Peru

Location

• Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador
• note 1: shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake, with Bolivia; a remote slope of Nevado Mismi, a 5,316-m (17,441-ft) peak, is the ultimate source of the Amazon River note 2: Peru is one of the countries along the Ring of Fire, which is a belt bordering the Pacific Ocean that contains about 75% of the world's volcanoes and up to 90% of the world's earthquakesnote 3: on 19 February 1600, Mount Huaynaputina in the southern Peruvian Andes erupted in the largest volcanic explosion in South America in historical times; intermittent eruptions lasted until 5 March 1600 and pumped an estimated 16 to 32 million metric tons of particulates into the atmosphere, reducing the amount of sunlight reaching the earth's surface and affecting weather worldwide; over the next two-and-a-half years, millions died around the globe in famines from bitterly cold winters, cool summers, and the loss of crops and animals

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Lima	7,737,002	Capital
Callao	1,300,000
Arequipa	1,008,290
Trujillo	919,899
Chiclayo	552,508
Piura	484,475
Huancayo	456,250
Cusco	428,450
Iquitos	377,609
Pucallpa	326,040

Size

• 496,223 square miles
• 1,285,220 square kilometers
• almost twice the size of Texas; slightly smaller than Alaska

History

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. Nevertheless, an economic slump and the president's increasing reliance on authoritarian measures in the late 1990s generated mounting dissatisfaction with his regime, which led to his resignation in 2000. A caretaker government oversaw a new election in 2001 that installed Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique as the new head of government - Peru's first democratically elected president of indigenous ethnicity. The presidential election of 2006 saw the return of Alan GARCIA Perez who, after a disappointing presidential term from 1985 to 1990, presided over a robust economic rebound. Former army officer Ollanta HUMALA Tasso was elected president in 2011 and carried on the market-oriented economic policies of the three preceding administrations. Pedro Pablo KUCZYNSKI Godard won a very narrow runoff in the 2016 presidential election. Facing impeachment after evidence surfaced of his involvement in a vote-buying scandal, KUCZYNSKI offered his resignation in 2018, and First Vice President Martin Alberto VIZCARRA Cornejo was sworn in as president. In 2019, VIZCARRA invoked his constitutional authority to dissolve Peru's Congress after months of battling with the body over anticorruption reforms. New congressional elections in 2020 resulted in an opposition-led legislature. The Congress impeached VIZCARRA for a second time and removed him from office after accusations of corruption and mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of vacancies in the vice-presidential positions, the President of the Peruvian Congress, Manuel MERINO, became the next president. His ascension to office was not well received, and large protests forced his resignation later in 2020. Francisco SAGASTI assumed the position of President of Peru after being appointed President of the Congress the previous day. Jose Pedro CASTILLO Terrones won presidential election in 2021 but was impeached and ousted the following year; his vice president, Dina BOLUARTE, assumed the presidency by constitutional succession in 2022.

Climate

varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes

Terrain

western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)

Languages

Spanish (official) 82.9%, Quechua (official) 13.6%, Aymara (official) 1.6%, Ashaninka 0.3%, other native languages (includes many minor Amazonian languages) 0.8%, other 0.2%, none 0.1%, unspecified 0.7% (2017 est.)major-language sample(s): La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Catholic 76%, Evangelical Christian 15.7%, no religion 5.1%, other religions 3.2% (2023 est.)

