Peru (2005) | Sierra Leone (2005) | |
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Administrative divisions | 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 | 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western* |
Age structure | 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.) |
0-14 years: 44.7% (male 1,318,508/female 1,371,164)
15-64 years: 52% (male 1,494,068/female 1,637,276) 65 years and over: 3.3% (male 93,047/female 103,580) (2005 est.) |
Agriculture - products | coffee, cotton, sugarcane, rice, potatoes, corn, plantains, grapes, oranges, coca; poultry, beef, dairy products; fish | rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish |
Airports | 234 (2004 est.) | 10 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | 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.) |
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 182
1,524 to 2,437 m: 21 914 to 1,523 m: 62 under 914 m: 99 (2004 est.) |
total: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
Area | total: 1,285,220 sq km
land: 1.28 million sq km water: 5,220 sq km |
total: 71,740 sq km
land: 71,620 sq km water: 120 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Alaska | slightly smaller than South Carolina |
Background | 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. | The 1991 to 2002 civil war between the government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about one-third of the population), many of whom are now refugees in neighboring countries. With the support of the UN peacekeeping force and contributions from the World Bank and international community, demobilization and disarmament of the RUF and Civil Defense Forces (CDF) combatants has been completed. National elections were held in May 2002 and the government continues to slowly reestablish its authority. However, the gradual withdrawal of most UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) peacekeepers in 2004 and early 2005, deteriorating political and economic conditions in Guinea, and the tenuous security situation in neighboring Liberia may present challenges to the continuation of Sierra Leone's stability. |
Birth rate | 20.87 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 42.84 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $13.6 billion
expenditures: $14.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.8 billion, for general government, excluding private enterprises (2004 est.) |
revenues: $96 million
expenditures: $351 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000 est.) |
Capital | Lima | Freetown |
Climate | varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes | tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April) |
Coastline | 2,414 km | 402 km |
Constitution | 31 December 1993 | 1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Peru
conventional short form: Peru local long form: Republica del Peru local short form: Peru |
conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone
conventional short form: Sierra Leone |
Death rate | 6.26 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 20.61 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Debt - external | $29.79 billion (2004 est.) | $1.5 billion (2002 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | 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 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas N. HULL
embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [232] (22) 226481 through 226485 FAX: [232] (22) 225471 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | 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 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Ibrahim M. KAMARA
chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263 FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793 |
Disputes - international | 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 | domestic fighting among disparate rebel groups, warlords, and youth gangs in Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone perpetuate insurgencies, street violence, looting, arms trafficking, ethnic conflicts, and refugees in border areas; UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) has maintained over 4,000 peacekeepers in Sierra Leone since 1999; Sierra Leone pressures Guinea to remove its forces from the town of Yenga occupied since 1998 |
Economic aid - recipient | $491 million (2002) | $103 million (2001 est.) |
Economy - overview | 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. | Sierra Leone is an extremely poor African nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. While it possesses substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources, its economic and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. About two-thirds of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Plans to reopen bauxite and rutile mines shut down during an 11 year civil war have not been implemented due to lack of foreign investment. Alluvial diamond mining remains the major source of hard currency earnings. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad, which is essential to offset the severe trade imbalance and supplement government revenues. International financial institutions contributed over $600 million in development aid and budgetary support in 2003. |
Electricity - consumption | 20.22 billion kWh (2002) | 237.4 million kWh (2002) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2003) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2003) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - production | 22.88 billion kWh (2004 est.) | 255.3 million kWh (2002) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Nevado Huascaran 6,768 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m |
Environment - 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 | rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleting natural resources; overfishing |
Environment - international agreements | 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 |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification |
Ethnic groups | Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3% | 20 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole (Krio) 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians |
Exchange rates | nuevo sol per US dollar - 3.4132 (2004), 3.4785 (2003), 3.5165 (2002), 3.5068 (2001), 3.49 (2000) | leones per US dollar - 2,701.3 (2004), 2,347.9 (2003), 2,099 (2002), 1,986.2 (2001), 2,092.1 (2000) |
Executive branch | 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% |
chief of state: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held May 2007); note - president's tenure of office is limited to two five-year terms election results: Ahmad Tejan KABBAH reelected president; percent of vote - Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (SLPP) 70.6%, Ernest KOROMA (APC) 22.4% |
Exports | 49,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) | NA |
Exports - commodities | copper, gold, zinc, crude petroleum and petroleum products, coffee | diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish (1999) |
Exports - partners | US 29.5%, China 9.9%, UK 9%, Chile 5.1%, Japan 4.4% (2004) | Belgium 61.6%, Germany 11.8%, US 5.4% (2004) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | 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 | three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 8%
industry: 27% services: 65% (2003 est.) |
agriculture: 49%
industry: 30% services: 21% (2001 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $5,600 (2004 est.) | purchasing power parity - $600 (2004 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 4.5% (2004 est.) | 6% (2004 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 10 00 S, 76 00 W | 8 30 N, 11 30 W |
