Peru (2006) | Holy See (Vatican City) (2001) | |
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 | - |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 30.9% (male 4,456,195/female 4,300,233)
15-64 years: 63.7% (male 9,078,123/female 8,961,981) 65 years and over: 5.3% (male 709,763/female 796,308) (2006 est.) |
- |
Agriculture - products | coffee, cotton, sugarcane, rice, potatoes, corn, plantains, grapes, oranges, coca; poultry, beef, dairy products; fish | - |
Airports | 268 (2006) | none |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 54
over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 20 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 3 (2006) |
- |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 214
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 26 914 to 1,523 m: 63 under 914 m: 124 (2006) |
- |
Area | total: 1,285,220 sq km
land: 1.28 million sq km water: 5,220 sq km |
total:
0.44 sq km land: 0.44 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Alaska | about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
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, which led to his ouster in 2000. A caretaker government oversaw new elections in the spring of 2001, which ushered in Alejandro TOLEDO as the new head of government - the first democratically elected president of Quechua ethnicity. The presidential election of 2006 saw the return of Alan GARCIA who, after a disappointing presidential term from 1985 to 1990, returned to the presidency with promises to improve social conditions. | Popes in their secular role ruled much of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many of the Papal States were seized by the newly united Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further circumscribed when Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between a series of "prisoner" popes and Italy were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties, which established the independent state of Vatican City and granted Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984, a concordat between the Vatican and Italy modified certain of the earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman Catholicism as the Italian state religion. Present concerns of the Holy See include the failing health of Pope John Paul II, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the adjustment of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About 1 billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith. |
Birth rate | 20.48 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) | - |
Budget | revenues: $21.87 billion
expenditures: $22.47 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.8 billion for general government, but excluding private enterprises (2005 est.) |
revenues:
$209.6 million expenditures: $198.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
Capital | name: Lima
geographic coordinates: 12 03 S, 77 03 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Vatican City |
Climate | varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes | temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to mid-May) with hot, dry summers (May to September) |
Coastline | 2,414 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | 31 December 1993 | Apostolic Constitution of 1967 (effective 1 March 1968) |
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:
The Holy See (State of the Vatican City) conventional short form: Holy See (Vatican City) local long form: Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano) local short form: Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano) |
Currency | - | Italian lira (ITL); euro (EUR) |
Death rate | 6.23 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) | - |
Debt - external | $30.94 billion (2005 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) 618-2397 |
chief of mission:
Ambassador (vacant) embassy: Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00162 Rome mailing address: PSC 59, Box F, APO AE 09624 telephone: [39] (06) 4674-3428 FAX: [39] (06) 5758346 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Felipe ORTIZ de Zevallos
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:
Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Gabriele MONTALVO chancery: 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-7121 |
Disputes - international | Chile and Ecuador rejected Peru's November 2005 unilateral law to shift the axis of their joint treaty-defined maritime boundary along the parallel of latitude to an equidistance line which favors Peru; 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 | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $491 million (2002) | none |
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 more than 4 percent per year during the period 2002-2005, 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 2005, and unemployment and poverty have stayed persistently high. Economic growth will be driven by the Camisea natural gas megaproject and by exports of minerals, textiles, and agricultural products. Peru is expected to sign a free-trade agreement with the United States in early 2006. | This unique, noncommercial economy is supported financially by contributions (known as Peter's Pence) from Roman Catholics throughout the world, the sale of postage stamps and tourist mementos, fees for admission to museums, and the sale of publications. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to, or somewhat better than, those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome. |
