Peru

republicIndependence 28 July 1821 (from Spain)

Peru as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 73 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalLima

Area1,285,220 km2

Populationas each edition published it

21.91 million July 1990 · 32.77m in 2025

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 1.9% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 23.5 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 65.17 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

3.6 children per woman 1990 · 2.12 in 2025

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

67 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 10.6 in 2025

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $1,100 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition -2.8% in 1993

Geography

12 fields

Land useshare of 1,285,220 km2

arable land 3%meadows and pastures 21%forest and woodland 55%other 21%NEGL% permanent crops; includes 1% irrigated

Total area

1,285,220km2

land area: 1,280,000 km2Comparative area: slightly smaller than Alaska

Coastline

2,414km

Territorial sea: 200 nm

Land boundaries

6,940km total

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

Disputes

two sections of the boundary with Ecuador are in dispute

Climate

varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west

Terrain

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

Natural resources

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

Environment

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

Note

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

People

14 fields

Population

21,905,605

(July 1990), growth rate 2.1% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth

28Death

8Net migration

Ethnic divisions

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

Labor force

6,800,000

(1986); 44% government and other services, 37% agriculture, 19% industry (1988 est.)

Literacy

80%

(est.)

Organized labor

about 40% of salaried workers (1983 est.)

Government

Republic

18 fields

Senate, 60 seats, elected 8 April 1990one dot, one seat

APRA 32IU 15AP 5others 8

Administrative divisions

24 departments (departamentos, singular--departamento) and 1 constitutional province* (provincia constitucional);
Amazonas, Ancash, Apurimac, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Callao*, Cusco, Huancavelica, Huanuco, Ica, Junin, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Moquegua, Pasco, Piura, Puno, San Martin, Tacna, Tumbes, Ucayali

Constitution

28 July 1980 (often referred to as the 1979 Constitution because constituent assembly met in 1979, but Constitution actually took effect the following year);
reestablished civilian government with a popularly elected president and bicameral legislature

Legal system

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

Executive branch

president, two vice presidents, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch

bicameral Congress (Congreso) consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia) Chief of State--President-elect Alberto FUJIMORI (since 10 June 1990; Vice President-elect Maximo San ROMAN (since 10 June 1990); Vice President-elect Carlos GARCIA; President Alan GARCIA Perez (since 28 July 1985); First Vice President Luis Alberto SANCHEZ Sanchez (since 28 July 1985); Second Vice President Luis Juan ALVA Castro (since 28 July 1985); Head of Government--Prime Minister Guillermo LARCO Cox (since 3 October 1989)

Political parties and leaders

American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA), Alan Garcia Perez;
United Left (IU), run by committee;
Democratic Front (FREDEMO), headed by Mario Vargas Llosa of the Liberty Movement (ML), coalition also includes the Popular Christian Party (PPC), Luis Bedoya Reyes and the Popular Action Party (AP), Fernando Belaunde Terry;
Socialist Left (ISO), Alfonso Barrantes Lingan

Suffrage

universal at age 18 President--last held on 10 June 1990 (next to be held April 1995);
results--Alberto Fujimori xx%, Mario Vargas Llosa xx%, others xx%;
Senate--last held on 8 April 1990 (next to be held April 1995);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(60 total) APRA 32, IU 15, AP 5, others 8;
Chamber of Deputies--last held 8 April 1990 (next to be held April 1995);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(180 total) APRA 107, IU 48, AP 10, others 15

Communists

Peruvian Communist Party-Unity (PCP-U), pro-Soviet, 2,000; other minor Communist parties

Other political or pressure groups

Member of

Andean Pact, AIOEC, ASSIMER, CCC, CIPEC, FAO, G-77, GATT, Group of Eight, IADB, IAEA, IATP, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, ILZSG, INTERPOL, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, ISO, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, LAIA, NAM, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WSG, WTO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Cesar G. ATALA;
Chancery at 1700 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036;
telephone (202) 833-9860 through 9869);
Peruvian Consulates General are located in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Paterson (New Jersey), San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico);
US--Ambassador Anthony QUAINTON;
Embassy at the corner of Avenida Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and Avenida Espana, Lima (mailing address is P. O. Box 1995, Lima 1010, or APO Miami 34031);
telephone [51] (14) 338-000

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

Economy

The economy is verging on hyperinflation and economic activity is contracting rapidly.

17 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$18.9billion

per capita $880; real growth rate - 12.2% (1989 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

2,775%

(1989)

Unemployment rate

15.0%

underemployment estimated at 60% (1989)

External debt

$17.7billion

(December 1989)

Budget

Revenues

$3.2 billionExpenditures

$3.7 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $796 million (1986)

Overview

The economy is verging on hyperinflation and economic activity is contracting rapidly. Deficit spending is at the root of domestic economic problems, but poor relations with international lenders--the result of curtailing debt payments since 1985--are preventing an inflow of funds to generate a recovery.

Reduced standards of living have increased labor tensions, and strikes, particularly in the key mining sector, have cut production and exports. Foreign exchange shortages have forced reductions in vital consumer imports such as food and industrial inputs. Peru is the world's leading producer of coca, from which the drug cocaine is produced.

Exports

$3.55 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--fishmeal, cotton, sugar, coffee, copper, iron ore, refined silver, lead, zinc, crude petroleum and byproducts;
partners--EC 22%, US 20%, Japan 11%, Latin America 8%, USSR 4%

Imports

$2.50 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--foodstuffs, machinery, transport equipment, iron and steel semimanufactures, chemicals, pharmaceuticals;
partners--US 23%, Latin America 16%, EC 12%, Japan 7%, Switzerland 3%

Industrial production

growth rate - 25.0% (1988 est.)

Electricity

4,867,000 kW capacity; 15,540 million kWh produced, 725 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

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

Agriculture

accounts for 12% of GDP, 37% 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 4.6 million metric tons (1987), world's fifth-largest

Illicit drugs

world's largest coca producer and source of supply for coca paste and cocaine base;
about 85% of cultivation is for illicit production;
most of coca base is shipped to Colombian drug dealers for processing into cocaine for the international drug market

Aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $1.6 billion;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $3.7 billion;
Communist countries (1970-88), $577 million

Currency

inti (plural--intis); 1 inti (I/) = 1,000 soles

Exchange rates

intis (I/) per US$1--5,261.40 (December 1989), 128.83 (1988), 16.84 (1987), 13.95 (1986), 10.97 (1985)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

9 fields

Airports, 242 total, 226 usable

permanent-surface runways

35runways over 3,659 m

2runways 2,440-3,659 m

24runways 1,220-2,439 m

Networkskm

Highways

56,645Railroads

1,876

Highways: ; 6,030 km paved, 11,865 km gravel, 14,610 km improved earth, 24,140 km unimproved earth · Railroads: ; 1,576 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 300 km 0.914-meter gauge

Railroads

1,876 km total; 1,576 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 300 km 0.914-meter gauge

Highways

56,645 km total; 6,030 km paved, 11,865 km gravel, 14,610 km improved earth, 24,140 km unimproved earth

Inland waterways

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

Pipelines

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

Ports

Callao, Ilo, Iquitos, Matarani, Talara

Merchant marine

32 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 341,213 GRT/535,215 DWT;
includes 18 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 8 bulk;
note--in addition, 7 naval tankers and 1 naval cargo are sometimes used commercially