An Introduction to Peru
The geography of Peru varies from the arid plains of the Pacific coast to the peaks of the Andes Mountains and the tropical forests of the Amazon Basin. The territory was home to ancient cultures, spanning from the Norte Chico civilization, one of the oldest in the world, to the Inca Empire, the largest state in Pre-Columbian America. Spain conquered the region in the 16th century and established a Viceroyalty, which included most of its South American colonies. See full country profile.Latest Research News from Peru
GOVERNMENT: constitutional republic
AREA: 1,285,216 sq km
POPULATION: 29,248,943 (July 2011 est.)
MAJOR LANGUAGE: Official Language: Spanish
Some business and general info
The Market Research Industry
Trade and Industry in Peru
The city's Intihuatana stone or 'tool to tie up the sun' is one of many ritual stones in South America. These stones are arranged to point directly at the sun during the winter solstice. The Incas believed the stone held the sun in its place along its annual path in the sky. At midday on November 11 and January 30 the sun stands almost above the pillar, casting no shadow at all. Researchers believe that it was built as an astronomic clock or calendar.
Peru made its first official appearance at the Olympic Games at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. However, some sources consider Carlos de Candamo, a fencer who competed in the foil and ãpãe events in the 1900 Summer Olympics, of Peruvian nationality and therefore, Peru's first Olympic competitor.
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The geography of Peru varies from the arid plains of the Pacific coast to the peaks of the Andes Mountains and the tropical forests of the Amazon Basin. The territory was home to ancient cultures, spanning from the Norte Chico civilization, one of the oldest in the world, to the Inca Empire, the largest state in Pre-Columbian America. Spain conquered the region in the 16th century and established a Viceroyalty, which included most of its South American colonies.
Since independence in 1821, Peru has lost a large swathe of territory to Chile in the war ending in 1883, and has undergone periods of political unrest and fiscal crisis, interspersed with stable and progressive eras such as those under Ramn Castilla in the mid-19th century and the Civilistas in the early 20th. Massive internal violence began in 1980 with the rise of the Maoist Shining Path movement, and although this has subsided the country still has many problems. However, Peru now has a high Human Development Index score.
GDP: $275.7 billion (2010 est.)
Religions Roman Catholic 81.3%, Evangelical 12.5%, other 3.3%, unspecified or none 2.9% (2007 Census)
Currency: Nuevo Sol (PEN) - $1 = PEN 4.19
Telephone Code: +51
MR Association(s):
Peru Market Research Association
Peru's MR industry had a net gain of 13% in 2010 with a turnover of $51m, up from $42m in 2009. It's ranked 45th in the world by industry turnover, with a spend of $1.74 per capita.
Source: ESOMAR
The performance of Peru's market-oriented economy has been tied to its substantial exports, which have historically failed to provide self-sustained growth or an egalitarian distribution of income. However in recent years growth has been fuelled by macroeconomic stability, improved terms of trade, and rising investment and consumption. A free trade agreement was signed with the United States in April 2006.
Peru's large range of exports include copper, gold, zinc, tin, iron ore, crude petroleum and natural gas. The 2010 total of just over $35.5bn went mainly to China, the USA, Canada, Japan, Germany and Spain. Imports, including petroleum, chemicals, machinery vehicles, colour TV sets and telecoms equipment, had a value of $28.8bn in 2010. Just under a quarter of imports came from the USA, with other partners including China, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile and Colombia.
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