Peru-Profile

PERU- PROFILE

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

Location

Country in west central South America, bounded on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil and Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. The area of Peru, including several offshore islands, is 1,285,216 sq km (496,225 sq mi), making it third in size (after Brazil and Argentina) of South America countries. Lima is the country's capital and chief commercial center.

Topography

Peru may be divided into three main topographical regions: The coastal plain, the sierra, and the Montana.

The coastal plain is an arid, elongated stretch of land extending the entire length of the country and varying in wild from about 65 to 160 km. (about 40 to 100 mi) it is a northern extension of the Tacoma Desert of Chile. The plain has few adequate harbors. Most of the desert is so dry that only10 of the 52 rivers draining the Andean slopes to the Pacific Ocean have sufficient volume to maintain the flow across the desert and reach the coast. However, the coast is the economic center of Peru. Most of the Nation's leading commercial and export crops grow in the 40 oases of the region.

The sierra, an upland region with towering mountain ranges of the Andes, lofty plateaus, and deep gorges and valleys. The main range is the Cordillera Occidental; other ranges include the Cordillera Oriental, the Cordillera Central.

The sierra, which covers 30 percent of the country's land area, traverses the country from southeast and northwest.

Several of the highest peaks in the world are located in the various sierra cordilleras and plateaus, notably Huascaran (6,768 m/22,205 ft), the highest in Peru. Lake Titicaca is in the southeast.

In the northeast the sierra slopes downward to a vast, flat tropical jungle, the selvas, extending to the Brazilian border and forming part of the Amazon Basin. The mountain attains a maximum width of about 965 km (about 600 mi) in the north and constitutes some 60 percent of the Peruvian land area; it is covered with thick tropical forests in the west and with dense tropical vegetation in the center and east.

Peru has three main drainage systems. One comprises about 50 torrential streams that rise in the sierra and descend steeply to the coastal plain. The second comprises the tributaries of the Amazon River in the mountain region. The third principal feature is Lake Titicaca, which drains into Lake Poopo in Bolivia thought the Desaguadero River

SOURCE: PERU A COUNTRY STYLE EDITED BY MR. REX HUDSON

Climate

The climate of Peru varies widely, ranging from tropical in the mountain to artic in the highest mountains of the Andes. Average temperature decrease about 1.7 Celsius (about 7 Fahrenheit degrees) the peaks are permanent cover by snow and ice.

In the coastal plain the temperature is normally equable, averaging about 20Ñ"C throughout the year. The coastal climate is moderate by winds blowing from the cool offshore current known as the Peru, or Humboldt.

In the sierra the temperature ranges seasonally from about -7Ñ" to 21Ñ"C. Rainfall is usually scanty, but in some locates heavy rains fall from October to April. In Cuzco in the southeastern sierra annual rainfall average some 815 mm.

The mountain region is extremely hot and humid, although at higher elevation it is less so. The prevailing easterly winds blowing across the region.

Peru's climate periodically experiences a weather patterns know as El Nino. El Nino occurs every three to seven years when unusually warm ocean conditions appear along the western coast. During El Nino the wet weather condition normally present in the western Pacific move to the east, bringing heavy rains that can cause extensive flooding.

Natural Resources

Mineral deposits, the primary resources of Peru, include petroleum, found on the northwestern coast and in the Amazon Basin; cooper in northwestern Peru; and substantial deposit of silver, iron, ore, gold, lead, and zinc throughout the cordilleras. Also important are the forest, specially the stands of cedars, oak, and mahogany.

SOURCE: The World Factbook 2002-Peru

Environmental Issues

Deforestation ( some the result of illegal logging); overgrazing, slopes of the Costa, Sierra leading to soil erosion, desert, air, pollution in Lima; pollution of rivers, and coastal waters, municipal and mining wastes.

SOCIAL/ CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY

Population

The population of Peru is 27 millions. Lima is the capital and has a population of 8 millions. It is highlands account for 36 percent of the reminder. Peru's population is ethnically diverse. About 45 percent is Indian, descendent of the Inca Empire. Many ethnic a linguistic divisions exist among Indians, some of whom are still isolated in the Amazon Jungle. Another 37 percent is of mixed European and Indian heritage.

Fifteen percent of European descent (mostly Spanish), and the remaining 3 percent is composed of blacks (descendents of West African slaves), Japanese, Chinese, and other smaller groups. More than one third of the population is younger than age 15. Lima is the largest city, with approximately eight million residents. Other important cities include Callao (424,294), a major port located near Lima; Arequipa (710,103), an industrial center, Trujillo (603,657), a commercial center, Chiclayo (375,058), in the sugar district; and Cuzco (278,590) famous for its Inca ruins. About three fourths of the population lives in urban areas.

The growth population is 1.66% (2002 estimated)

Population characteristics

The population of Peru is 27,949,639, giving the country an estimated overall population density of 22 persons per sq km (56 per sq mi). The distribution, however, is uneven, with about 50 percent of the people inhabiting the sierra region and about 40 percent inhabiting the coastal plain.

SOURCE: MSN LEARNING & RESEARCH- PRINT VIEW- PERU(COUNTRY)

Language

The official languages of Peru are Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara. However, Spanish is the main language spoken throughout the country and dominants business.

Religion

The Roman Catholic Church was the state church in Peru until