:Prime Minister Oscar VALDES Dancuart (since 11 December 2011) does not exercise executive power; this power rests with the president. Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president Elections:president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for nonconsecutive reelection); presidential and congressional elections last held on 10 April 2011 with runoff election held on 6 June 2011 (next to be held in April 2016)
Legal system: civil law system
GEOGRAPHY
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
Climate:Varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes
Terrain:Western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)
Elevation Extremes:
Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
Highest point: Nevado Huascaran 6,768 m
Natural resources:
Copper
Silver
Gold
Petroleum
Timber
Fish
Iron ore
Coal
Phosphate
Potash
Hydropower
Natural gas
Environment and international agreement:
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
Environment and 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
PEOPLE
Ethnic groups:
Amerindian 45%
Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%
White 15%
Black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%
Languages:
Spanish (official)
Quechua (official)
Aymara
Large number of minor Amazonian languages
Religion:
Roman Catholic 81%
Seventh Day Adventist 1.4%
Other Christian 0.7%
Other 0.6%
Unspecified or none 16.3% (2003 est.)
HISTORY
Express History
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.
06-29-12 by Emmanuel Besserve
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.
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