Peru

C

Natural Resources

Mineral deposits, the primary resources of Peru, include oil found on the north-western coast and in the Amazon Basin; copper in north-western Peru; and substantial deposits of silver, iron ore, gold, lead, and zinc throughout the cordilleras. Also important are the forests, especially the stands of cedar, oak, and mahogany.

D

Plants and Animals

The plant life of the three main geographical regions varies widely. The dry, sandy coastal plain supports mainly desert vegetation such as shrubs, grasses, and tuberous plants. In contrast, the vast, fertile montaña contains a rich profusion of trees, plants, and jungle vines, including mahogany, cedar, rubber, and cinchona trees, sarsaparilla and vanilla plants, and a variety of exotic tropical flowers. Deforestation, as in many South American countries, is causing environmental concern. The rugged sierra supports a relatively sparse plant life. Sierra vegetation is largely xerophytic—that is, adapted to survival on a restricted supply of water. Such growths include mesquite, cactus, scrub and fodder grasses, and eucalyptus plants.

The wildlife of Peru is limited in number and variety. The coastal plain and offshore islands support gulls and terns and some albatrosses, but little other wildlife except lizards, insects, tarantulas, and scorpions. Peruvian ocean waters abound in anchovy, pilchard, haddock, sole, mackerel, smelt, flounder, lobster, shrimp, and other marine species, but overfishing has depleted the number of certain species, such as anchovy, and dolphins have been caught in drift nets. In the sierra are found llama, alpaca, vicuña, chinchilla, and guanaco. Birds of the region include the giant condor, robin, phoebe, flycatcher, finch, partridge, duck, and goose. Lake Titicaca and other lakes and rivers in the sierra teem with fish. Animals of the tropical montaña include the jaguar, cougar, armadillo, peccary, tapir, anteater, several dozen species of monkey, alligator, turtle, and a variety of snakes and insects; among the birds are the parrot, the flamingo, and other tropical species.

E

Environmental Concerns

Peru’s biodiversity is tremendous: the country contains over three-quarters of all the types of life zones found on Earth. Human impact on the environment is severe in places, however, and some key habitats are endangered—particularly the tropical and temperate coastal deserts and the puña, a type of high-elevation grassland. The spectacled bear, the giant otter, and the jaguar are just three species of Peru’s vast fauna that are considered threatened.

The rapidly growing population of Peru is unevenly distributed, concentrated in the mountains and in coastal areas. Water pollution and air pollution are pervasive in urban areas. Human health is a major concern, and access to safe water and basic facilities is poor in rural areas. The country sustains the highest rates of cholera found anywhere in the world, with more than 500,000 cases reported in 1993.

National parks and other reserves cover more than 10 per cent of the land, although only 2.7 per cent (1997) is strictly protected. Three national parks are designated as World Heritage Sites, and three biosphere reserves have been declared under the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Man and the Biosphere Program. New environmental laws dictate the economic integration of protected areas with local communities, providing for limited sustainable resource use in place of earlier policies that encouraged aggressive industrial development in the Amazon Basin. The spread of agriculture, especially the widespread cultivation of coca, is a major threat to fragile protected environments. Coca plantations are frequently hacked out of delicate vegetation and treated with fertilizers and pesticides that ultimately contaminate streams. Soil erosion is also widespread due to intensive cultivation and livestock overgrazing. Desertification is consuming significant amounts of once-productive land.

Peru has ratified international conservation agreements concerning Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, the Antarctic Treaty, biodiversity, climate change, desertification, endangered species, hazardous wastes, nuclear test ban, ozone layer, ship pollution, tropical timber, and wetlands. Regionally, Peru participates in several international agreements on conservation and sustainable land use in the Amazon Basin.

III

Population

About 45 per cent of Peru’s inhabitants are Native Americans, some of whom are descended from the Inca who had established a great civilization in the region by the 15th century. Some 37 per cent of the country’s people are mestizos—people of mixed white (mainly Spanish) and Native American descent. About 15 per cent of Peruvians are of unmixed white descent, and many of the remainder are of black African extraction. There are also thought to be approximately 100,000 Peruvians who are of Japanese origin.

A

Population Characteristics

Peru has a population of 28,674,757 (2007 estimate), giving the country an estimated overall population density of about 22 people per sq km (58 per sq mi). The distribution, however, is uneven, with about 50 per cent of the people inhabiting the sierra region and about 40 per cent inhabiting the coastal plain. About 75 per cent of the people live in urban areas.