Ghana (2004) | Peru (2005) | |
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Administrative divisions | 10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western | 25 regions (regiones, singular - region) and 1 province* (provincia); Amazonas, Ancash, Apurimac, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Callao, Cusco, Huancavelica, Huanuco, Ica, Junin, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, Lima*, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Moquegua, Pasco, Piura, Puno, San Martin, Tacna, Tumbes, Ucayali |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 38% (male 3,988,800; female 3,904,989)
15-64 years: 58.3% (male 6,030,151; female 6,071,725) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 359,042; female 402,325) (2004 est.) |
0-14 years: 31.5% (male 4,479,278/female 4,323,356)
15-64 years: 63.3% (male 8,891,785/female 8,776,343) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 685,179/female 769,687) (2005 est.) |
Agriculture - products | cocoa, rice, coffee, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, corn, shea nuts, bananas; timber | coffee, cotton, sugarcane, rice, potatoes, corn, plantains, grapes, oranges, coca; poultry, beef, dairy products; fish |
Airports | 12 (2003 est.) | 234 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
total: 52
over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 20 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
total: 182
1,524 to 2,437 m: 21 914 to 1,523 m: 62 under 914 m: 99 (2004 est.) |
Area | total: 239,460 sq km
land: 230,940 sq km water: 8,520 sq km |
total: 1,285,220 sq km
land: 1.28 million sq km water: 5,220 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Oregon | slightly smaller than Alaska |
Background | Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence. A long series of coups resulted in the suspension of the constitution in 1981 and the banning of political parties. A new constitution, restoring multiparty politics, was approved in 1992. Lt. Jerry RAWLINGS, head of state since 1981, won presidential elections in 1992 and 1996, but was constitutionally prevented from running for a third term in 2000. He was succeeded by John KUFUOR, who defeated former Vice President Atta MILLS in a free and fair election. | 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. FUJIMORI won reelection to a third term in the spring of 2000, but international pressure and corruption scandals led to his ouster by Congress in November of that year. A caretaker government oversaw new elections in the spring of 2001, which ushered in Alejandro TOLEDO as the new head of government; his presidency has been hampered by allegations of corruption. |
Birth rate | 24.9 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 20.87 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $1.943 billion
expenditures: $2.192 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.) |
revenues: $13.6 billion
expenditures: $14.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.8 billion, for general government, excluding private enterprises (2004 est.) |
Capital | Accra | Lima |
Climate | tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north | varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes |
Coastline | 539 km | 2,414 km |
Constitution | approved 28 April 1992 | 31 December 1993 |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Ghana
conventional short form: Ghana former: Gold Coast |
conventional long form: Republic of Peru
conventional short form: Peru local long form: Republica del Peru local short form: Peru |
Currency | cedi (GHC) | - |
Death rate | 10.67 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 6.26 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Debt - external | $7.398 billion (2003 est.) | $29.79 billion (2004 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Mary Carlin YATES
embassy: 6th and 10th Lanes, 798/1 Osu, Accra mailing address: P. O. Box 194, Accra telephone: [233] (21) 775-347, 775-348 FAX: [233] (21) 701-813 |
chief of mission: Ambassador J. Curtis STRUBLE
embassy: Avenida La Encalada, Cuadra 17s/n, Surco, Lima 33 mailing address: P. O. Box 1995, Lima 1; American Embassy (Lima), APO AA 34031-5000 telephone: [51] (1) 434-3000 FAX: [51] (1) 434-3037 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Alan J. KYEREMATEN
chancery: 3512 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 686-4520 FAX: [1] (202) 686-4527 consulate(s) general: New York |
chief of mission: Ambassador Eduardo FERRERO Costa
chancery: 1700 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 833-9860 through 9869 FAX: [1] (202) 659-8124 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Denver, Hartford, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Paterson (New Jersey), San Francisco, Washington, DC |
Disputes - international | Ghana must still deal with refugees and returning nationals escaping rebel fighting in Cote d'Ivoire | Peru proposes changing its latitudinal maritime boundary with Chile to an equidistance line with a southwestern axis; organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia have penetrated Peru's shared border; Peru does not support Bolivia's claim to restore maritime access through a sovereign corridor through Chile along the Peruvian border |
Economic aid - recipient | $6.9 billion (1999) | $491 million (2002) |
