Peru

• 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 wastes

party to:

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

• shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake, with Bolivia;
• a remote slope of Nevado Mismi, a 5,316 m peak, is the ultimate source of the Amazon River

0-14 years:

32.1% (male 4,496,146; female 4,340,580)

15-64 years:

62.8% (male 8,709,098; female 8,594,351)

65 years and over:

5.1% (male 660,734; female 743,396) (2004 est.)

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.89 male(s)/female

total population:

1.01 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

noun:

Peruvian(s)

adjective:

Peruvian

conventional long form:

Republic of Peru

conventional short form:

Peru

local long form:

Republica del Peru

local short form:

Peru

• 18 years of age;
• universal and compulsory until the age of 70;
• note - members of the military may not vote

chief of state:

• President Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique (since 28 July 2001);
• note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government;
• additionally two vice presidents are provided for by the constitution, First Vice President (vacant) and Second Vice President David WAISMAN (since 28 July 2001)

head of government:

• President Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique (since 28 July 2001);
• note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government;
• additionally two vice presidents are provided for by the constitution, First Vice President (vacant) and Second Vice President David WAISMAN (since 28 July 2001)

note: Prime Minister Carlos FERRERO Costa (since 15 December 2003) does not exercise executive power; this power is in the hands of the president

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections:

• president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
• special presidential and congressional elections held 8 April 2001, with runoff election held 3 June 2001;
• next to be held 9 April 2006

election results:

President Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique elected president in runoff election; percent of vote - Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique 53.1%, Alan GARCIA 46.9%

• Peruvian Aprista Party or PAP (also referred to by its original name Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana or APRA) [Alan GARCIA];
• Independent Moralizing Front or FIM [Fernando OLIVERA Vega];
• National Unity (Unidad Nacional) or UN [Lourdes FLORES Nano];
• Peru Posible or PP [David WAISMAN];
• Popular Action or AP [Javier DIAZ Orihuela];
• Solucion Popular [Carlos BOLANA];
• Somos Peru or SP [Alberto ANDRADE];
• Union for Peru or UPP [Roger GUERRA Garcia]

• leftist guerrilla groups include Shining Path [Abimael GUZMAN Reynoso (imprisoned), Gabriel MACARIO (top leader at-large)];
• Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement or MRTA [Victor POLAY (imprisoned), Hugo AVALLENEDA Valdez (top leader at-large)]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Eduardo FERRERO Costa

chancery:

1700 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:

[1] (202) 833-9860 through 9869

FAX:

[1] (202) 659-8124

consulate(s) general:

Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Paterson (New Jersey), San Francisco, Washington (DC)

chief of mission:

Ambassador J. Curtis STRUBLE

embassy:

Avenida La Encalada, Cuadra 17s/n, Surco, Lima 33

mailing address:

P. O. Box 1995, Lima 1; American Embassy (Lima), APO AA 34031-5000

telephone:

[51] (1) 434-3000

FAX:

[51] (1) 434-3037

• three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), white, and red with the coat of arms centered in the white band;
• the coat of arms features a shield bearing a vicuna, cinchona tree (the source of quinine), and a yellow cornucopia spilling out gold coins, all framed by a green wreath

lowest 10%:

1.6%

highest 10%:

35.4% (1996)

• coffee, cotton, sugarcane, rice, wheat, potatoes, corn, plantains, coca;
• poultry, beef, dairy products, wool;
• fish

general assessment:

adequate for most requirements

domestic:

nationwide microwave radio relay system and a domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations

international:

• country code - 51;
• satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean);
• Pan American submarine cable

total:

3,462 km

standard gauge:

2,962 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge:

500 km 0.914-m gauge (2003)

total:

72,900 km

paved:

9,331 km

unpaved:

63,569 km (1999 est.)

total:

3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 13,666 GRT/17,611 DWT

by type:

cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1

foreign-owned:

United States 1

registered in other countries:

19 (2004 est.)

• until 1996 the world's largest coca leaf producer;
• emerging opium producer;
• cultivation of coca in Peru fell 15 percent to 31,150 hectares between 2002 and the end of 2003;
• much of the cocaine base is shipped to neighboring Colombia for processing into cocaine, while finished cocaine is shipped out from Pacific ports to the international drug market;
• increasing amounts of base and finished cocaine, however, are being moved to Brazil and Bolivia for use in the Southern Cone or transshipped to Europe and Africa