|
Peru Information
Peru ranks amongst the world’s great centers of ancient civilization. The ruins fascinate travelers and archaeologists alike. Peru is a diverse country due to the climatic, natural and cultural variation of its regions, which include coast, sierra and jungle. Population: 27 million, approximately 12 million live in the greater Lima Peru area. Health: Peru’s health indicators are poor, with annual public health expenditure per capita of US$18 in 1990. In 1992 birth rate 27 births per 1,000 population; infant mortality rate 69 per 1,000 live births; life expectancy 63 years male, 67 years female. Over 25% of urban residences and over 90% of rural residences lacked potable water and sewerage, resulting in high death rates from infectious diseases. Religion: Peru is predominantly (92.5%) Roman Catholic. Protestantism is growing rapidly among urban poor and some tribes, although accounting for only about 4.5% of Peruvians. Official Language: Spanish. Quechua and Aymara are spoken by the highland Indians Employment: The employment’s situation in the country is serious. Unemployed or underemployment is very high: more than 50 percent. Government: The State Government is divided into three branches: The Executive managed by the President of the Republic who is elected for a five year-period and is in charge of assigning his ministers; The Legislative which resides in the Congress and has a unique chamber made up by 120 members of the Congress who are elected for a five year-period; The Judiciary, made up by the Supreme Court, whose headquarters are located in Lima; the Superior Courts which work at departmental level and the Judges of the Primary Courts of Claims who perform jurisprudence at provinces’ capital cities level. Terrain: western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva) Natural resources: copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower
Natural hazards: earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity Environment - current issues: 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 wastesInfant mortality rate: 39.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) Life expectancy at birth: 70.3 years Ethnic groups: Amerindian 45%, Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3% Labor force by occupation: agriculture, mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction, transport, services Industries: mining of metals, petroleum, fishing, textiles, clothing, food processing, cement, auto assembly, steel, shipbuilding, metal fabrication Agriculture - products: coffee, cotton, sugarcane, rice, wheat, potatoes, plantains, coca; poultry, beef, dairy products, wool; fish Exports - commodities: fish and fish products, copper, zinc, gold, crude petroleum and byproducts, lead, coffee, sugar, cotton Illicit drugs: until 1996 the world’s largest coca leaf producer, Peru reduced the area of coca under cultivation by 64% to 34,200 hectares between 1996 and the end of 2000.Weather in Lima: Lima’s physical atmosphere is slightly dreamlike, mostly because of the garua–a mist that settles over the city between May and October. Lima has brilliant sunshine from December to May, when humidity goes up to 70 percent. The year-round temperature is characterized by a spring-like mildness.
From June to November the weather becomes cloudy and humidity reaches 90 percent. The sun, however, is always shining in Chosica - 15 miles to the east and 2600 feet above sea level.Lima is located on the west coast of South America in one of the world’s great deserts: the Atacama. The cold Peru Current offshore helps to maintain the stability of the atmosphere and contributes to the formation of frequent fogs. Gets about 2 cm of rain annually.Money: 3.5 Sols = $1, yet in many places you can use either money type and in some stores prices are given in dollars for things like electronics and higher priced items. Food: Peruvians enjoy a wide variety of vegetables; there are over 2000 kinds of indigenous and cultivated potatoes alone. Tropical fruits are abundant, as are avocados.
The hot and spicy nature of Peruvian food, created by ají and ajo (hot pepper and garlic), has become celebrated at home and abroad. Tourism: People come to Peru to see: Machu Picchu and other Inca ruins, the Amazon jungle, and the Andes mountains. For more on Peru: http://www.geographia.com/peru/
|
About Peru .JPG)