Economy - overview | Well endowed with natural resources, Ghana has roughly twice the per capita output of the poorer countries in West Africa. Even so, Ghana remains heavily dependent on international financial and technical assistance. Gold, timber, and cocoa production are major sources of foreign exchange. The domestic economy continues to revolve around subsistence agriculture, which accounts for 35% of GDP and employs 60% of the work force, mainly small landholders. Ghana opted for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) program in 2002. Policy priorities include tighter monetary and fiscal policies, accelerated privatization, and improvement of social services. Receipts from the gold sector should help sustain GDP growth in 2004. Inflation should ease, but remain a major internal problem. | Peru's economy reflects its varied geography - an arid coastal region, the Andes further inland, and tropical lands bordering Colombia and Brazil. Abundant mineral resources are found in the mountainous areas, and Peru's coastal waters provide excellent fishing grounds. However, overdependence on minerals and metals subjects the economy to fluctuations in world prices, and a lack of infrastructure deters trade and investment. After several years of inconsistent economic performance, the Peruvian economy grew by an average 4 percent per year during the period 2002-2004, with a stable exchange rate and low inflation. Risk premiums on Peruvian bonds on secondary markets reached historically low levels in late 2004, reflecting investor optimism regarding the government's prudent fiscal policies and openness to trade and investment. Despite the strong macroeconomic performance, the TOLEDO administration remained unpopular in 2004, and unemployment and poverty have stayed persistently high. |
Electricity - consumption | 8.835 billion kWh (2001) | 20.22 billion kWh (2002) |
Electricity - exports | 300 million kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - imports | 950 million kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - production | 8.801 billion kWh (2001) | 22.88 billion kWh (2004 est.) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Afadjato 880 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Nevado Huascaran 6,768 m |
Environment - current issues | recurrent drought in north severely affects agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; poaching and habitat destruction threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water | 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 |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation |
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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | black African 98.5% (major tribes - Akan 44%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8%, Gurma 3%, Yoruba 1%), European and other 1.5% (1998) | Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3% |
Exchange rates | cedis per US dollar - NA (2003), 7,932.7 (2002), 7,170.76 (2001), 5,455.06 (2000), 2,669.3 (1999) | nuevo sol per US dollar - 3.4132 (2004), 3.4785 (2003), 3.5165 (2002), 3.5068 (2001), 3.49 (2000) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January 2001); Vice President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President John Agyekum KUFUOR (since 7 January 2001); Vice President Alhaji Aliu MAHAMA (since 7 January 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers; president nominates members subject to approval by Parliament elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 7 December 2004 (next to be held December 2008) election results: John Agyekum KUFUOR reelected president in election; percent of vote - John KUFUOR 53.4%, John Atta MILLS 43.7% |
chief of state: President Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique (since 28 July 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; additionally, the constitution provides for two vice presidents, First Vice President (vacant) and Second Vice President David WAISMAN Rjavinsthi (since 28 July 2001)
head of government: President Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique (since 28 July 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; additionally, the constitution provides for two vice presidents, First Vice President (vacant) and Second Vice President David WAISMAN Rjavinsthi (since 28 July 2001) note: Prime Minister Pedro Pablo KUCZYNSKI (since 25 August 2005) does not exercise executive power; this power is in the hands of the president cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; special presidential and congressional elections held 8 April 2001, with runoff election held 3 June 2001; next to be held 9 April 2006 election results: President Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique elected president in runoff election; percent of vote - Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique 53.1%, Alan GARCIA 46.9% |
Exports | NA (2001) | 49,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
Exports - commodities | gold, cocoa, timber, tuna, bauxite, aluminum, manganese ore, diamonds | copper, gold, zinc, crude petroleum and petroleum products, coffee |
Exports - partners | Netherlands 11.2%, UK 10.7%, France 7.7%, Germany 6.2%, Japan 5.2%, Italy 4.6%, Turkey 4.4%, US 4.3% (2003) | US 29.5%, China 9.9%, UK 9%, Chile 5.1%, Japan 4.4% (2004) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Bolivia, which has a coat of arms centered in the yellow band | 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 vicuna, cinchona tree (the source of quinine), and a yellow cornucopia spilling out gold coins, all framed by a green wreath |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $44.44 billion (2003 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 35.4%
industry: 25.4% services: 39.2% (2003 est.) |
agriculture: 8%
industry: 27% services: 65% (2003 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $2,200 (2003 est.) | purchasing power parity - $5,600 (2004 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 4.7% (2003 est.) | 4.5% (2004 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 8 00 N, 2 00 W | 10 00 S, 76 00 W |