Government

presidential republic

• Constitution: history: several previous; latest promulgated 29 December 1993, enacted 31 December 1993amendment process: proposed by Congress, by the president of the republic with the approval of the Council of Ministers or by petition of at least 0.3% of voters; passage requires absolute majority approval by the Congress membership, followed by approval in a referendum; a referendum is not required if Congress approves the amendment by greater than two-thirds majority vote in each of two successive sessions
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory until the age of 70
• Legal System: civil law system
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Dina Ercilia BOLUARTE Zegarra (since 7 December 2022)head of government: President Dina Ercilia BOLUARTE Zegarra (since 7 December 2022)cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the presidentelection/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for nonconsecutive terms)most recent election date: 11 April 2021, with a runoff on 6 June 2021election results: 2021: Jose Pedro CASTILLO Terrones elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Jose Pedro CASTILLO Terrones (PL) 18.9%, Keiko Sofia FUJIMORI Higuchi (FP) 13.4%, Rafael LOPEZ ALIAGA Cazorla (RP) 11.8%, Hernando DE SOTO Polar (Social Integration Party) 11.6%, Yonhy LESCANO Ancieta (AP) 9.1%, Veronika MENDOZA Frisch (JP) 7.9%, Cesar ACUNA Peralta (APP) 6%, George FORSYTH Sommer (VN) 5.7%, Daniel Belizario URRESTI Elera (PP) 5.6%, other 10%; percent of vote second round - Jose Pedro CASTILLO Terrones 50.1%, Keiko Sofia FUJIMORI Higuchi 49.9%2016: Pedro Pablo KUCZYNSKI Godard elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Keiko FUJIMORI Higuchi (FP) 39.9%, Pedro Pablo KUCZYNSKI Godard (PPK) 21.1%, Veronika MENDOZA (FA) 18.7%, Alfredo BARNECHEA (AP) 7%, Alan GARCIA (APRA) 5.8%, other 7.5%; percent of vote in second round - Pedro Pablo KUCZYNSKI Godard 50.1%, Keiko FUJIMORI Higuchi 49.9%expected date of next election: 12 April 2026note 1: First Vice President Dina Ercilia BOLUARTE Zegarra assumed the office of the president on 7 December 2022 after President Jose Pedro CASTILLO Terrones was impeached and arrested; BOLUARTE is the first woman to become president of Peru note 2: Prime Minister Eduardo ARANA Ysa (since 14 May 2025) does not exercise executive power; this power rests with the president; on 13 May 2025, Prime Minister Gustavo ADRIANZÉN resigned ahead of a censure votenote 3: the president is both chief of state and head of government
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of 16 judges and divided into civil, criminal, and constitutional-social sectors)judge selection and term of office: justices proposed by the National Board of Justice (a 7-member independent body), nominated by the president, and confirmed by the Congress; justices can serve until mandatory retirement at age 70subordinate courts: Court of Constitutional Guarantees; Superior Courts or Cortes Superiores; specialized civil, criminal, and mixed courts; 2 types of peace courts in which professional judges and selected members of the local communities preside
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Congress of the Republic (Congreso de la República)legislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 130 (all directly elected)electoral system: proportional representationscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 5 yearsmost recent election date: 4/11/2021parties elected and seats per party: Free Peru (PL) (37); Popular Force (FP) (24); Popular Action (AP) (16); Alliance for Progress (APP) (15); Go on Country - Social Integration Party (AvP) (10); Popular Renewal (RP) (9); We Are Peru" (SP) - Purple Party (PM) (9); Other (10)percentage of women in chamber: 41.5%expected date of next election: April 2026

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• upper-middle-income South American economy; strong post-COVID rebound tempered by political uncertainty and climate risks; exports driven by mineral extraction and agriculture; large informal sector and uneven access to public services; stable fiscal position and financial sector
• Budget: revenues: $48.003 billion (2021 est.)expenditures: $55.34 billion (2021 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower, natural gas
• Industries: mining and refining of minerals; steel, metal fabrication; petroleum extraction and refining, natural gas and natural gas liquefaction; fishing and fish processing, cement, glass, textiles, clothing, food processing, beer, soft drinks, rubber, machinery, electrical machinery, chemicals, furniture
• Agricultural Products: sugarcane, potatoes, rice, bananas, milk, maize, chicken, oil palm fruit, cassava, grapes (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 19.1% (2022 est.)arable land: 3.1% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 1.8% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 14.2% (2022 est.)forest: 56.2% (2022 est.)other: 24.7% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: refined petroleum, crude petroleum, cars, trucks, broadcasting equipment (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: China 26%, USA 21%, Brazil 7%, Argentina 5%, Mexico 3% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: copper ore, gold, refined copper, refined petroleum, grapes (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: China 34%, USA 14%, Canada 5%, India 4%, Switzerland 4% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports