VirtualCountries.com: Key facts on Peru

Discover these key facts on Peru

Location

Peru is situated in Western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador.

Land Area

Peru is slightly smaller than Alaska and stretches over an total are of 1,285,220 sq km, which 1.28 million sq km is land and 5,220 sq km is water. Peru has a total coastline area of 2,414 km.

Climate

Peru's climate varies from tropical in the east to dry desert in the west. It is temperate to frigid in Andes.

Natural Resources and Hazards

Peru's main natural resources are copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower and natural gas. The natural hazards are earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides and mild volcanic activity.

Population and Employment

Peru has a total population of 27 925,628 (July 2005 est.) inhabitants, with an average life expectancy at birth of 69.53 years. Peru has a labour force of 11 million (2004 est.) people, whom are occupied in mostly agriculture, industry and services. Peru has a fairly high unemployment rate of 9.6%.

Religion

81% of Peru's population are Roman Catholics, 1.4% are Seventh Day Adventists, 0.7% are other Christians, 0.6% have other religions and 16.3% have no religion.

Flag

Peru's flag has three equal, vertical bands of red, 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.

Agricultural Products and Main Industries

The main recognized agricultural products of Peru are coffee, cotton, sugarcane, rice, potatoes, corn, plantains, grapes, oranges, coca; poultry, beef, dairy products and fish. The main industries are mining and refining of minerals and metals, petroleum extraction and refining, natural gas, fishing and fish processing, textiles, clothing, food processing, steel and metal fabrication.