Profile
Background and figures as recorded in the CIA World Factbook.
Ancient Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, most notably that of the Incas whose empire was captured by Spanish conquistadors in 1533. Peru declared its independence in 1821, and remaining Spanish forces were 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.
- Capital
- Lima
- Government
- presidential republic
- Population
- 32,768,614
- Area
- 1,285,216 sq km
- Location
- Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador
- Climate
- varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes
- Natural resources
- copper; silver; gold; petroleum; timber; fish…
- Languages
- Spanish (official) 82.9%; Quechua (official) 13.6%; Aymara (official) 1.6%; Ashaninka 0.3%…
- Religions
- Catholic 76%; Evangelical Christian 15.7%; no religion 5.1%; other religions 3.2%
- Independence
- 28 July 1821 (from Spain)
- Administrative divisions
- 24 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento), 1 province* (provincia), and 1 constitutional province** (provi…
- Currency
- nuevo sol (PEN)
- Export partners
- China 34%; USA 14%; Canada 5%; India 4%…
- Import partners
- China 26%; USA 21%; Brazil 7%; Argentina 5%…
Source: CIA World Factbook — a work of the US government, in the public domain