Teaching - PERU Country Facts

Peru

Population: 28 million (UN, 2005) Capital: Lima Area: 1.28 million sq km (496,225 sq miles) Major languages: Spanish, Quechua, Aymara Major religion: Christianity Life expectancy: 67 years (men), 72 years (women) Monetary unit: 1 nuevo sol = 100 centimos Main exports: Fish and fish products, copper, zinc, gold, crude petroleum and by-products, lead, coffee, sugar, cotton GNI per capita: US $2,610 (World Bank, 2006) International dialling code: +51

Geography

Situated in Western South America, Peru is almost the size of Alaska. It has 2414km of coastline which borders the Pacific Ocean, and it has land borders with Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador. The terrain varies form coastal plains in the west to the high rugged Andes in the centre to the lowland jungle of the Amazon Basin in the east. The climate varies from tropical in the east to dry desert in the west to temperate/frigid in the Andes. Peru experiences natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides and mild volcanic activity. Available natural resources include copper, silver, gold, petroleum, and coal.

People

Peru's population is made up of roughly 50% Amerindian, one third mestizos, and the remainder a melting pot of Europeans, Africans and Asians. The population is geographically divided between the highlands and the coast and eastern lowlands. The geographical divide also represents a division of wealth; the highlands are home to poor indigenous farmers whereas those living on the coast and in the fertile river valleys tend to be of European descent and are part of a wealthier more cosmopolitan culture. The Amerindian people are keen to preserve their traditional practices, but equally they are eager to share in the luxuries of the 'modern' lifestyle. There is currently an unequal distribution of services such as education, electricity, and health and hygiene services, which is partly due to the extreme regional diversity, and also because of mass urban migration. Today Peru's capital, Lima, represents all that went wrong in Peru's development; it concentrates most of the country's services and resources, but has an inadequate amount to cater for its eight million inhabitants.

Spanish is spoken by the majority of Peruvians, but Amerindians also speak Quechua and Aymara. The dominant religion is Roman Catholic which is followed by about 93% of the population. Indigenous culture concentrates on ceramics, metalwork, stone craft, textiles, and folk music. Post-colonial culture is evident in prominent buildings such as mansions, monasteries and churches. The combined ideas of these two groups of people has led to a distinctive Cusco painting style which concentrates not on the visible world but on fairytale and fable. Fiestas are an important part of life throughout Peru. Live music, elaborate costumes and vast amounts of alcohol are all key features of a Peruvian fiesta.

History

When the Spanish conquistadors discovered Peru in the 16th Century, the land had been ruled for roughly three centuries by the Inca people. During their 300-year rule the Incas gained control of an area about one million square kilometers in size, ranging from Ecuador to central Chile. The Inca Empire thrived, and its capital Cusco quickly became the richest city in all the Americas.

In 1532 a force of 180 Spaniards, led by Francisco Pizarro, discovered the Inca Empire and due to favorable circumstances were able to gain control quickly and easily. The Spanish founded the coastal city of Lima in 1535, which became the focal point of Spanish expansion and domination of western South America.

In 1824 Spanish rule came to an end following a Creole (Spanish born in the Americas) uprising in 1821 (under an Argentinean General, San Martin), and a series of battles in 1824 led by the Venezuelan revolutionary hero Simon Bolivar. Chaos and political instability ensued. Peru was ruled by a series of military commanders, and was involved in wars against Spain, Chile and Ecuador. During the first half on the twentieth Century, Peru was governed by 18 different presidents, many of whom assumed dictatorial roles.

In 1963 Peru returned to civilian rule with the election of Fernando Belaude Terry as president. He introduced reforms to improve the social and economic conditions of peasants and workers. Further reforms were implemented by Alvarado after he deposed Belaude in a junta in 1968. Agrarian reform and nationalization were his main priorities.

His seven-year rule ended with a junta, and in 1980 Peru returned to a system of democracy. That same year, a band of guerrillas called the Shining Path began an armed struggle that lasted for twenty years and resulted in the deaths of almost 70,000. During these years Peru also suffered from another border war with Ecuador, deaths and disappearances connected with guerrillas and drug-traffickers, and political and financial scandals.

In June 2001, Alejandro Toledo became the first Peruvian native Indian to come to office. Alan Garcia is the current president, after winning the June 2006 elections.

Politics

Peru's political history is turbulent. Over recent decades the system has alternated between democracy and military dictatorship. Political problems stem from the unequal distribution of power - most of the wealth and political power is controlled by a small elite of Spanish descent, while indigenous Peruvians who make up half the population are excluded from these aspects of society and live in poverty. Peru's system of government is a constitutional system of Presidential democracy. The current president, Alan Garcia, is the leader of Peru's oldest political party APRA (America Popular Revolutionary Alliance). This is his second time in office; his first run as president was in the 1980's when he was able to learn from his mistakes in dealing with hyperinflation, food shortages and a Maoist guerrilla insurgency.

Economy

Peru has an abundance of natural resources and its main exports include fish and fish products, copper, zinc, gold, crude petroleum and by-products, lead, coffee, sugar, and cotton. Despite this, Peru still suffers from an unstable economy because the high dependence on minerals and metals subjects the economy to fluctuations in world prices. Also a lack of infrastructure deters trade and investment. However, the recent free trade agreement with the United States has already boosted exports and is set to further improve the economy. Peru also trades with the UK, China and Germany.

Peru's economy saw an improvement between 2002 and 2005, when it grew by more than 4 percent with a stable exchange rate and low inflation. However, unemployment and poverty have remained high, with unemployment at roughly 8% and about half the population living under the poverty line. While causing vast destruction to the Peruvian Amazon, the Camisea Natural Gas Project will boost economic growth.