3%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 21%
forests and woodland: 66%
other: 10% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 12,800 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, landslides,
mild volcanic activity

Environment--current issues: deforestation; overgrazing of the
slopes of the costa and sierra leading to soil erosion;
desertification; air pollution in Lima; pollution of rivers and
coastal waters from municipal and mining wastes

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography--note: shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest
navigable lake, with Bolivia

People

Population: 26,624,582 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 35% (male 4,786,048; female 4,637,280)
15-64 years: 60% (male 8,045,747; female 7,939,760)
65 years and over: 5% (male 557,252; female 658,495) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.93% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 26.09 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 5.7 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 38.97 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.38 years
male: 68.08 years
female: 72.78 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.23 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Peruvian(s)
adjective: Peruvian

Ethnic groups: Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and
white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%

Religions: Roman Catholic

Languages: Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 88.7%
male: 94.5%
female: 83% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Peru
conventional short form: Peru
local long form: Republica del Peru
local short form: P