The 1993 CIA World Factbook

by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Peru
conventional short form:
Peru
local long form:
Republica del Peru
local short form:
Peru
Digraph:
PE
Type:
republic
Capital:
Lima
Administrative divisions:
24 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1 constitutional
province* (provincia constitucional); Amazonas, Ancash, Apurimac, Arequipa,, Ayacucho,
Cajamarca, Callao*, Cusco, Huancavelica, Huanuco, Ica, Junin, La, Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima,
Loreto, Madre de Dios, Moquegua, Pasco, Piura,
Puno, San Martin, Tacna, Tumbes, Ucayali
note:
the 1979 Constitution and legislation enacted from 1987 to 1990 mandate the
creation of regions (regiones, singular - region) intended to function
eventually as autonomous economic and administrative entities; so far, 12
regions have been constituted from 23 existing departments - Amazonas (from
Loreto), Andres Avelino Caceres (from Huanuco, Pasco, Junin), Arequipa (from
Arequipa), Chavin (from Ancash), Grau (from Tumbes, Piura), Inca (from
Cusco, Madre de Dios, Apurimac), La Libertad (from La Libertad), Los
Libertadores-Huari (from Ica, Ayacucho, Huancavelica), Mariategui (from
Moquegua, Tacna, Puno), Nor Oriental del Maranon (from Lambayeque,
Cajamarca, Amazonas), San Martin (from San Martin), Ucayali (from Ucayali);
formation of another region has been delayed by the reluctance of the
constitutional province of Callao to merge with the department of Lima;
because of inadequate funding from the central government, the regions have
yet to assume their responsibilities and at the moment coexist with the
departmental structure
Independence:
28 July 1821 (from Spain)
Constitution:
28 July 1980 (often referred to as the 1979 Constitution because the
Constituent Assembly met in 1979, but the Constitution actually took effect
the following year); suspended 5 April 1992; being revised or replaced
Legal system: based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
Independence Day, 28 July (1821)
Political parties and leaders:
New Majority/Change 90 (Cambio 90), Alberto FUJIMORI; Popular Christian
Party (PPC), Luis BEDOYA Reyes; Popular Action Party (AP), Eduardo CALMELL
del Solar; Liberty Movement (ML), Luis BUSTAMANTE; American Popular
Revolutionary Alliance (APRA), Alan GARCIA; Independent Moralizing Front
(FIM), Fernando OLIVERA Vega; National Renewal, Rafael REY; Democratic
Coordinator, Jose Barba CAHALLERO; Democratic Left Movement, Gloria HOFLER
Other political or pressure groups:
leftist guerrilla groups include Shining Path, Abimael GUZMAN (imprisoned);
Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement, Nestor SERPA and Victor POLAY
(imprisoned)

*Peru, Government

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Elections:
President:
last held on 10 June 1990 (next to be held NA April 1995); results - Alberto
FUJIMORI 56.53%, Mario VARGAS Llosa 33.92%, other 9.55%
Democratic Constituent Congress:
last held 25 November 1992 (next to be held NA); seats - (80 total) New
Majority/Change 90 44, Popular Christian Party 8, Independent Moralization
Front 7, Renewal 6, Movement of the Democratic Left 4, Democratic
Coordinator 4, others 7; several major parties (American Popular
Revolutionary Alliance, Popular Action) did not participate
Executive branch:
president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
unicameral Democratic Constituent Congress (CCD)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia)
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Alberto Kenyo FUJIMORI Fujimori (since 28 July 1990)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Oscar DE LA PUENTE Raygada (since 6 April 1992)
Member of:
AG, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, MINURSO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG
(suspended), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Ricardo LUNA
chancery:
1700 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone:
(202) 833-9860 through 9869)
consulates general:
Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Paterson (New Jersey), San
Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
(vacant); Charge d'Affaires Charles H. BRAYSHAW
embassy:
corner of Avenida Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and Avenida Espana, Lima
mailing address:
P. O. Box 1991, Lima 1, or APO AA 34031
telephone:
[51] (14) 33-8000
FAX:
[51] (14) 31-6682
Flag:
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 llama, cinchona tree (the source of quinine), and a yellow
cornucopia spilling out gold coins, all framed by a green wreath

