Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, most notably that of the Incas whose empire was captured by Spanish conquistadors in 1533. Peru declared its independence 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 resignation in 2000. A caretaker government oversaw a new election in the spring of 2001, which installed Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique as the new head of government - Peru's first democratically elected president of indigenous ethnicity. The presidential election of 2006 saw the return of Alan GARCIA Perez who, after a disappointing presidential term from 1985 to 1990, oversaw a robust economic rebound. Former army officer Ollanta HUMALA Tasso was elected president in June 2011, and carried on the sound, market-oriented economic policies of the three preceding administrations. Poverty and unemployment levels have fallen dramatically in the last decade, and today Peru boasts one of the best performing economies in Latin America. Pedro Pablo KUCZYNSKI Godard won a very narrow presidential runoff election in June 2016.

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

10 00 S, 76 00 W

South America

almost twice the size of Texas; 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)

highest point: Nevado Huascaran 6,768 m

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

arable land 3.1%; permanent crops 1.1%; permanent pasture 14.6%

25,800 sq km (2012)

approximately one-third of the population resides along the desert coastal belt in the west, with a strong focus on the capital city of Lima; the Andean highlands, or sierra, which is strongly identified with the country's Amerindian population, contains roughly half of the overall population; the eastern slopes of the Andes, and adjoining rainforest, are sparsely populated

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

30,741,062 (July 2016 est.)

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

Spanish (official) 84.1%, Quechua (official) 13%, Aymara (official) 1.7%, Ashaninka 0.3%, other native languages (includes a large number of minor Amazonian languages) 0.7%, other (includes foreign languages and sign language) 0.2% (2007 est.)

Roman Catholic 81.3%, Evangelical 12.5%, other 3.3%, none 2.9% (2007 est.)

Peru's urban and coastal communities have benefited much more from recent economic growth than rural, Afro-Peruvian, indigenous, and poor populations of the Amazon and mountain regions. The poverty rate has dropped substantially during the last decade but remains stubbornly high at about 30% (more than 55% in rural areas). After remaining almost static for about a decade, Peru's malnutrition rate began falling in 2005, when the government introduced a coordinated strategy focusing on hygiene, sanitation, and clean water. School enrollment has improved, but achievement scores reflect ongoing problems with educational quality. Many poor children temporarily or permanently drop out of school to help support their families. About a quarter to a third of Peruvian children aged 6 to 14 work, often putting in long hours at hazardous mining or construction sites.

Peru was a country of immigration in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but has become a country of emigration in the last few decades. Beginning in the 19th century, Peru brought in Asian contract laborers mainly to work on coastal plantations. Populations of Chinese and Japanese descent - among the largest in Latin America - are economically and culturally influential in Peru today. Peruvian emigration began rising in the 1980s due to an economic crisis and a violent internal conflict, but outflows have stabilized in the last few years as economic conditions have improved. Nonetheless, more than 2 million Peruvians have emigrated in the last decade, principally to the US, Spain, and Argentina.

0.96% (2016 est.)

18 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)

6 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)

-2.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)

approximately one-third of the population resides along the desert coastal belt in the west, with a strong focus on the capital city of Lima; the Andean highlands, or sierra, which is strongly identified with the country's Amerindian population, contains roughly half of the overall population; the eastern slopes of the Andes, and adjoining rainforest, are sparsely populated

LIMA (capital) 9.897 million; Arequipa 850,000; Trujillo 798,000 (2015)

22.2

68 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

2.15 children born/woman (2016 est.)

75.5% (2012)

5.5% of GDP (2014)

1.13 physicians/1,000 population (2012)

1.5 beds/1,000 population (2012)

urban: 91.4% of population

rural: 69.2% of population

total: 86.7% of population

urban: 8.6% of population

rural: 30.8% of population

total: 13.3% of population (2015 est.)

urban: 82.5% of population

rural: 53.2% of population

total: 76.2% of population

urban: 17.5% of population

rural: 46.8% of population

total: 23.8% of population (2015 est.)

0.33% (2015 est.)

66,200 (2015 est.)

1,600 (2015 est.)

20.4% (2014)

3.1% (2014)

3.7% of GDP (2014)

presidential 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)

several previous; latest promulgated 29 December 1993, enacted 31 December 1993; amended several times, last in 2015 (2016)

civil law system

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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

Alliance for Progress (Alianza para el Progreso) or APP [Cesar ACUNA Peralta]

Broad Front (Frente Amplio; also known as El Frente Amplio por Justicia, Vida y Libertad), a coalition of left-of-center parties including Tierra y Libertad [Marco ARANA Zegarra], Ciudadanos por el Gran Cambio [Salomon LERNER Ghitis], and Fuerza Social [Susana VILLARAN de la Puente]

Fuerza Popular (formerly Fuerza 2011) [Keiko FUJIMORI Higuchi]

National Solidarity (Solidaridad Nacional) or SN [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)

Peruvian Nationalist Party [Ollanta HUMALA]

Peruvians for Change (Peruanos Por el Kambio) or PPK [Pedro Pablo KUCZYNSKI]

Popular Action (Accion Popular) or AP [Mesias GUEVARA Amasifuen]

Popular Christian Party (Partido Popular Cristiano) or PPC [Lourdes FLORES Nano]

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, CD, CELAC, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Pacific Alliance, PCA, SICA (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), 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); national colors: red, white

Peru's economy reflects its varied topography - an arid lowland coastal region, the central high sierra of the Andes, the dense forest of the Amazon, with tropical lands bordering Colombia and Brazil. A wide range of important mineral resources are found in the mountainous and coastal areas, and Peru's coastal waters provide excellent fishing grounds. Peru is the world's second largest producer of silver and third largest producer of copper.

The Peruvian economy grew by an average of 5.6% from 2009-13 with a stable exchange rate and low inflation, which in 2013 was just below the upper limit of the Central Bank target range of 1% to 3%. This growth was due partly to high international prices for Peru's metals and minerals exports, which account for almost 60% of the country's total exports. Growth slipped in 2014 and 2015, due to weaker world prices for these resources. Despite Peru's strong macroeconomic performance, dependence on minerals and metals exports and imported foodstuffs makes the economy vulnerable to fluctuations in world prices.

Peru's rapid expansion coupled with cash transfers and other programs have helped to reduce the national poverty rate by 28 percentage points since 2002, but inequality persists and continues to pose a challenge for the Ollanta HUMALA administration, which has championed a policy of social inclusion and a more equitable distribution of income. Poor infrastructure hinders the spread of growth to Peru's non-coastal areas. The HUMALA administration passed several economic stimulus packages in 2014 to bolster growth, including reforms to environmental regulations in order to spur investment in Peru’s lucrative mining sector, a move that was opposed by some environmental groups. However, in 2015, mining investment fell as global commodity prices remained low and social conflicts plagued the sector.

Peru's free trade policy has continued under the HUMALA administration; since 2006, Peru has signed trade deals with the US, Canada, Singapore, China, Korea, Mexico, Japan, the EU, the European Free Trade Association, Chile, Thailand, Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, concluded negotiations with Guatemala and the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and begun trade talks with Honduras, El Salvador, India, Indonesia, and Turkey. Peru also has signed a trade pact with Chile, Colombia, and Mexico, called the Pacific Alliance, that seeks integration of services, capital, investment and movement of people. Since the US-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement entered into force in February 2009, total trade between Peru and the US has doubled.

$389.1 billion (2015 est.)

$376.9 billion (2014 est.)

$368.1 billion (2013 est.)

$192.1 billion (2015 est.)

3.3% (2015 est.)

2.4% (2014 est.)

5.9% (2013 est.)

$12,200 (2015 est.)

$12,000 (2014 est.)

$11,900 (2013 est.)

21.6% of GDP (2015 est.)

22.3% of GDP (2014 est.)

23.7% of GDP (2013 est.)

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

mining and refining of minerals; steel, metal fabrication; petroleum extraction and refining, natural gas and natural gas liquefaction; fishing and fish processing, cement, glass, textiles, clothing, food processing, beer, soft drinks, rubber, machinery, electrical machinery, chemicals, furniture

1.5% (2015 est.)

16.64 million

5.2% (2015 est.)

5.5% (2014 est.)

25.8% (2012 est.)

45.3 (2012)

51 (2005)

29.5% of GDP (2015 est.)

-2.1% of GDP (2015 est.)

23.3% of GDP (2015 est.)

20.1% of GDP (2014 est.)

calendar year

3.5% (2015 est.)

3.2% (2014 est.)

5.05% (31 December 2012)

5.05% (31 December 2011)

16.1% (31 December 2015 est.)

15.74% (31 December 2014 est.)

$29.86 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$32.93 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$91.26 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$84.1 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

$49.92 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$48.12 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$153.4 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$121.6 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$160.9 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

-$8.431 billion (2015 est.)

-$8.091 billion (2014 est.)

$34.16 billion (2015 est.)

$39.53 billion (2014 est.)

copper, gold, lead, zinc, tin, iron ore, molybdenum, silver; crude petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas; coffee, asparagus and other vegetables, fruit, apparel and textiles, fishmeal, fish, chemicals, fabricated metal products and machinery, alloys

China 22.1%, US 15.2%, Switzerland 8.1%, Canada 7% (2015)

$36.99 billion (2015 est.)

$40.48 billion (2014 est.)

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

China 22.7%, US 20.7%, Brazil 5.1%, Mexico 4.5% (2015)

$61.59 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$62.51 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$67.87 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$66.47 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$86.11 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$79.71 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$2.815 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

$4.127 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

nuevo sol (PEN) per US dollar -

3.185 (2015 est.)

2.8383 (2014 est.)

2.8383 (2013 est.)

2.64 (2012 est.)

2.7541 (2011 est.)

44 billion kWh (2014 est.)

39 billion kWh (2014 est.)

13 million kWh (2014 est.)

5 million kWh (2013 est.)

12 million kW (2014 est.)

63.2% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

35.9% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

0.9% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)

58,010 bbl/day (2015 est.)

14,770 bbl/day (2013 est.)

84,280 bbl/day (2013 est.)

700 million bbl (1 January 2016 es)

208,400 bbl/day (2013 est.)

229,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)

103,400 bbl/day (2013 est.)

75,330 bbl/day (2013 est.)

12.9 billion cu m (2014 est.)

7.66 billion cu m (2014 est.)

5.24 billion cu m (2014 est.)

0 cu m (2013 est.)

414.1 billion cu m (1 January 2016 es)

41 million Mt (2013 est.)

10 major TV 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

OB (2016)

191 (2013)

5 (2013)

extra heavy crude 786 km; gas 1,526 km; liquid petroleum gas 679 km; oil 1,033 km; refined products 15 km (2013)

8,808 km (8,600 km of navigable tributaries on the Amazon system and 208 km on Lago Titicaca) (2011)

Peruvian Army (Ejercito Peruano), Peruvian Navy (Marina de Guerra del Peru, MGP; includes naval air, naval infantry, and Coast Guard), Air Force of Peru (Fuerza Aerea del Peru, FAP) (2013)

18-50 years of age for male and 18-45 years of age for female voluntary military service; no conscription (2012)

1.28% of GDP (2012)

1.15% of GDP (2011)

1.28% of GDP (2010)

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