INFORMATION

- Government Country name: Republic of Peru.
- Capital: Lima.
- Total Population: 27,012,899 (July 2000 est.)
- Geography Location: Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between
Chile and Ecuador.
- Geographic coordinates: 10 00 S, 76 00 W.
- Area:
total: 1,285,220 sq km.
land: 1.28 million sq km.
water: 5,220 sq km.
- Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Alaska
- Land boundaries:total: 5,536 km
border countries: Bolivia 900 km, Brazil 1,560 km, Chile 160 km, Colombia 1,496 km, Ecuador
1,420 km.
- Coastline: 2,414 km.
- Climate: varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes.
- Terrain: western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern
lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva).
- Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m.
highest point: Huascaran Peak 6,768 m.
- Natural resources: copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate,
potash, hydropower.
- Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling.
- Age structure:
0-14 years: 35% (male 4,776,074; female 4,628,899)
15-64 years: 61% (male 8,224,829; female 8,119,751)
65 years and over: 4% (male 579,465; female 683,881) (2000 est.)
- Population growth rate: 1.75% (2000 est.)
- Birth rate: 24.48 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
- Death rate: 5.84 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
- Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
- Infant mortality rate: 40.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
- Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.01 years
male: 67.63 years
female: 72.5 years (2000 est.)
- Ethnic groups: Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black,    Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%
- Religions: Roman Catholic 90%
- Languages: Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara
- Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 88.7%
male: 94.5%
female: 83% (1995 est.)
- Government type: constitutional republic
- Administrative divisions: 24 departments:

Amazonas	Cusco	Lambayeque	Piura
Ancash	Huancavelica	Lima	Puno
Apurimac	Huanuco	Loreto	San Martin
Arequipa	Ica	Madre de Dios	Tacna
Ayacucho	Junin	Moquegua	Tumbes
Cajamarca	La Libertad	Pasco	Ucayali

The 1979 constitution mandated the creation of regions to function eventually as autonomous economic and administrative entities; so far, 12 regions have been constituted from 23 of the 24
departments:

Amazonas (from Loreto)	Chavin (from Ancash)	La Libertad (from La Libertad)	Nor Oriental del Maranon (from Lambayeque, Cajamarca, Amazonas)
Andres Avelino Caceres (from Huanuco, Pasco, Junin)	Grau (from Tumbes, Piura)	Los Libertadores-Huari (from Ica, Ayacucho, Huancavelica)	San Martin (from San Martin)
Arequipa (from Arequipa)	Inca (from Cusco, Madre de Dios, Apurimac)	Mariategui (from Moquegua, Tacna, Puno)	Ucayali (from Ucayali)

The creation of another region has been delayed by the reluctance of the constitutional province of Callao to merge with the department of Lima; because of inadequate funding from the central government and organizational and political difficulties, the regions have yet to assume major responsibilities; the 1993 constitution retains the regions but limits their authority; the 1993 constitution also reaffirms the roles of departmental and municipal governments.
- Independence: 28 July 1821 (from Spain).
- National holiday: Independence Day, 28 July (1821).
- Last Constitution: 31 December 1993.
- Suffrage: 18 years of age.
- International organization participation: APEC, CAN, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-15,
G-19, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA,
NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO.
- Unemployment rate: 7.7% (1997).
- Industries: mining of metals, petroleum, fishing, textiles, clothing, food processing, cement, auto assembly, steel, shipbuilding, metal.
- Agriculture - products: coffee, cotton, sugarcane, rice, wheat, potatoes, plantains, coca;
poultry, beef, dairy products, wool; fish.
- Currency: Nuevo Sol (S/.) = 100 cents.
- Exchange rates: S/.3.50 per US$1 (last update: September 2001)