Made it by bus from Mancora to Piura the day after the Presidential election. Emotions are high. Hope to catch a plane tomorrow morning for Lima then escape the country for Toronto and Calgary. Can hardly wait to eat at McD, Smitty´s and all the other places I usually snub.
Here is some general Peru info for reference. We have found that we know very little of Peru and the situation on the ground is different from the myth.
Physical. Peru is located in western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, Chile and Ecuador. It covers an area slightly smaller than Alaska. The climate varies from tropical in the east to dry desert in the west. The terrain includes a western coastal plain, a high and rugged Andes mountain range in the center and the eastern lowland jungle of the Amazon Basin. Some natural resources include copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, potash and phosphates.
People. About 27.5 million people live in Peru. Spanish and Quechua are the official languages, while some inhabitants also speak Aymara. Ethnically, the population is composed of diverse groups: Amerindian (45%), Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white 37%), and white (15%). The main religious group is Roman Catholic. The capital, Lima, has long dominated the country, which has an indigenous majority.
Government. In April 2000, Alejandro Toledo organized a massive national protest when then-President Fujimori was re-elected in what observers saw as an election rife with fraud. Violence in the streets, press censorship and revelations of massive corruption forced Fujimori to resign and flee the country. As president, Toledo’s attempts to deal with corruption have been hampered by the archaic court system unable to handle the caseload. His failure to deliver on campaign promises to clean up the government, increase the number of jobs and improve healthcare have reduced his popularity. The reappearance in 2003 of the Sendaro Luminoso guerillas and their violence, well funded by Colombian cocaine traffickers, causes many observers to feel Toledo will not complete his term.
Economy. Varied geography and climate provide challenges to the agriculture sector, with only about 7% of the land able to produce crops. Peru contains the lowest per capita amount of arable land in South America. Governments in Lima have attempted to impose a variety of development models on the inhabitants of the sierra without an understanding of existing agrarian systems or appreciation for the logic of their systems. President Toledo’s attempts to stimulate the economy with an infusion of foreign investments, privatization, and a renegotiation of outstanding trade agreements with the IMF have been overshadowed by political scandal.
Areas of Concern. Environmental concerns include land deforestation, soil erosion, over grazing and water pollution. The greatest concern is that the failure of the economic policies, bureaucratic corruption and lack of understanding by the government in Lima will lead to a rise of the violent guerillas.
Peru statistics
Geography
Area: 496,087 square miles
Capital: Lima (pop 6,743,000)
Environmental concerns: deforestation; over grazing; soil erosion; desertification; water pollution
Geographical features: western coastal plain; high and rugged Andes Mountains in the center; eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin
Climate: tropical in east: dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes
People
27,544,305 people; Indian (45%); Mestizo (37%); white (15%)
Annual growth rate: 1.39%
Major language: Spanish; Quechua; Aymara
Religions: Roman Catholic (90+%)
Health and social issues
Life expectancy: Men, 67 years; women, 71 years
Infant mortality: 33 deaths per 1000 live births
54% of the population lives in poverty
1 physician per 1,116 people
HIV/AIDS rate in adults: 0.5%
90.9% of adults are literate
Compulsory education: ages 6-11; free
Communication and transportation
1,839,200 main telephone lines (2003)
2,850,000 Internet users (2003)
44,803 miles of highway
1,267 miles of railroad
233 airfields
775,000 motor vehicles
Government
Peru is a constitutional republic that gained its independence from Spain on July 28, 1821.
President Alejandro Toledo Manrique is both the head of state and government
8 major political parties
Suffrage: universal at 18 and compulsory until 70; military may not vote
Military
Military expenditures are 1.3% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Current disputes: Bolivia has reanimated its claim to the Atacama corridor
Economy
Currency: nuevo sols
Per capita GDP: $5,100
GDP: $146 billion
GDP growth rate: 4%
Inflation rate: 2.3%
Labor force: agriculture (5.9%); mining and quarrying (0.4%); manufacturing (12.6%); construction (5.3%); commerce (26.3%); household work (4.9%); other services (44.6%) (2004)
Resources and industry
Natural resources: copper; silver; gold; petroleum; timber; fish; iron ore; coal; phosphate; potash
Agriculture: coffee; sugarcane; cotton; rice; wheat; potatoes; plantains; coca; livestock; wool; fish
Industry: mining; petroleum; fishing; textiles and clothing; food processing; cement; auto assembly; steel; shipbuilding; metal fabrication
Exports: $8.954 billion
Imports: $8.244 billion
Suggested web sites
Search ‘Peru’ at www.dmoz.org
