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Peru
Capital (and largest city): Lima
Location: 12°2.6′S, 77°1.7′W
Official language: Spanish[1]
Government: Constitutional republic
Independence from Spain: 28 July 1821
Area: 20th in the World
Total: 1,285,220 km² (496,222 sq mi)
Water (%): 0,4 %
Population: 27,968,000 (41st)
Density: 22/km2 (57/sq mi) (183rd)
GDP (PPP) : $167.21 billion (50th) Per capita $6,125 (97th)
HDI: 0.767 (medium) (82th)
Currency: Nuevo Sol (PEN)
Time zone: PET (UTC-5)
Calling code: +51
Internet TLD: .pe
Member of: CSN, UN, OAS, APEC, CAN, Mercosur[2], IDB, FLAR, CAF[2]
[1] Quechua, Aymara and other indigenous languages are co-official in the areas where they are predominant.
[2] Associated member.
About Peru
Peru (Spanish: Perú, Quechua: Piruw, Aymara: Piruw), officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the south-east by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.
Peru is a presidential representative democratic republic whose capital city and seat of government is Lima. Its territory was the cradle of the Inca empire and, later, the seat of the Viceroyalty of Peru which had jurisdiction over most of Spanish South America. It is the home of many indigenous ethnic groups.
History of Peru
Pre-Columbian Peru
Andean Peru is recognized as one of only six areas of indigenous development of civilization in the world and one of only two in the Western Hemisphere, along with Mesoamerica. The earliest such developments are associated with the Caral archaeological site, dated to around 3,200 years BC. It was followed by several cultures such as Chavin, Paracas, Mochica, Nazca, Wari and Chimu. In the 15th-century, the Incas emerged as a powerful state which grew from being a small tribe around Cusco to a powerful empire in the span of a century.
Colonial Peru
In 1532, a group of conquistadors led by Francisco Pizarro defeated Inca Emperor Atahualpa and imposed Spanish domination over the country. After several years of conflicts among them, the Spanish Crown established the Viceroyalty of Peru in 1542 with jurisdiction over most of its dependencies in South America. The country was reorganized in the 1570s under the leadership of Viceroy Francisco de Toledo with silver mining as the basic economic activity and Indian forced labour as the primary workforce. Bullion produced this way provided considerable revenues for the Spanish Crown and fueled a complex trade network controlled by merchants from Lima which allowed the circulation of regional products as well as imports from Europe and other parts of the world.
By the 18th-century, Spanish income from silver production had diminished considerably due to widespread smuggling and tax evasion. In reaction to such development, common throughout the Americas, and to the growing concern about the vulnerability of its colonies, the Crown enacted a series of edicts known as the Bourbon Reforms. Taxes were incresed and so were fiscal controls, at the same time, the Viceroyalty of Peru was partitioned resulting in the creation of the viceroyalties of Nueva Granada and Río de la Plata. The new laws alienated various social groups and provoked several revolts, among them the rebellion of Túpac Amaru II in 1780, however all of them were defeated. By the early 19th-century, while most of South America was swept by wars of independence Peru remained a royalist stronghold. The Peruvian elite remained hesitant between emancipation and loyalty to the Spanish Monarch thus, independence was only achieved as a result of the military campaigns of José de San Martín and Simón Bolívar.
Republic of Peru
The early republican years of Peru were marked by widespread political unrest with several military caudillos wrestling for power through constant coup d'états and civil wars. They were also a period of national identity definition as Bolivarian projects for a Latin American Confederation foundered and a union with Bolivia proved ephemeral. During the mid-19th century, Peru enjoyed several years of stability under the leadership of Ramón Castilla thanks to a fiscal bonanza sustained on guano exports. However, by the 1870s, these resources had been dilapidated, the country was heavily indebted and political infighting was again on the rise. Under these conditions, Perú was defeated by Chile in the War of the Pacific (1879-1883), which resulted in the loss of Arica and Tarapacá. Internal struggles after the war were followed by a period of stability associated to the predominance of the Civilista Party, known as the Aristocratic Republic. This lasted until in the authoritarian regime of Augusto B. Leguía (1919-1930) which marked the irruption into politics of the middle classes.
