Western South America

• North: Ecuador (border of 1420 km) and Colombia (border of 1800 km)
• East: Brazil (border of 2995 km) and Bolivia (border of 1075 km)
• South: Chile (border of 171km)
• West: Pacific Ocean (coastline of 2414 km)

• Total: 1,285,216 km²
• Land: 1,280,000 km²
• Water: 5,216 km²

• ‘Costa’ - Western coastal plain (11.7%)
• ‘Sierra’- High and rugged Andes in the centre (28.4%)
• ‘Selva’- Eastern lowland jungle of the Amazon basin (59.9%)

Arid and mild in the coastal area, temperate to frigid in the Andes, warm and humid in the jungle lowlands

• 84 of the world’s 103 eco-systems present
• Peru is under the five most important centres in the world for genetic resources of plants and animals

Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

Highest point: Nevado Huascaran 6,768 m

Earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity

• Population: 28,674,757 (est. 2007)
• Projected population: 34,476,469 in 2025 (est. 2006), 38,300,067 in 2050 (est. 2006)
• Population density: 22 persons per km²
• Population growth: 1.3% (est. 2007)

• 52.1% on the coast (apx.)
• 36.9% in the highlands (apx.)
• 11% in the Amazon basin (apx.)
• 75% in cities (apx.)
• 25% in rural areas (apx.)

• Age structure: 30.8% under 15 years, 62.8% 15 years to 64 years, 6.4% over 64 (est. 2006)
• Average age: 25.5 years (est. 2007)

• 45% indigenous Amerindian
• 37% Mestizo (mixed Native American and white)
• 15% White
• 3% Japanese, Chinese, black and others

Spanish (official), Quecha (official), Aymara (official) and a large number of indigenous Amazonian languages

• 81% Roman Catholics (apx.)
• 10% Evangelical Protestants (apx.)
• 9% unspecified or none (apx.)

• Life expectancy 70.14 years (est. 2007)
• Birth rate 20.09 births / 1000 Population (est. 2007)
• Death rate 6.21 deaths / 1000 population (est. 2007)
• Infant mortality rate 29.96 deaths / 1000 live births (est. 2007)
• Malnourished children 9% (apx. - 2004)
• Undernourished population 11% (apx. - 2004)
• HIV / AIDS 91,000 known infected adults (total of about 0.6% of population)
• Tuberculosis 172 known cases / 100,000 people (2006)
• Literacy 88.5% of population age 15 and over can read and write (est. 2005)

• Country name: Republica del Perú
• Form of government: Constitutional Republic
• Capital: Lima
• Independence: 28th July 1821 (from Spain)
• Constitution: 29th December 1993
• Legal System: Based on a civil law system

• Chief of state: President Alan Garcia (since 2006)
• Head of government: President Alan Garcia (since 2006)
• Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and led by the Prime Minister
• Elections: president elected by popular vote for 5 years

Unicameral Congress of the Republic of Peru with 120 seats. Members are elected by popular vote for a five year term

Supreme Court of Justice. Judges are appointed by the National Council of the Judiciary

Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana (APRA), National Unity (UN), Peru Posible (PP), Popular Action (AP), Union for Peru (UPP), Solucion Popular, Somos Peru (SP)

25 regions and the provinces of Lima:

Amazonas, Ancash, Apurímac, Arequipa, Ayacuhco, Cajamarca, Callao, Cusco, Huancavelica, Huánuco, Ica, Junín, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, Lima Metropolitana, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Moquegua, Pasco, Piura, Puno, San Martin, Tacna, Tumbes, Ucayali

To get more information about Politics and the political History of Peru - click here

• Lima – Callao Metropolitan (apx. 8,000,000 citizens)
• Arequipa (apx. 841,000 citizens)
• Trujillo (apx. 747,000 citizens)
• Chiclayo (apx. 640,000 citizens)
• Iquitos (apx. 437,000 citizens)
• Huancayo (apx. 430,000 citizens)
• Piura (apx. 325,000 citizens)
• Cusco (apx. 312,000 citizens)
• Tacna (apx. 280,000 citizens)
• Ayacucho (apx. 140,000 citizens)
• Cajamarca (apx. 132,000 citizens)

• Callao, Paita, Salverry, Chimbote, Pisco, Ilo (on the Pacific)
• Iquitos and Pucallpa (in the Amazon basin)

• GDP: $78.4 billion (2005)
• Growth rate: 6.7% (2005)
• Per capita GDP: $2,806 (2005)
• Natural resources: Iron ore, copper, gold, silver, zinc, lead, fish, petroleum, natural gas, and forestry
• Manufacturing: Fishmeal, food and beverages, textiles and apparel, nonferrous and precious metals, non-metallic
• Agriculture: Coffee, asparagus, paprika, artichoke, sugarcane, potato, rice, banana, maize, poultry, milk, others
• Other sectors: Services (55.0%), mining (6.6%), construction (4.8%), fisheries (0.5%) - 2004
• Trade Exports: gold, copper, fishmeal, petroleum, zinc, textiles, apparel, asparagus and coffee ($17 billion in 2005)
• Major markets: U.S. (30%), China (11%), Chile (6.6%), Canada (6.0%), Switzerland (4.6%), Japan (3.6%), Spain
• Imports: machinery, vehicles, processed food, petroleum and steel ($12.5 billion in 2005)
• Major suppliers: U.S. (17.7%), China (8.5%), Brazil (8.2%), Ecuador (7.3%), Colombia (6.2%) - 2005
• Unemployment: 10% (apx. - 2005)
• Underemployment: 54% (apx. - 2005)
• Poverty rate: 50% (apx. - 2005)
• Extreme poverty:18% (apx. - 2005)

To get more information about the Peruvian Economy - click here

• Airports: 268 (2006), 54 with paved runways , 215 with unpaved runways (mostly only airstrips)
• Railways: 3462 km (2006), 2962 km standard gauge, 500 km narrow gauge
• Roads: 78,829 km (2004), 11,351 km paved, 67478 km unpaved
• Waterways: 8808 km (2005)

• Telephone lines: 8 per 100 people (2005)
• Mobile phones: 20 per 100 people (2005)
• TVs: 15 per 100 households (2005)
• Internet users: 16 per 100 people (2005)
• PC's: 10 per 100 people (2005)

• INEI – Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Informácion, República del Perú
• Ministerio de Agricultura, República del Perú
• The World Factbook
• The Worldbank
• United States Census Bureau
• US Department of State
• Lima easy SAC