Electricity - consumption | 21.09 billion kWh (2003) | NA kWh |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2003) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2003) | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy |
Electricity - production | 22.68 billion kWh (2003 est.) | - |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
NA% hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA% |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Nevado Huascaran 6,768 m |
lowest point:
unnamed location 19 m highest point: unnamed location 75 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 | NA |
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:
none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution, Environmental Modification |
Ethnic groups | Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3% | Italians, Swiss, other |
Exchange rates | nuevo sol per US dollar - 3.2958 (2005), 3.4132 (2004), 3.4785 (2003), 3.5165 (2002), 3.5068 (2001) | euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Vatican lire per US dollar - 2,099 (2000), 1817.2 (1999), 1,736.2 (1998), 1,703.1 (1997), 1,542.9 (1996); note - the Vatican lira is at par with the Italian lira; the Vatican will start using euros in 2002 in conjunction with Italy at a fixed rate of 1,936.17 lire per euro |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Alan GARCIA Perez (since 28 July 2006); First Vice President Luis GIAMPIETRI Rojas; Second Vice President Lourdes MENDOZA del Solar (since 28 July 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Alan GARCIA Perez (since 28 July 2006); First Vice President Luis GIAMPIETRI Rojas; Second Vice President Lourdes MENDOZA del Solar (since 28 July 2006) note: Prime Minister Jorge DEL CASTILLO Galvez (since 28 August 2006) 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 (eligible for a second term); presidential and congressional elections held 9 April 2006, with runoff election held 4 June 2006; next to be held April 2011 election results: Alan GARCIA elected president in runoff election; percent of vote - Alan GARCIA 52.5%, Ollanta HUMALA Tasso 47.5% |
chief of state:
Pope JOHN PAUL II (since 16 October 1978) head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo SODANO (since 2 December 1990) cabinet: Pontifical Commission appointed by the pope elections: pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals; election last held 16 October 1978 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); secretary of state appointed by the pope election results: Karol WOJTYLA elected pope |
Exports | 49,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) | - |
Exports - commodities | copper, gold, zinc, crude petroleum and petroleum products, coffee | - |
Exports - partners | US 31.1%, China 10.8%, Chile 6.6%, Canada 5.9%, Switzerland 4.6% (2005) | - |
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 | two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the crossed keys of Saint Peter and the papal miter centered in the white band |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 8%
industry: 27% services: 65% (2003 est.) |
- |
GDP - real growth rate | 6.4% (2005 est.) | - |
Geographic coordinates | 10 00 S, 76 00 W | 41 54 N, 12 27 E |
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 | urban; landlocked; enclave of Rome, Italy; world's smallest state; outside the Vatican City, 13 buildings in Rome and Castel Gandolfo (the pope's summer residence) enjoy extraterritorial rights |
Heliports | 1 (2006) | 1 (2000 est.) |
Highways | - | none; all city streets |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 0.8%
highest 10%: 37.2% (2000) |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | until 1996 the world's largest coca leaf producer; cultivation of coca in Peru fell 15% 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 bbl/day | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy |
Imports - commodities | petroleum and petroleum products, plastics, machinery, vehicles, iron and steel, wheat, paper | - |
Imports - partners | US 18.2%, China 8.5%, Brazil 8%, Ecuador 7.4%, Colombia 6.1%, Argentina 5.1%, Chile 5.1%, Venezuela 4.1% (2005) | - |
Independence | 28 July 1821 (from Spain) | 11 February 1929 (from Italy) |
Industrial production growth rate | 6.9% (2005 est.) | - |
Industries | mining and refining of minerals; steel, metal fabrication; petroleum extraction and refining, natural gas; fishing and fish processing, textiles, clothing, food processing | printing and production of a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities |
Infant mortality rate | total: 30.94 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 33.49 deaths/1,000 live births female: 28.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
- |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.6% (2005 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, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO | CE (observer), IAEA, ICFTU, Intelsat, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, UPU, WHO (observer), WIPO, WToO (observer), WTrO (observer) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 93 (Holy See and Italy) (2000) |
Irrigated land | 12,000 sq km (2003) | 0 sq km (1993) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are appointed by the National Council of the Judiciary) | none; normally handled by Italy |
Labor force | 9.06 million (2005 est.) | NA |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 9%
industry: 18% services: 73% (2001) |
agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%; note - dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and 3,000 lay workers live outside the Vatican |
