Peru

Airports

total: 228 usable: 199 with permanent-surface runways: 37 with runways over 3,659 m: 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 23 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 46

Highways

69,942 km total; 7,459 km paved, 13,538 km improved, 48,945 km unimproved earth

Inland waterways

8,600 km of navigable tributaries of Amazon system and 208 km Lago Titicaca

Merchant marine

21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 194,473 GRT/307,845 DWT; includes 13 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 oil tanker, 4 bulk; note - in addition, 6 naval tankers and 1 naval cargo are sometimes used commercially

Pipelines

crude oil 800 km, natural gas and natural gas liquids 64 km

Ports

Callao, Ilo, Iquitos, Matarani, Talara

Railroads

1,801 km total; 1,501 km 1.435-meter gauge, 300 km 0.914-meter gauge

Telecommunications

fairly adequate for most requirements; nationwide microwave system; 544,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 273 AM, no FM, 140 TV, 144 shortwave; satellite earth stations - 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 12 domestic

Branches

Army (Ejercito Peruano), Navy (Marina de Guerra del Peru), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea del Peru), National Police

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $500 million, about 2% of GDP (1991)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 6,030,354; fit for military service 4,076,197; reach military age (20) annually 241,336 (1993 est.)

Agriculture

accounts for 10% of GDP, about 35% of labor force; commercial crops - coffee, cotton, sugarcane; other crops - rice, wheat, potatoes, plantains, coca; animal products - poultry, red meats, dairy, wool; not self-sufficient in grain or vegetable oil; fish catch of 6.9 million metric tons (1990)

Budget

revenues $2.0 billion; expenditures $2.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $300 million (1992 est.)

Currency

1 nuevo sol (S/.) = 100 centavos

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.7 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $4.3 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $577 million

Electricity

5,042,000 kW capacity; 17,434 million kWh produced, 760 kWh per capita (1992)

Exchange rates

nuevo sol (S/. per US$1 - 1.690 (January 1993), 1.245 (1992), 0.772 (1991), 0.187 (1990), 2.666 (1989), 0.129 (1988)

Exports

$3.5 billion (f.o.b., 1992) commodities: copper, fishmeal, zinc, crude petroleum and byproducts, lead, refined silver, coffee, cotton partners: EC 28%, US 22%, Japan 13%, Latin America 12%, former USSR 2% (1991)

External debt

$21 billion (December 1992 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Illicit drugs

world's largest coca leaf producer with about 121,000 hectares under cultivation; source of supply for most of the world's coca paste and cocaine base; at least 85% of coca cultivation is for illicit production; most of cocaine base is shipped to Colombian drug dealers for processing into cocaine for the international drug market

Imports

$4.1 billion (f.o.b., 1992) commodities: foodstuffs, machinery, transport equipment, iron and steel semimanufactures, chemicals, pharmaceuticals partners: US 32%, Latin America 22%, EC 17%, Switzerland 6%, Japan 3% (1991)

Industrial production

growth rate -5% (1992 est.); accounts for almost 24% of GDP

Industries

mining of metals, petroleum, fishing, textiles, clothing, food processing, cement, auto assembly, steel, shipbuilding, metal fabrication

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

56.7% (1992)

National product

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $25 billion (1992 est.)

National product per capita

$1,100 (1992 est.)

National product real growth rate

-2.8% (1992 est.)

Overview

The Peruvian economy is becoming increasingly market oriented, with a large dose of government ownership remaining in mining, energy, and banking. In the 1980s the economy suffered from hyperinflation, declining per capita output, and mounting external debt. Peru was shut off from IMF and World Bank support in the mid-1980s because of its huge debt arrears. An austerity program implemented shortly after the FUJIMORI government took office in July 1990 contributed to a third consecutive yearly contraction of economic activity, but the slide halted late that year, and output rose 2.4% in 1991. After a burst of inflation as the austerity program eliminated government price subsidies, monthly price increases eased to the single-digit level and by December 1991 dropped to the lowest increase since mid-1987. Lima obtained a financial rescue package from multilateral lenders in September 1991, although it faced $14 billion in arrears on its external debt. By working with the IMF and World Bank on new financial conditions and arrangements, the government succeeded in ending its arrears by March 1993. In 1992, GDP fell by 2.8%, in part because a warmer-than-usual El Nino current resulted in a 30% drop in the fish catch. Meanwhile, revival of growth in GDP continued to be restricted by the large amount of public and private resources being devoted to strengthening internal security.

Unemployment rate

15% (1992 est.); underemployment 70% (1992 est.)

Area

total area: 1,285,220 km2 land area: 1.28 million km2 comparative area: slightly smaller than Alaska

Climate

varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west

Coastline

2,414 km

Environment

subject to earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, mild volcanic activity; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; air pollution in Lima

International disputes

three sections of the boundary with Ecuador are in dispute

Irrigated land

12,500 km2 (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

total 6,940 km, Bolivia 900 km, Brazil 1,560 km, Chile 160 km, Colombia 2,900 km, Ecuador 1,420 km

Land use

arable land: 3% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 21% forest and woodland: 55% other: 21%

Location

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

Map references

South America, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 200 nm

Natural resources

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

Note

shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake, with Bolivia

Terrain

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

Administrative divisions

24 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1 constitutional province* (provincia constitucional); Amazonas, Ancash, Apurimac, Arequipa,, Ayacucho, Puno, San Martin, Tacna, Tumbes, Ucayali note: the 1979 Constitution and legislation enacted from 1987 to 1990 mandate the creation of regions (regiones, singular - region) intended to function eventually as autonomous economic and administrative entities; so far, 12 regions have been constituted from 23 existing departments - Amazonas (from Loreto), Andres Avelino Caceres (from Huanuco, Pasco, Junin), Arequipa (from Arequipa), Chavin (from Ancash), Grau (from Tumbes, Piura), Inca (from Cusco, Madre de Dios, Apurimac), La Libertad (from La Libertad), Los Libertadores-Huari (from Ica, Ayacucho, Huancavelica), Mariategui (from Moquegua, Tacna, Puno), Nor Oriental del Maranon (from Lambayeque, Cajamarca, Amazonas), San Martin (from San Martin), Ucayali (from Ucayali); formation of another region has been delayed by the reluctance of the constitutional province of Callao to merge with the department of Lima; because of inadequate funding from the central government, the regions have yet to assume their responsibilities and at the moment coexist with the departmental structure

Capital

Lima

Constitution

28 July 1980 (often referred to as the 1979 Constitution because the Constituent Assembly met in 1979, but the Constitution actually took effect the following year); suspended 5 April 1992; being revised or replaced

Digraph

PE

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Ricardo LUNA chancery: 1700 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: (202) 833-9860 through 9869) consulates general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Paterson (New Jersey), San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Elections

President: last held on 10 June 1990 (next to be held NA April 1995); results - Alberto FUJIMORI 56.53%, Mario VARGAS Llosa 33.92%, other 9.55% Democratic Constituent Congress: last held 25 November 1992 (next to be held NA); seats - (80 total) New Majority/Change 90 44, Popular Christian Party 8, Independent Moralization Front 7, Renewal 6, Movement of the Democratic Left 4, Democratic Coordinator 4, others 7; several major parties (American Popular Revolutionary Alliance, Popular Action) did not participate

Executive branch

president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Flag

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

Independence

28 July 1821 (from Spain)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia)

Leaders

Chief of State: President Alberto Kenyo FUJIMORI Fujimori (since 28 July 1990) Head of Government: Prime Minister Oscar DE LA PUENTE Raygada (since 6 April 1992)

Legal system

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral Democratic Constituent Congress (CCD)

Member of

AG, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, MINURSO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG (suspended), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Names

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

National holiday

Independence Day, 28 July (1821)

Other political or pressure groups

leftist guerrilla groups include Shining Path, Abimael GUZMAN (imprisoned); Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement, Nestor SERPA and Victor POLAY (imprisoned)

Political parties and leaders

New Majority/Change 90 (Cambio 90), Alberto FUJIMORI; Popular Christian Party (PPC), Luis BEDOYA Reyes; Popular Action Party (AP), Eduardo CALMELL del Solar; Liberty Movement (ML), Luis BUSTAMANTE; American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA), Alan GARCIA; Independent Moralizing Front (FIM), Fernando OLIVERA Vega; National Renewal, Rafael REY; Democratic Coordinator, Jose Barba CAHALLERO; Democratic Left Movement, Gloria HOFLER

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

republic

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Charles H. BRAYSHAW embassy: corner of Avenida Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and Avenida Espana, Lima mailing address: P. O. Box 1991, Lima 1, or APO AA 34031 telephone: [51] (14) 33-8000 FAX: [51] (14) 31-6682

Birth rate

26.19 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate

7.15 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Ethnic divisions

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

Infant mortality rate

56.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Labor force

8 million (1992) by occupation: government and other services 44%, agriculture 37%, industry 19% (1988 est.)

Languages

Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 65.17 years male: 63.02 years female: 67.44 years (1993 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1990) total population: 85% male: 92% female: 29%

Nationality

noun: Peruvian(s) adjective: Peruvian

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Population

23,210,352 (July 1993 est.)

Population growth rate

1.9% (1993 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic

Total fertility rate

3.22 children born/woman (1993 est.)