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 were 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 Manrique as the new head of government - Peru's first democratically elected president of Native American ethnicity. The presidential election of 2006 saw the return of Alan GARCIA Perez who, after a disappointing presidential term from 1985 to 1990, has overseen a robust macroeconomic performance.

Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador

10 00 S, 76 00 W

South America

slightly smaller than Alaska

2,414 km

varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes

western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)

copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower, natural gas

11,950 sq km (2008)

1,913 cu km (2000)

earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity

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

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

Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%

Spanish (official) 84.1%, Quechua (official) 13%, Aymara 1.7%, Ashaninka 0.3%, other native languages (includes a large number of minor Amazonian languages) 0.7%, other 0.2% (2007 Census)

Roman Catholic 81.3%, Evangelical 12.5%, other 3.3%, unspecified or none 2.9% (2007 Census)

29,248,943 (July 2011 est.)

1.029% (2011 est.)

19.41 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)

5.93 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)

-3.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)

LIMA (capital) 8.769 million; Arequipa 778,000 (2009)

98 deaths/100,000 live births (2008)

2.32 children born/woman (2011 est.)

4.6% of GDP (2009)

0.92 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

1.5 beds/1,000 population (2009)

urban: 90% of population

rural: 61% of population

total: 82% of population

urban: 10% of population

rural: 39% of population

total: 18% of population (2008)

urban: 81% of population

rural: 36% of population

total: 68% of population

urban: 19% of population

rural: 64% of population

total: 32% of population (2008)

0.4% (2009 est.)

75,000 (2009 est.)

5,000 (2009 est.)

16.3% (2000)

5.4% (2005)

2.7% of GDP (2008)

constitutional republic

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

28 July 1821 (from Spain)

Independence Day, 28 July (1821)

29 December 1993

civil law system

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal and compulsory until the age of 70

unicameral Congress of the Republic of Peru or Congreso de la Republica del Peru (130 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are appointed by the National Council of the Judiciary)

Alliance for Great Change (Alianza por el Gran Cambio) (a coalition of the Alliance for Progress, Humanist Party, National Restoration Party, and Popular Christian Party) [Pedro Pablo KUCZYNSKI]; Fuerza 2011 [Keiko FUJIMORI]; Gana Peru (a coalition of Lima Para Todos, Peruvian Communist Party, Peruvian Nationalist Party, and Peruvian Socialist Party) [Ollanta HUMALA Tasso]; National Solidarity (Solidaridad Nacional) or SN (a coalition of Cambio 90, Siempre Unidos, Todos por el Peru, and Union for Peru or UPP) [Luis CASTANEDA Lossio]; Peru Posible or PP (a coalition of Accion Popular and Somos Peru) [Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique]; Peruvian Aprista Party (Partido Aprista Peruano) or PAP [Alan GARCIA Perez] (also referred to by its original name Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana or APRA)

General Workers Confederation of Peru (Confederacion General de Trabajadores del Peru) or CGTP [Mario HUAMAN]; Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) or SL [Abimael GUZMAN Reynoso (imprisoned), Victor QUISPE Palomino (top leader at-large)] (leftist guerrilla group)

APEC, BIS, CAN, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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 (representing fauna), a cinchona tree (the source of quinine, signifying flora), and a yellow cornucopia spilling out coins (denoting mineral wealth); red recalls blood shed for independence, white symbolizes peace

vicuna (a camelid related to the llama)

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. The Peruvian economy grew by almost 6% per year during the period 2002-06, with a stable exchange rate and low inflation. Growth jumped to nearly 9% per year in 2007 and 10% in 2008, driven by private investment and government spending, but then fell to less than 1% in 2009 in the face of the world recession, a sharp fall of private investment, and a substantial increase in counter-cyclical government spending. Growth resumed in 2010 at above 8%, due partly to a leap in private investment and continued high government spending. Peru's rapid expansion coupled with the government's conditional cash transfers and other programs have helped to reduce the national poverty rate by over 19 percentage points since 2002, though underemployment remains high. Inflation in 2010 was within the Central Bank's 1%-3% target range. Despite Peru's strong macroeconomic performance, dependence on minerals and metals exports and imported foodstuffs subjects the economy to fluctuations in world prices. Poor infrastructure hinders the spread of growth to Peru's non-coastal areas. A growing number of Peruvians are sharing in the benefits of growth but despite President GARCIA's pursuit of sound trade and macroeconomic policies, inequality persists. Nevertheless, he remains committed to Peru's free-trade path. Since 2006, Peru has signed trade deals with the United States, Canada, Singapore, China, Korea, and Japan, concluded negotiations with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and Chile, and begun trade talks with Central American countries and others. The US-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA) entered into force 1 February 2009, opening the way to greater trade and investment between the two economies. Rising world prices of foodstuffs and fuel, coupled with strong domestic demand, are immediate concerns for 2011. Peru has continued to attract foreign investment. However, political disputes may impede development of some projects related to natural resource extraction.

$275.7 billion (2010 est.)

$253.4 billion (2009 est.)

$251.3 billion (2008 est.)

$152.8 billion (2010 est.)

8.8% (2010 est.)