The Great Depression caused a severe economic crisis and the downfall of the Leguía regime, followed by political turmoil and the appearence of the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA). The rivalry between this organization and an alliance between the Armed Forces and the country's elite was the main feature of Peruvian politics for the following three decades. In 1968, after the failure of the reformist government of Fernando Belaunde, the Armed Forces staged a coup led by General Juan Velasco. Under the name Gobierno Revolucionario de las Fuerzas Armadas (Revolutionary Government of the Armed Forces), the new regime undertook a series of radical reforms which can be characterised as leftist and nationalist. However, despite its populist rethoric it failed to gain widespread support and, in 1975, Velasco was forcefully replaced as president by General Francisco Morales Bermúdez, who stopped the reforms and oversaw the transfer of power back to civilians.
During the 1980s, Peru faced a huge external debt, an ever growing inflation, a surge in drug trafficking and the massive political violence derived from the actions of the insurgent groups Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) and Movimiento Revolucionario Túpac Amaru (Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement). Neither Belaunde, nor Alan García who followed him were able to solve this crisis which deteriorated further towards the end of the decade. In 1990, Alberto Fujimori was elected president, two years later he summarily dissolved Parliament and convened a Democratic Constitutional Congress which drafted a new Constitution. Under his presidency, Peru began its economic recovery, however, accusations of authoritarianism, corruption and human rights violations forced his resignation after the controversial 2000 elections.
Politics of Peru
Peru is a presidential representative democratic republic with a pluriform multi-party system. According to the current constitution the President of Peru is the head of state and of government, elected by universal direct suffrage for five years with no inmediate re-election. The President designates the Prime Minister and, with his advice, the rest of the Council of Ministers. There is a unicameral Congress with 120 members, also elected by universal direct suffrage for a five year period. Both, Executive and Legislature have the power to propose legislation which after Congress approval needs to be promulgated by the President in order to be enacted. The Judiciary is established as an independent branch of government according to law, however political intervention into judicial matters has been common throughout history and is still perceived to be so.
The last presidential elections ended in a second round victory of Alan García of the Peruvian Aprista Party against Ollanta Humala of Union for Peru with 52.6% versus 47.4% of the valid votes. Simultaneously held Congressional elections resulted in 45 seats for Union for Peru, 35 for the Peruvian Aprista Party, 17 for National Unity, 13 for Alliance for the Future, 5 for the Center Front and 2 each for Peru Possible and National Restoration.
Administrative divisions of Peru
Peru's territory, according to the Regionalization Law passed on November 18, 2002, is divided into 25 regions (regiones). These are subdivided into provinces, which are composed of districts. There are a total of 195 provinces and 1833 districts in Peru. Lima Province, where the capital is located, is not part of any administrative region. The 25 regions are as follows:
1. Amazonas (Chachapoyas)
2. Ancash (Huaraz)
3. Apurímac (Abancay)
4. Arequipa (Arequipa)
5. Ayacucho (Ayacucho)
6. Cajamarca (Cajamarca)
7. Callao (Callao)
8. Cusco (Cusco)
9. Huancavelica (Huancavelica)
10. Huánuco (Huánuco)
11. Ica (Ica)
12. Junín (Huancayo)
13. La Libertad (Trujillo)
14. Lambayeque (Chiclayo)
15. Lima (Huacho)
16. Lima Metropolitana (Lima)
17. Loreto (Iquitos)
18. Madre de Dios (Puerto Maldonado)
19. Moquegua (Moquegua)
20. Pasco (Cerro de Pasco)
21. Piura (Piura)
22. Puno (Puno)
23. San Martín (Moyobamba)
24. Tacna (Tacna)
25. Tumbes (Tumbes)
26. Ucayali (Pucallpa)
Geography of Peru
The territory of Peru covers 1,285,220 km² (496,193 mi²), which makes it the world's 20th-largest country, comparable to Chad and double in size to the U.S. state of Texas. It neighbours Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil to the east, Bolivia to the south-east, Chile to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west.
The main geographic feature in Peru's territory is the Andes mountain range which runs parallel to the Pacific Ocean. Between the mountains and the sea there is a narrow coastal plain, most of which is a desert except for a number of valleys created by seasonal rivers. The highlands comprise the highest point of the country, Huascarán mountain at 6,768 meters above sea level. The abrupt terrain of this region is interrupted by valleys and plateaus, the largest of which is the Altiplano around Lake Titicaca. East of the Andes, there is a huge expanse of flat terrain covered by the Amazon rainforest which extends up to the border with Brazil.