Geography - note | Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake | shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake, with Bolivia; a remote slope of Nevado Mismi, a 5,316 m peak, is the ultimate source of the Amazon River |
Heliports | - | 1 (2004 est.) |
Highways | total: 39,409 km
paved: 11,665 km unpaved: 27,744 km (1999 est.) |
total: 78,230 km
paved: 10,452 km unpaved: 67,778 km (2001) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 2.2%
highest 10%: 30.1% (1999) |
lowest 10%: 0.8%
highest 10%: 37.2% (2000) |
Illicit drugs | illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; major transit hub for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and, to a lesser extent, South American cocaine destined for Europe and the US; widespread crime and corruption have made money laundering a problem, but the lack of a well-developed financial infrastructure limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center | until 1996 the world's largest coca leaf producer; emerging opium producer; cultivation of coca in Peru fell 15 percent to 31,150 hectares between 2002 and the end of 2003; much of the cocaine base is shipped to neighboring Colombia for processing into cocaine, while finished cocaine is shipped out from Pacific ports to the international drug market; increasing amounts of base and finished cocaine, however, are being moved to Brazil and Bolivia for use in the Southern Cone or transshipped to Europe and Africa |
Imports | NA (2001) | NA |
Imports - commodities | capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs | petroleum and petroleum products, plastics, machinery, vehicles, iron and steel, wheat, paper |
Imports - partners | Nigeria 13.2%, China 9.3%, UK 7.2%, US 6.1%, Germany 4.8%, France 4.5%, South Africa 4% (2003) | US 30.3%, Spain 11.5%, Chile 7.2%, Brazil 5.4%, Colombia 5.2% (2004) |
Independence | 6 March 1957 (from UK) | 28 July 1821 (from Spain) |
Industrial production growth rate | 3.8% (2000 est.) | 5.2% (2004 est.) |
Industries | mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum smelting, food processing | mining and refining of minerals and metals, petroleum extraction and refining, natural gas, fishing and fish processing, textiles, clothing, food processing, steel, metal fabrication |
Infant mortality rate | total: 52.22 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 55.1 deaths/1,000 live births female: 49.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
total: 31.94 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 34.53 deaths/1,000 live births female: 29.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 26.7% (2003 est.) | 3.8% (2004 est.) |
International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO | APEC, CAN, CSN, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, ONUB, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
Irrigated land | 110 sq km (1998 est.) | 11,950 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court | Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are appointed by the National Council of the Judiciary) |
Labor force | 10 million (2003 est.) | 11 million (2004 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 60%, industry 15%, services 25% (1999 est.) | agriculture 9%, industry 18%, services 73% (2001) |
Land boundaries | total: 2,094 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 549 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo 877 km |
total: 5,536 km
border countries: Bolivia 900 km, Brazil 1,560 km, Chile 160 km, Colombia 1,496 km (est.), Ecuador 1,420 km |
Land use | arable land: 16.26%
permanent crops: 9.67% other: 74.07% (2001) |
arable land: 2.89%
permanent crops: 0.4% other: 96.71% (2001) |
Languages | English (official), African languages (including Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga) | Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a large number of minor Amazonian languages |
Legal system | based on English common law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | unicameral Parliament (230 seats; note - increased from 200 seats in last election; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 7 December 2004 (next to be held December 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NPP 128, NDC 92, other 10 |
unicameral Congress of the Republic of Peru or Congreso de la Republica del Peru (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 8 April 2001 (next to be held 9 April 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - PP 26.3%, APRA 19.7%, UN 13.8%, FIM 11.0%, others 29.2%; seats by party - PP 47, APRA 28, UN 17, FIM 11, others 17 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 56.27 years
male: 55.36 years female: 57.22 years (2004 est.) |
total population: 69.53 years
male: 67.77 years female: 71.37 years (2005 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 74.8% male: 82.7% female: 67.1% (2003 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.7% male: 93.5% female: 82.1% (2004 est.) |
Location | Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo | Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador |
Map references | Africa | South America |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm |
territorial sea: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 19,086 GRT/26,185 DWT
by type: petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 5 foreign-owned: Brazil 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Spain 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 13,666 GRT/17,611 DWT
by type: cargo 3, petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: 1 (United States 1) registered in other countries: 14 (2005) |
Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force | Army (Ejercito Peruano), Navy (Marina de Guerra del Peru; includes Naval Air, Naval Infantry, and Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea del Peru; FAP) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $44 million (2003) | $829.3 million (2003) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 0.6% (2003) | 1.4% (2004) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 5,391,378 (2004 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 2,994,600 (2004 est.) | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males: 244,809 (2004 est.) | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 6 March (1957) | Independence Day, 28 July (1821) |
Nationality | noun: Ghanaian(s)
adjective: Ghanaian |
noun: Peruvian(s)
adjective: Peruvian |
Natural hazards | dry, dusty, northeastern harmattan winds occur from January to March; droughts | earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity |
Natural resources | gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber, hydropower | copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower, natural gas |
Net migration rate | -0.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | -1.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
People - note | there are 9,500 Liberians, 2,000 Sierra Leoneans, and 1,000 Togolese refugees residing in Ghana (2002) | - |
Pipelines | refined products 74 km (2004) | gas 388 km; oil 1,557 km; refined products 13 km (2004) |
Political parties and leaders | Convention People's Party or CPP [Nii Noi DOWUONA, general secretary]; Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere or EGLE [Owuraku AMOFA, chairman]; Great Consolidated Popular Party or GCPP [Dan LARTY]; National Convention Party or NCP [Sarpong KUMA-KUMA]; National Democratic Congress or NDC [Dr. Huudu YAHAYA, general secretary]; New Patriotic Party or NPP [Samuel Arthur ODOI-SYKES]; People's Convention Party or PCP [P. K. DONKOH-AYIFI, acting chairman]; People's Heritage Party or PHP [Emmanuel Alexander ERSKINE]; People's National Convention or PNC [Edward MAHAMA]; Reform Party [Kyeretwie OPUKU, general secretary] | Independent Moralizing Front or FIM [Fernando OLIVERA Vega]; National Unity (Unidad Nacional) or UN [Lourdes FLORES Nano]; Peru Posible or PP [David WAISMAN]; Peruvian Aprista Party or PAP (also referred to by its original name Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana or APRA) [Alan GARCIA]; Popular Action or AP [Javier DIAZ Orihuela]; Solucion Popular [Carlos BOLANA]; Somos Peru or SP [Alberto ANDRADE]; Union for Peru or UPP [Roger GUERRA Garcia] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | leftist guerrilla groups include Shining Path [Abimael GUZMAN Reynoso (imprisoned), Gabriel MACARIO (top leader at-large)]; Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement or MRTA [Victor POLAY (imprisoned), Hugo AVALLENEDA Valdez (top leader at-large)] |
Population | 20,757,032
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2004 est.) |
27,925,628 (July 2005 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 31.4% (1992 est.) | 54% (2003 est.) |
Population growth rate | 1.36% (2004 est.) | 1.36% (2005 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Takoradi, Tema | Callao, Iquitos, Matarani, Pucallpa, Yurimaguas
note: Iquitos, Pucallpa, and Yurimaguas are on the upper reaches of the Amazon and its tributaries |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 0, FM 49, shortwave 3 (2001) | AM 472, FM 198, shortwave 189 (1999) |
Railways | total: 953 km
narrow gauge: 953 km 1.067-m gauge (2003) |
total: 3,462 km
standard gauge: 2,962 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 500 km 0.914-m gauge (2004) |
Religions | Christian 63%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 21% | Roman Catholic 81%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.4%, other Christian 0.7%, other 0.6%, unspecified or none 16.3% (2003 est.) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory until the age of 70; note - members of the military and national police may not vote |
Telephone system | general assessment: poor to fair system; Internet accessible; many rural communities not yet connected; expansion of services is underway
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay; wireless local loop has been installed international: country code - 233; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay link to Panaftel system connects Ghana to its neighbors; fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia |
general assessment: adequate for most requirements
domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system and a domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations international: country code - 51; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); Pan American submarine cable |
Telephones - main lines in use | 302,300 (2003) | 1,839,200 (2003) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 799,900 (2003) | 2,908,800 (2003) |
Television broadcast stations | 10 (2001) | 13 (plus 112 repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area | western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva) |
Total fertility rate | 3.17 children born/woman (2004 est.) | 2.56 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 20% (1997 est.) | 9.6% in metropolitan Lima; widespread underemployment (2004 est.) |
Waterways | 1,293 km
note: 168 km for launches and lighters on Volta, Ankobra, and Tano rivers; 1,125 km of arterial and feeder waterways on Lake Volta (2003) |
8,808 km
note: 8,600 km of navigable tributaries of Amazon system and 208 km of Lago Titicaca (2004) |