0.9% (2009 est.)

9.8% (2008 est.)

$9,200 (2010 est.)

$8,600 (2009 est.)

$8,600 (2008 est.)

10.58 million (2010 est.)

6.6% (2010 est.)

8.9% (2009 est.)

34.8% (2009)

48 (2009)

46.2 (1996)

25.1% of GDP (2010 est.)

29.1% of GDP (2010 est.)

-0.6% of GDP (2010 est.)

23.9% of GDP (2010 est.)

27.3% of GDP (2009 est.)

1.5% (2010 est.)

2.9% (2009 est.)

3.8% (31 December 2010)

2.05% (31 December 2009 est.)

18.975% (31 December 2010 est.)

21.033% (31 December 2009 est.)

$21.69 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$17.48 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$56.76 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$45.41 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$44.2 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$36.97 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$160.9 billion (31 December 2010)

$107.3 billion (31 December 2009)

$57.2 billion (31 December 2008)

asparagus, coffee, cocoa, cotton, sugarcane, rice, potatoes, corn, plantains, grapes, oranges, pineapples, guavas, bananas, apples, lemons, pears, coca, tomatoes, mango, barley, medicinal plants, palm oil, marigold, onion, wheat, dry beans; poultry, beef, dairy products; fish; guinea pigs

mining and refining of minerals; steel, metal fabrication; petroleum extraction and refining, natural gas and natural gas liquefaction; fishing and fish processing, cement, textiles, clothing, food processing

13.6% (2010 est.)

35.79 billion kWh (2010 est.)

31.74 billion kWh (2009 est.)

111.9 million kWh (2010 est.)

0 kWh (2010 est.)

158,300 bbl/day (2010 est.)

189,000 bbl/day (2010 est.)

73,280 bbl/day (2009 est.)

88,080 bbl/day (2010 est.)

532.7 million bbl (1 January 2011 est.)

7.24 billion cu m (2010)

3.65 billion cu m (2010)

3.59 billion cu m

0 cu m (2010)

345.5 billion cu m (1 January 2011 est.)

-$2.315 billion (2010 est.)

$210.6 million (2009 est.)

$35.56 billion (2010 est.)

$26.96 billion (2009 est.)

copper, gold, zinc, tin, iron ore, molybdenum; crude petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas; coffee, potatoes, asparagus and other vegetables, fruit, apparel and textiles, fishmeal

China 18.4%, US 16.1%, Canada 11.7%, Japan 6.6%, Germany 4.5%, Spain 4% (2010)

$28.82 billion (2010 est.)

$21.01 billion (2009 est.)

petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, plastics, machinery, vehicles, color TV sets, power shovels, front-end loaders, telephones and telecommunication equipment, iron and steel, wheat, corn, soybean products, paper, cotton, vaccines and medicines

US 24.7%, China 13%, Brazil 7.4%, Ecuador 4.7%, Chile 4.3%, Colombia 4.2% (2010)

$44.21 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$33.23 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$42.27 billion (30 June 2011 est.)

$34.25 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$44.24 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$36.91 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$2.095 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$1.88 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

nuevo sol (PEN) per US dollar -

2.8178 (2010)

3.0115 (2009)

2.91 (2008)

3.1731 (2007)

3.2742 (2006)

3.16 million (2010)

29.115 million (2010)

10 major television networks of which only one, Television Nacional de Peru, is state-owned; multi-channel cable TV services are available; in excess of 2,000 radio stations including a substantial number of indigenous language stations (2010)

.pe

268,225 (2010)

9.158 million (2009)

211 (2010)

1 (2010)

extra heavy crude 533 km; gas 1,526 km; liquid petroleum gas 679 km; oil 1,033 km; refined products 15 km (2010)

8,808 km (there are 8,600 km of navigable tributaries on the Amazon system and 208 km on Lago Titicaca) (2010)

Callao, Iquitos, Matarani, Paita, Pucallpa, Yurimaguas; note - Iquitos, Pucallpa, and Yurimaguas are on the upper reaches of the Amazon and its tributaries

Army (Ejercito Peruano), Navy (Marina de Guerra del Peru, MGP (includes naval air, naval infantry, and Coast Guard)), Air Force of Peru (Fuerza Aerea del Peru, FAP) (2011)

18-30 years of age for voluntary male and female military service; no conscription (2008)

1.5% of GDP (2006)

Chile and Ecuador rejected Peru's November 2005 unilateral legislation to shift the axis of their joint treaty-defined maritime boundaries along the parallels of latitude to equidistance lines which favor Peru; organized illegal narcotics operations in Colombia have penetrated Peru's shared border; Peru rejects Bolivia's claim to restore maritime access through a sovereign corridor through Chile along the Peruvian border

until 1996 the world's largest coca leaf producer, Peru is now the world's second largest producer of coca leaf, though it lags far behind Colombia; cultivation of coca in Peru was estimated at 40,000 hectares in 2009, a slight decrease over 2008; second largest producer of cocaine, estimated at 225 metric tons of potential pure cocaine in 2009; 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, Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia for use in the Southern Cone or transshipment to Europe and Africa; increasing domestic drug consumption (2011)