Rivers that run through Peruvian territory are divided among three basins: the Pacific Ocean Basin, the Amazon River Basin and Lake Titicaca Basin, which is endorheic. The largest rivers of the country are, in descending order, Ucayali, Marañón, Putumayo, Yavarí, Huallaga, Urubamba, Mantaro and Amazon. Climate is influenced by Peru's closeness to the Equator but also by the presence of the Andes and the cold waters of the Humboldt Current. The combination of this factors make for a wide climate diversity which spans from the dryness of the coast to the extreme cold of mountain peaks to the heavy rainfall of the Amazon Basin.
The varied geography and climate of Peru accounts for its high biodiversity with 21,462 species of plants and animals reported as of 2003 and 5,855 of them being endemic. To protect them the Peruvian Government has established several protected areas, see list of national parks in Peru.
Economy of Peru
Peru is a developing country, as such it has a moderate per capita income and Human Development Index score. According to official sources 51.6% of the total population is regarded as poor including a 19.2% considered extremely poor as of 2004.
Since 1990, the Peruvian economy has undergone considerable free market reforms, from legalizing parts of the informal sector to significant privatizations in the mining, electric/power, tourism, services, and telecommunication industries. Aided by foreign investment and cooperation between the former Fujimori administration, the IMF, and the World Bank, economic growth was rapid in 1994–97 and inflation was kept low. This was a great accomplishment, considering that just a few years earlier inflation was over 2,000% a year and collapse of the economy was imminent.
Some analyses indicate that Peru's reforms have not led to sustained economic progress, however it is advancing slowly but firmly. According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a US-based think tank, "Income per person in Peru – the most basic economic measure of living standards – is about the same as 25 years ago. This is a remarkable long-term economic failure."
After the 1998 crisis, the economy began a period of expansion. Growth till 2005 was realized by construction, investment, domestic demand and exports. Peru became one of the most liberal market economies in Latin America. Its petroleum, natural gas and power industries are expected to increase due to relatively high domestic and foreign influx of capital in the tourism, agriculture, mining, and construction sectors since 1995. In 2006, GDP grew 7.7%, and it is expected to grow 6.5% in 2007 and 6% for five years after 2008.
In April 2006, Peru signed a trade agreement with the United States, the Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, becoming the first country in the Andean Community of Nations (Comunidad Andina de Naciones, CAN) to sign such an agreement. As of June 2006, Peru's Congress had approved the agreement and the pact awaits approval by the US Congress. Peru is negotiating trade agreements with Chile, Mexico, Singapore and India. It has free trade agreements with the Andean Community (comprising Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela) and with many of the countries in Mercosur, as well as Thailand. During the recent APEC summit, Peru declared intentions to sign free trade agreements with China, Japan, and South Korea. Peru also seeks free trade with the European Union.
Exports were US$ 17,350 million in 2005 (a 34.6% increase since 2004) and US$ 23,500 million in 2006 (a growth of 35% since 2005). They are expected to reach US$30,000 million by the end of 2007 and US$40,000 million by the end of 2008. The government aims to reach US$100 billion by 2012. The markets of Peru grew in all sectors (energy, construction, commerce, fishing, manufacturing, tourism, etc) in 2005 by over 6.67% (one the fastest growth rates of market economies in South America) and 7.7% in 2006. They are expected to grow 6.5% in 2007, making 7 consecutive years of strong growth.
Demographics of Peru
With about 28 million inhabitants, Peru is currently the fourth most populous country in South America. Its demographic growth rate has declined from 2.6% in 1950 to 1.6% by the year 2000 and it is expected to decline further, as a result, Peruvian population is expected to reach around 42 million by the year 2050. As of 2005, around 73% of the total population lived in urban areas, compared to just 28% in rural ones. Major cities include Lima, Arequipa, Trujillo, Chiclayo, Piura, Iquitos, Chimbote, Cusco and Huancayo, all of which reported more than 200,000 inhabitants in the 1993 census. The main language of the Peruvian population is Spanish which, according to the 1993 census, was the mother tongue of 80.3% Peruvians age 5 and older. It coexists with several indigenous languages, the most important of which is Quechua, spoken by 16.5%. Other native languages accounted for 3% and foreign languages for 0.2% at that time. 89% of the population over 12 years old declared themselves as catholics, 6.7% as evangelicals, 2.6% as of other denominations, 1.4% as non-religious and 0.2% didn't specify any affiliation.
