Peru

Geography

Peru is a country on the Pacific Coast of South America. The land has a total area of 1,285,220 km² (496,226 mi²) and a total coastline of 2,414 km (1,500.0 mi). This land area is approximately 185% of the area of Texas. Peru is thus one of the largest countries in the Americas and the 20th biggest in the world. A considerable share of the inhabitants (79%) belongs to the urban population. Almost every third resident lives in Lima.

Peru lies at an average elevation of 1555 m above sea level and is therefore one of the highest countries in the world. The highest mountain peak (Nevado Huascarán) is at 6,768 meters. The country has about 40 islands. There are direct national borders with the five neighboring countries Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador. The distance between New York City and the Capital Lima is about 5,880 km (3,654 mi).

The climate in Peru

In Peru, as in all equatorial countries, there is a tropical climate. Unlike in Europe or the USA, there is almost no difference between the seasons. The daylight hours vary little, and the temperature differences between summer and winter are also lower. Depending on the season, the average daytime temperatures range between 22 and 27 degrees. In some parts of the country, the temperature rises to 31 °C. In the colder months, and depending in the region, the temperature drops to 14 °C in a month's average.

• Detailed climate data for Peru and 6 individual regions
• Earthquakes
• Tsunamis

Languages

Mother tongue	Distribution
Spanish	84.1 %
Quechua	13.0 %
Aymara	1.7 %
Ashaninka	0.3 %
other	0.9 %

Religions

Religion	Distribution
Lutherans	12.5%
Roman Catholics	81.3%
nondenominational	2.9%
other	3.3%

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Economy

GDP:	223.25 bn $
Exportations:	66.10 bn $
Importations:	58.61 bn $
› Tourism receipts:	1.00 bn $
› Unemployment rate:	5.1 %
› Inflation rate:	4.27 %
› Corruption index:	36 (bad)
› Energy consumption:	44.6 bn kWh

According to the definition from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Peru is a developing country because of its lower economic performance.

In terms of revenues, the Philippines still ranks 102nd in the world and, with an average annual income of 6,460 USD is one of the upper middle-income countries.

Land use

1% Urban areas:	16,426 km²
19% Agricultural areas:	244,320 km²
57% Forest:	726,278 km²
0% Water areas:	5,220 km²
23% Others:	298,196 km²

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Transport

Roadways:	140,672 km
Railways:	1,854 km
Waterways:	8,808 km
Commercial harbors:	98
› Airports:	18