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:
3.2 km border countries: Italy 3.2 km |
Land use | arable land: 2.88%
permanent crops: 0.47% other: 96.65% (2005) |
arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100% (urban area) |
Languages | Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a large number of minor Amazonian languages | Italian, Latin, French, various other languages |
Legal system | based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations | NA |
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 9 April 2006 (next to be held April 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - UPP 21.2%, PAP 20.6%, UN 15.3%, AF 13.1%, FC 7.1%, PP 4.1%, RN 4.0%; seats by party - UPP 45, PAP 36, UN 17, AF 13, FC 5, PP 2, RN 2 |
unicameral Pontifical Commission |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 69.84 years
male: 68.05 years female: 71.71 years (2006 est.) |
- |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.7% male: 93.5% female: 82.1% (2004 est.) |
definition:
NA total population: 100% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador | Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy) |
Map references | South America | Europe |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm |
none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | total: 4 ships (1000 GRT or over) 38,954 GRT/62,255 DWT
by type: cargo 3, petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: 1 (US 1) registered in other countries: 15 (Panama 15) (2006) |
- |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of Italy; Swiss Papal Guards are posted at entrances to the Vatican City to provide security and protect the Pope |
Military branches | Peruvian Army (Ejercito Peruano), Peruvian Navy (Marina de Guerra del Peru; includes naval air, naval infantry, and coast guard), Peruvian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea del Peru, FAP) | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $829.3 million (2003 est.) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.4% (2003 est.) | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 28 July (1821) | Coronation Day of Pope JOHN PAUL II, 22 October (1978) |
Nationality | noun: Peruvian(s)
adjective: Peruvian |
noun:
none adjective: none |
Natural hazards | earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity | NA |
Natural resources | copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower, natural gas | none |
Net migration rate | -1.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) | - |
Pipelines | gas 983 km; gas/lpg 61 km; liquid natural gas 106 km; liquid petroleum gas 517 km; oil 1,754 km; refined products 13 km (2006) | - |
Political parties and leaders | Alliance For Progress (Alianza Para El Progreso) [Cesar ACUNA Peralta]; Alliance For The Future (Alianza Por El Futuro) or AF - a coalition of pro-FUJIMORI parties including Cambio 90, Nueva Mayoria, and Si Cumple [Martha CHAVEZ Cossio]; Centrist Front (Frente Del Centro) or FC - a coalition of Accion Popular, Somos Peru, and Coordinadora Nacional de Independientes [Valentin PANIAGUA Corazoa]; Independent Moralizing Front (Frente Independiente Moralizador) or FIM [Fernando OLIVERA Vega]; Nationalist Party Uniting Peru (Partido Nacionalista Uniendo al Peru) or UPP - a coalition of Union for Peru (UPP) and Peruvian Nationalist Party (PNP) [Ollanta HUMALA Tasso]; National Restoration (Restauracion Nacional) or RN [Humberto LAY Sun]; National Unity (Unidad Nacional) or UN [Lourdes FLORES Nano]; Peru Possible (Peru Posible) or PP [David WAISMAN]; Peruvian Aprista Party (Partido Aprista Peruano) or PAP - also referred to by its original name Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana or APRA [Alan GARCIA] | none |
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)] | none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers) |
Population | 28,302,603 (July 2006 est.) | 890 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 54% (2003 est.) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 1.32% (2006 est.) | 1.15% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | none |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 472, FM 198, shortwave 189 (1999) | AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 2 (1998) |
Radios | - | NA |
Railways | total: 3,462 km
standard gauge: 2,962 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 500 km 0.914-m gauge (2005) |
total:
862 m; note - a spur of the Italian Railways system, serving Rome's Saint Peter's station standard gauge: 862 m 1.435-m gauge (1999) |
Religions | Roman Catholic 81%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.4%, other Christian 0.7%, other 0.6%, unspecified or none 16.3% (2003 est.) | Roman Catholic |
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 (2006 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 | limited to cardinals less than 80 years old |
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:
automatic exchange domestic: tied into Italian system international: uses Italian system |
Telephones - main lines in use | 2,250,500 (2005) | NA |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 5.583 million (2005) | NA |
Television broadcast stations | 13 (plus 112 repeaters) (1997) | 1 (1996) |
Terrain | western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva) | low hill |
Total fertility rate | 2.51 children born/woman (2006 est.) | - |
Unemployment rate | 7.6% in metropolitan Lima; widespread underemployment (2005 est.) | - |
Waterways | 8,808 km
note: 8,600 km of navigable tributaries of Amazon system and 208 km of Lago Titicaca (2005) |
none |