Peru, in western South America, extends for nearly 1,500 mi (2,414 km) along the Pacific Ocean. Colombia and Ecuador are to the north, Brazil and Bolivia to the east, and Chile to the south. Five-sixths the size of Alaska, Peru is divided by the Andes Mountains into three sharply differentiated zones. To the west is the coastline, much of it arid, extending 50 to 100 mi (80 to 160 km) inland. The mountain area, with peaks over 20,000 ft (6,096 m), lofty plateaus, and deep valleys, lies centrally. Beyond the mountains to the east is the heavily forested slope leading to the Amazonian plains.
Country lead by President: Alan García (2006)
Prime Minister: Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (2005)
Population
28,302,603 (growth rate: 1.3%); birth rate: 20.5/1000; infant mortality rate: 30.9/1000; life expectancy: 69.8; density per sq mi: 57
Land Area
494,208 sq mi (1,279,999 sq km); total area: 496,226 sq mi (1,285,220 sq km)
Monetary unit
Nuevo sol Language
Spanish, Quéchua (both official); Aymara; many minor Amazonian languages
Ethnicity Amerindian 45%, mestizo 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%
Religion Amerindian 45%, mestizo 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%
Transportation Railways: total: 1,829 km (2002). Highways: total: 72,900 km; paved: 9,331 km; unpaved: 63,569 km (1999 est.). Waterways: 8,600 km of navigable tributaries of Amazon system and 208 km of Lago Titicaca. Ports and harbors: Callao, Chimbote, Ilo, Matarani, Paita, Puerto Maldonado, Salaverry, San Martin, Talara, Iquitos, Pucallpa, Yurimaguas; note: Iquitos, Pucallpa, and Yurimaguas are all on the upper reaches of the Amazon and its tributaries. Airports: 233 (2002).
