(CBS)
Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, most notably that of the Incas whose empire was captured by the Spanish conquistadors in 1533.
Peruvian independence was declared in 1821, and remaining Spanish forces 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 ouster in 2000.
A caretaker government oversaw new elections in the spring of 2001, which ushered in Alejandro TOLEDO as the new head of government - Peru's first democratically elected president of Native American ethnicity.
The presidential election of 2006 saw the return of Alan GARCIA who, after a disappointing presidential term from 1985 to 1990, returned to the presidency with promises to improve social conditions and maintain fiscal responsibility.
Source: CIA World Fact Book 
(AP)
28,674,757 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 30.3% (male 4,427,080/female 4,271,390)
15-64 years: 64.2% (male 9,267,642/female 9,150,816)
65 years and over: 5.4% (male 734,533/female 823,296) (2007 est.)
Median age: total: 25.5 years
male: 25.2 years
female: 25.8 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.289% (2007 est.)
Birth rate: 20.09 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate: 6.21 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.036 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.013 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.892 male(s)/female
total population: 1.013 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 29.96 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 32.47 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 27.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.14 years
male: 68.33 years
female: 72.04 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.46 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.5% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 82,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4,200 (2003 est.)
Nationality: noun: Peruvian(s)
adjective: Peruvian
Ethnic groups: Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%
Religions: Roman Catholic 81%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.4%, other Christian 0.7%, other 0.6%, unspecified or none 16.3% (2003 est.)
Languages: Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a large number of minor Amazonian languages
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.7%
male: 93.5%
female: 82.1% (2004 est.)
(AP)
Peru's economy reflects its varied geography - an arid coastal region, the Andes further inland, and tropical lands bordering Colombia and Brazil. Abundant mineral resources are found in the mountainous areas, and Peru's coastal waters provide excellent fishing grounds. However, overdependence on minerals and metals subjects the economy to fluctuations in world prices, and a lack of infrastructure deters trade and investment. After several years of inconsistent economic performance, the Peruvian economy grew by more than 4% per year during the period 2002-06, with a stable exchange rate and low inflation. Risk premiums on Peruvian bonds on secondary markets reached historically low levels in late 2004, reflecting investor optimism regarding the government's prudent fiscal policies and openness to trade and investment. Despite the strong macroeconomic performance, underemployment and poverty have stayed persistently high. Economic growth continues to be driven by exports of minerals, textiles, and agricultural products, and by expectations for the Camisea natural gas megaproject and for other promising energy projects. Upon taking office, President GARCIA announced Sierra Exportadora, a program aimed at promoting economic growth in Peru's southern and central highlands.
GDP (purchasing power parity): $186.6 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $77.14 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 8% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): $6,600 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 8.5%
industry: 26.4%
services: 65% (2006 est.)
Labor force: 9.21 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 9%
industry: 18%
services: 73% (2001)
Unemployment rate: 7.2% in metropolitan Lima; widespread underemployment (2006 est.)
Population below poverty line: 54% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.8%
highest 10%: 37.2% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 49.8 (2000)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.1% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): 20.3% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget: revenues: $25.5 billion
expenditures: $25.18 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.8 billion for general government, but excluding private enterprises (2006 est.)
Public debt: 33.8% of GDP (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products: asparagus, coffee, cotton, sugarcane, rice, potatoes, corn, plantains, grapes, oranges, coca; poultry, beef, dairy products; fish, guinea pigs
Industries: mining and refining of minerals; steel, metal fabrication; petroleum extraction and refining, natural gas; fishing and fish processing, textiles, clothing, food processing
Industrial production growth rate: 7% (2006 est.)
Electricity - production: 23.99 billion kWh (2004 est.)
Electricity - consumption: 22.31 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production: 120,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption: 156,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports: 53,040 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - imports: NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves: 952.8 million bbl (1 January 2005 est.)
Natural gas - production: 860 million cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: 860 million cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves: 246.8 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)
Current account balance: $1.515 billion (2006 est.)
Exports: $22.69 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Exports - commodities: copper, gold, zinc, crude petroleum and petroleum products, coffee, potatoes, asparagus, textiles, guinea pigs
Exports - partners: US 25.6%, China 12%, Canada 8.4%, Chile 5.9%, Japan 5.4%, Switzerland 4.2% (2006)
Imports: $15.38 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
Imports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, plastics, machinery, vehicles, iron and steel, wheat, paper
Imports - partners: US 20.1%, Brazil 8.1%, Ecuador 7.5%, China 6.9%, Chile 6.4%, Colombia 6.2%, Argentina 5.2%, Venezuela 4.3% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $17.04 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external: $27.93 billion (30 June 2006 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $491 million (2002)
Currency (code): nuevo sol (PEN)
Exchange rates: nuevo sol per US dollar - 3.2742 (2006), 3.2958 (2005), 3.4132 (2004), 3.4785 (2003), 3.5165 (2002)
Fiscal year: calendar year
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