Geography - note | 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 | rainfall along the coast can reach 495 cm (195 inches) a year, making it one of the wettest places along coastal, western Africa |
Heliports | 1 (2004 est.) | 2 (2004 est.) |
Highways | total: 78,230 km
paved: 10,452 km unpaved: 67,778 km (2001) |
total: 11,300 km
paved: 904 km unpaved: 10,396 km (2002) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 0.8%
highest 10%: 37.2% (2000) |
lowest 10%: 0.5%
highest 10%: 43.6% (1989) |
Illicit drugs | 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 | NA |
Imports - commodities | petroleum and petroleum products, plastics, machinery, vehicles, iron and steel, wheat, paper | foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals (1995) |
Imports - partners | US 30.3%, Spain 11.5%, Chile 7.2%, Brazil 5.4%, Colombia 5.2% (2004) | Germany 14%, Cote d'Ivoire 10.7%, UK 9.1%, US 8.4%, China 5.6%, Netherlands 5%, South Africa 4.1% (2004) |
Independence | 28 July 1821 (from Spain) | 27 April 1961 (from UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 5.2% (2004 est.) | NA |
Industries | mining and refining of minerals and metals, petroleum extraction and refining, natural gas, fishing and fish processing, textiles, clothing, food processing, steel, metal fabrication | diamonds mining; small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining, small commercial ship repair |
Infant mortality rate | 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.) |
total: 143.64 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 161.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 125.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.8% (2004 est.) | 1% (2002 est.) |
International organization participation | 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 | ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
Irrigated land | 11,950 sq km (1998 est.) | 290 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are appointed by the National Council of the Judiciary) | Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court |
Labor force | 11 million (2004 est.) | 1.369 million (1981 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 9%, industry 18%, services 73% (2001) | agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA |
Land boundaries | 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 |
total: 958 km
border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km |
Land use | arable land: 2.89%
permanent crops: 0.4% other: 96.71% (2001) |
arable land: 6.98%
permanent crops: 0.89% other: 92.13% (2001) |
Languages | Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a large number of minor Amazonian languages | English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%) |
Legal system | based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | 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 |
unicameral Parliament (124 seats - 112 elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 May 2002 (next to be held May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - SLPP 70.06%, APC 22.35%, PLP 3%, others 4.59%; seats by party - SLPP 83, APC 27, PLP 2 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 69.53 years
male: 67.77 years female: 71.37 years (2005 est.) |
total population: 39.87 years
male: 37.74 years female: 42.06 years (2005 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.7% male: 93.5% female: 82.1% (2004 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic
total population: 29.6% male: 39.8% female: 20.5% (2000 est.) |
Location | Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia |
Map references | South America | Africa |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm |
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | 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) |
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,435 GRT/8,750 DWT
by type: petroleum tanker 2 (2005) |
Military branches | Army (Ejercito Peruano), Navy (Marina de Guerra del Peru; includes Naval Air, Naval Infantry, and Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea del Peru; FAP) | Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF): Army (includes Air Wing, Maritime Wing) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $829.3 million (2003) | $13.2 million (2004) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.4% (2004) | 1.7% (2004) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 28 July (1821) | Independence Day, 27 April (1961) |
Nationality | noun: Peruvian(s)
adjective: Peruvian |
noun: Sierra Leonean(s)
adjective: Sierra Leonean |
Natural hazards | earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity | dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms |
Natural resources | copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower, natural gas | diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite |
Net migration rate | -1.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: refugees currently in surrounding countries are slowly returning (2005 est.) |
Pipelines | gas 388 km; oil 1,557 km; refined products 13 km (2004) | - |
Political parties and leaders | 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] | All People's Congress or APC [Ben KANU]; Peace and Liberation Party or PLP [Darlington MORRISON, interim chairman]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [Sama BANYA]; numerous others |
Political pressure groups and leaders | 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)] | trade unions and student unions |
Population | 27,925,628 (July 2005 est.) | 6,017,643 (July 2005 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 54% (2003 est.) | 68% (1989 est.) |
Population growth rate | 1.36% (2005 est.) | 2.22% (2005 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Callao, Iquitos, Matarani, Pucallpa, Yurimaguas
note: Iquitos, Pucallpa, and Yurimaguas are on the upper reaches of the Amazon and its tributaries |
Freetown, Pepel, Sherbro Islands |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 472, FM 198, shortwave 189 (1999) | AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (1999) |
Railways | total: 3,462 km
standard gauge: 2,962 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 500 km 0.914-m gauge (2004) |
- |
Religions | Roman Catholic 81%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.4%, other Christian 0.7%, other 0.6%, unspecified or none 16.3% (2003 est.) | Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10% |
Sex ratio | 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.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory until the age of 70; note - members of the military and national police may not vote | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | 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 |
general assessment: marginal telephone and telegraph service
domestic: the national microwave radio relay trunk system connects Freetown to Bo and Kenema international: country code - 232; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 1,839,200 (2003) | 24,000 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 2,908,800 (2003) | 67,000 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 13 (plus 112 repeaters) (1997) | 2 (1999) |
Terrain | western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva) | coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east |
Total fertility rate | 2.56 children born/woman (2005 est.) | 5.72 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 9.6% in metropolitan Lima; widespread underemployment (2004 est.) | NA |
Waterways | 8,808 km
note: 8,600 km of navigable tributaries of Amazon system and 208 km of Lago Titicaca (2004) |
800 km (2003) |