Peru

republicIndependence 28 July 1821 (from Spain)

Peru as the 1991 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 70 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

22.36 million July 1991 · 21.91m in 1990

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

3.5 children per woman 1991 · 3.6 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

66 deaths per 1,000 live births 1991 · 67 in 1990

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

11 fields

Total area

1,285,220km2

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

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

Land use

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

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

22,361,785

(July 1991), growth rate 2.0% (1991)

Per 1,000 population(1991)

Birth

28Death

8Net migration

Labor force

6,800,000

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

Literacy

85%

(male 92%, female 29%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Ethnic divisions

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

Language

Spanish and Quechua (both official), Aymara

Organized labor

about 40% of salaried workers (1983 est.)

Government

Republic

16 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

56.53%

Alberto FUJIMORI 56.53%Mario VARGAS Llosa 33.92%other 9.55%10 June 1990 (next to be held April 1995)

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

FREDEMO 20APRA 16Change 90 14IU 6IS 3FRENATRACA 1

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;
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 reponsibilities and at the moment co-exist with the departmental structure

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);
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)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia) Chief of State--President Alberto FUJIMORI (since 28 July 1990);
Vice President Maximo SAN ROMAN (since 28 July 1990);
Vice President Carlos GARCIA (since 28 July 1990);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Carlos TORRES Y TORRES Lara (since 15 February 1991) Change 90 (Cambio 90), Alberto FUJIMORI;
Democratic Front (FREDEMO), a loosely organized three-party coalition--Popular Christian Party (PPC), Luis BEDOYA Reyes;
Popular Action Party (AP), Fernando BELAUNDE Terry;
and Liberty Movement;
American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA), Luis ALVA Castro;
National Front of Workers and Peasants (FRENATRACA), Roger CACERES;
United Left (IU), run by committee;
Socialist Left (IS), Enrique BERNALES

Suffrage

universal at age 18 President--last held on 10 June 1990 (next to be held April 1995);
results--Alberto FUJIMORI 56.53%, Mario VARGAS Llosa 33.92%, other 9.55%;
Senate--last held on 8 April 1990 (next to be held April 1995);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(60 total) FREDEMO 20, APRA 16, Change 90 14, IU 6, IS 3, FRENATRACA 1;
Chamber of Deputies--last held 8 April 1990 (next to be held April 1995);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(180 total) FREDEMO 62, APRA 53, Change 90 32, IU 16, IS 4, FRENATRACA 3, other 10

Communists

Peruvian Communist Party-Unity (PCP-U), pro-Soviet, 2,000;
other minor Communist parties leftist guerrilla groups--Shining Path, leader Abimael GUZMAN;
Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement, Nestor CERPA and Victor POLLAY

AG, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, 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, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Roberto G. MACLEAN;
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 C.E. QUAINTON;
Embassy at the corner of Avenida Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and Avenida Espana, Lima (mailing address is P. O. Box 1995, Lima 100, 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 Peruvian economy is basically capitalistic, with a large dose of government welfare programs and government management of credit.

17 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$19.3billion

per capita $898; real growth rate - 3.9% (1990 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

7,650%

(1990)

Unemployment rate

20.0%

underemployment estimated at 60% (1989)

External debt

$20.0billion

(December 1990)

Budget

Revenues

$1.3 billionExpenditures

$2.1 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)

Overview

The Peruvian economy is basically capitalistic, with a large dose of government welfare programs and government management of credit. 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 was able to generate a small recovery in the last quarter. After a burst of inflation as the program eliminated government price subsidies, monthly price increases eased to the single-digit level for the first time since mid-1988.

Lima has restarted current payments to multilateral lenders and, although it faces $14 billion in arrears on its external debt, is working toward an accommodation with its creditors.

Exports

$3.01 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
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

$2.78 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
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 - 21% (1989); accounts for almost 25% of GDP

Electricity

4,867,000 kW capacity; 15,540 million kWh produced, 710 kWh per capita (1990)

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

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.7 billion;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $3.95 billion;
Communist countries (1970-89), $577 million

Currency

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

Exchange rates

intis (I/) per US$1--530,000 (January 1991), 187,886 (1990), 2,666 (1989), 128.83 (1988), 16.84 (1987), 13.95 (1986), 10.97 (1985)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

9 fields

Airports, 222 total, 205 usable

permanent-surface runways

36runways over 3,659 m

2runways 2,440-3,659 m

24runways 1,220-2,439 m

Networkskm

Highways

56,645Railroads

1,884

Highways: ; 6,030 km paved, 11,865 km gravel, 14,610 km improved earth, 24,140 km unimproved earth · Railroads: ; 1,584 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 300 km 0.914-meter gauge

Railroads

1,884 km total; 1,584 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

29 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 321,541 GRT/516,859 DWT;
includes 16 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 8 bulk;
note--in addition, 8 naval tankers and 1 naval cargo are sometimes used commercially