*Peru, Economy

Overview:
The Peruvian economy is becoming increasingly market oriented, with a large
dose of government ownership remaining in mining, energy, and banking. In
the 1980s the economy suffered from hyperinflation, declining per capita
output, and mounting external debt. Peru was shut off from IMF and World
Bank support in the mid-1980s because of its huge debt arrears. An austerity
program implemented shortly after the FUJIMORI government took office in
July 1990 contributed to a third consecutive yearly contraction of economic
activity, but the slide halted late that year, and output rose 2.4% in 1991.
After a burst of inflation as the austerity program eliminated government
price subsidies, monthly price increases eased to the single-digit level and
by December 1991 dropped to the lowest increase since mid-1987. Lima
obtained a financial rescue package from multilateral lenders in September
1991, although it faced $14 billion in arrears on its external debt. By
working with the IMF and World Bank on new financial conditions and
arrangements, the government succeeded in ending its arrears by March 1993.
In 1992, GDP fell by 2.8%, in part because a warmer-than-usual El Nino
current resulted in a 30% drop in the fish catch. Meanwhile, revival of
growth in GDP continued to be restricted by the large amount of public and
private resources being devoted to strengthening internal security.
National product:
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $25 billion (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate:
-2.8% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
$1,100 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
56.7% (1992)
Unemployment rate:
15% (1992 est.); underemployment 70% (1992 est.)
Budget:
revenues $2.0 billion; expenditures $2.7 billion, including capital
expenditures of $300 million (1992 est.)
Exports: $3.5 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
copper, fishmeal, zinc, crude petroleum and byproducts, lead, refined
silver, coffee, cotton
partners:
EC 28%, US 22%, Japan 13%, Latin America 12%, former USSR 2% (1991)
Imports:
$4.1 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery, transport equipment, iron and steel semimanufactures,
chemicals, pharmaceuticals
partners:
US 32%, Latin America 22%, EC 17%, Switzerland 6%, Japan 3% (1991)
External debt:
$21 billion (December 1992 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate -5% (1992 est.); accounts for almost 24% of GDP
Electricity:
5,042,000 kW capacity; 17,434 million kWh produced, 760 kWh per capita
(1992)
Industries:
mining of metals, petroleum, fishing, textiles, clothing, food processing,
cement, auto assembly, steel, shipbuilding, metal fabrication

*Peru, Economy

Agriculture:
accounts for 10% of GDP, about 35% of labor force; commercial crops -
coffee, cotton, sugarcane; other crops - rice, wheat, potatoes, plantains,
coca; animal products - poultry, red meats, dairy, wool; not self-sufficient
in grain or vegetable oil; fish catch of 6.9 million metric tons (1990)
Illicit drugs:
world's largest coca leaf producer with about 121,000 hectares under
cultivation; source of supply for most of the world's coca paste and cocaine
base; at least 85% of coca cultivation is for illicit production; most of
cocaine base is shipped to Colombian drug dealers for processing into
cocaine for the international drug market
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.7 billion; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $4.3 billion;
Communist countries (1970-89), $577 million
Currency:
1 nuevo sol (S/.) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates:
nuevo sol (S/. per US$1 - 1.690 (January 1993), 1.245 (1992), 0.772 (1991),
0.187 (1990), 2.666 (1989), 0.129 (1988)
Fiscal year:
calendar year

*Peru, Communications

Railroads: 1,801 km total; 1,501 km 1.435-meter gauge, 300 km 0.914-meter gauge
Highways:
69,942 km total; 7,459 km paved, 13,538 km improved, 48,945 km unimproved
earth
Inland waterways:
8,600 km of navigable tributaries of Amazon system and 208 km Lago Titicaca
Pipelines:
crude oil 800 km, natural gas and natural gas liquids 64 km
Ports:
Callao, Ilo, Iquitos, Matarani, Talara
Merchant marine:
21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 194,473 GRT/307,845 DWT; includes 13
cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 oil tanker, 4 bulk;
note - in addition, 6 naval tankers and 1 naval cargo are sometimes used
commercially
Airports:
total:
228
usable:
199
with permanent-surface runways:
37
with runways over 3,659 m:
2
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
23
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
46
Telecommunications:
fairly adequate for most requirements; nationwide microwave system; 544,000
telephones; broadcast stations - 273 AM, no FM, 140 TV, 144 shortwave;
satellite earth stations - 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 12 domestic

*Peru, Defense Forces