Peru

"In the variety of its charms and the power of its spell, I know of no place in the world which can compare with it."
- Hiram Bingham, Lost City of the Incas.

Peru's great attraction is its people. Although European behaviour has curved modern Peru, the Indigenous character has not changed greatly. The Indian is by nature without greed, humble, deliberate in all he does and liking to order. They remain conservative, loyal to family and community, and highly spiritual. Peru itself is blessed with a rich and ancient past and a vibrant present, making it one of South America's most sought-after travel destinations. With nearly all the major Inca ruins including Machu Picchu, two of the world finest white-water rafting rivers, Lake Titicaca, and the Amazon - the most pristine rainforest in the America's and home to the highest geological diversity on the planet, it can safely be said that this area is unparalleled on earth.

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Why we need to help Peru Population:

• 29,907,003 (July 2010 est.)

Population growth rate:

• 1.193% (2010 est.)

Fertility:

• 2010 – 2.32 children
• 2001 - 2.7 children
• 1990 - 3.7 children
• 1960 - 6.9 children

Life expectancy at birth:

• 71.03 years (2010 est.)
  • male: 69.14 years
  • female: 73 years (2010 est.)
  • 40.9 years in Cuzco

Infant mortality 0-5 years: 27.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

• UK: 4.69 deathsper 1000.
• India: 49.13 per 1000
• Rural Cuzco: 50 per 1000.

Malnutrition:

• From 1985 to 1995 there was an average of 1.66 million malnourished children under 5 years old.
• In 2001, the Economy Ministry reported that 20% of children suffered from chronic malnutrition (down from 26% in 1997) although there are very pronounced regional variations. The level in Cuzco is 43%.

Population per doctor:

• 1370. However, the majority of doctors are located in the cities and access to them for people living in rural areas is often very restricted.

Education: "Public education standards are amongst the lowest in Latin America." Economist Intelligence Unit Country Report 98/99.

• Although education is legally free and compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 14 years old, more than a quarter of Peru's children never attend school. This figure increases to more than 85% in the Cuzco department.
• Drop out rates are as high as 40%, with few children going on into secondary education.
• In 1995, 4.2 million children were enrolled in primary school, but only 1.8 million children were enrolled at the secondary level.
• The state spends less than $80 per schoolchild per year.

Literacy rate:

• Over the last 50 years, child literacy rate in Peru has increased from 42% to 89%.
• This is a major achievement for the country as a whole but it does not reflect the situation in the Cuzco department, which is 18%.
• Adult literacy rate is 89.6%.

Wealth and poverty:

• In 2006, 54% of the population were living below the national extreme poverty line, 63% of which are children and adolescents.
• Of these, 4.7 million were unable to meet basic nutritional needs.
• Within the Cuzco department, 75.3% of the population were living below the national extreme poverty line.
• 56% of the population live on less than US$1 a day.
• Children as young as 10 often work until the early hours of the morning selling postcards or shining shoes to help support the family.
• The richest tenth of the population receive 34.3% of national income, while the poorest tenth of the population receive only 1.9%.

Unemployment:

• Underemployment was recorded as 41.8% of which 17.7% was termed "visible" (those who work less than 35 hours but are willing to work more) and 24.1% was termed "invisible" (those who work more than 35 hours but earn less than needed to acquire the minimum consumer basket).
• The underemployment level in Cuzco is 74%.

Political system:

• Peru is a presidential representative democratic republic with a pluriform multi-party system.
• According to the current constitution, the President is the head of state and government, elected for five years with no immediate re-election. He designates the Prime Minister and, with his advice, the rest of the Council of Ministers.
• There is a unicameral Congress with 120 members, also elected for a five-year period.
• Both powers, Executive and Legislature, have the power to propose legislation which needs Congress approval and promulgation by the President in order to be enacted.
• The Judiciary is an independent branch of government according to law; however, political intervention into judicial matters has been common throughout history and is still perceived to be so.
• Elections are held by direct universal suffrage; voting is compulsory for citizens ages eighteen through seventy.
• General elections held in 2006 ended in a second-round victory for presidential candidate Alan García of the Peruvian Aprista Party against Ollanta Humala of Union for Peru with 52.6% versus 47.4% of the valid votes.
• The current constitutional president of Peru is Alan Garcia Pérez (2006-2011).

Human rights: Amnesty International summarised the human rights situation for 2002 as follows: "There were reports of torture and ill-treatment. Those responsible were not brought to justice. Detainees falsely charged with "terrorism-related" offences in previous years remained held. "Anti-terrorism" legislation which had resulted in unfair trials since its introduction in 1992 remained in force. Members of the security forces accused of human rights violations continued to have their cases transferred to military courts."

Click here to read the full text of the Amnesty International 2010 report.
Statistics taken from CIA, Peru's Challenge and Wikipedia.