Culture of Peru
As a result of its history, Peruvian culture is a fusion of different traditions, primarily those of the indigenous groups and of the Spanish conquistadors. Other influences were made by ethnic groups such as Africans, Asians and several European nationalities.
Peruvian art
The art of Peru was shaped by the syncretism of the native Amerindian culture with the European one brough by Spaniards. During Pre-Columbian times, Peru was one of the major centers of artistic expression in the Americas, where Pre-Inca cultures, such as Chavín, Moche, Paracas, Huari, Nazca and Chimu developed high-quality pottery, textiles, jewelry, and sculpture. Drawing upon these earlier cultures, the Incas maintained these crafts and made even more impressive achievements in architecture, an example of which is Machu Picchu.
After the Spanish Conquest, Baroque, modified by native traditions, became the dominant art style for the whole colonial period. Most artistic creations were devoted towards religious subjects as can be seen in the paintings of the Escuela Cusqueña or in the numerous churches built during this time. Colonial traditions were replaced after Independence by more modern european styles such as Neoclassicism until the emergence of Indigenismo in the early 20th century. In more recent times, Peruvian art has been characterised by its eclecticism with foreign art currents intermingling with local developments.
Peruvian cuisine
Peruvian cuisine is a blend of Amerindian and Spanish food with strong influence from other ethnic groups such as Africans, Italians, Chinese and Japanese, all of which have added their own ingredients and traditions to the mix. The wide variety of climates found in the Peruvian territory allows the production of a wide variety of plants and animals, both native and introduced. Common Peruvian dishes include anticuchos, ceviche, humitas, and pachamanca to name just a few.
Peruvian literature
Pre-Columbian Peruvian civilizations relied on oral tradition for the transmission of knowledge, writing was only introduced with the arrival of Spaniards in the 16th century. Colonial forms of literary expression included chronicle and religious literature. After independence from Spanish rule, Peruvian literature developed along the lines of European currents such as Neoclassicism and Romanticism. By the early 20th century more original writers had arisen as part of the Indigenismo movement. During the second half of that century, Peruvian literature became more widely known thanks to authors such as Mario Vargas Llosa.
Music of Peru
Peruvian music is very diverse, with Andean, Andalusian Spanish and African roots. Pre-Hispanic Andean musicians used wind instruments such as the quena, and the antara and membranophone instruments such as the tinya. With the Spanish conquest, new instruments arrived like harps and guitars, also new crossbred instruments appeared such as the Andean harp and the charango. There is also an African contribution in rhythms and percussion instruments such as the Cajon.
The most internationally known Peruvian dance is the Marinera Norteña. This dance represents a man's courting to a young woman. There are local variants of this dance in Lima and the other regions of the country. Two of the most representative Andean dances are the kashua and the huayno. The yaravi and the triste have also an Andean origin. They are usually songs with very emotional lyrics.
Popular celebrations in Peru
Popular celebrations are the product of every town's traditions and legends. These celebrations gather music, dances, meals and typical drinks. In addition to the religious celebrations like Christmas, Corpus Christi or Holy Week, there are others that express the syncretism of the indigenous peoples' beliefs with the Christians'. An example of this kind of celebration is the Alasitas (an Aymara word that, according to some studious people, would mean «buy me») that combines a crafts and miniatures fair with dances, meals and a mass. Another example is the peregrination of the Q'oyllor-ritis (Cuzco), that gathers the ancient cult to the apus (tutelary divinities of the mountains) with a peregrination to a Christian Sanctuary in a long trek to the top of a mountain, of more than 5000m above sea level, that is covered with snow.
Useful Links
Peruvian Government Sites
I-Peru Official Tourism Website: www.peru.info/perueng.asp
Official Website of the Peruvian Government: http://www.peru.gob.pe/
Ministry of Foreign Affairs: http://www.larepublica.com.pe/
Main Newspapers in Peru
El Comercio: http://www.elcomercioperu.com.pe/Online/
Gestion: http://www.gestion.com.pe/
Ojo: http://www.ojo.com.pe/
La Republica: http://www.larepublica.com.pe/
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