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KOSHER DELIGHT - YOUR JEWISH ONLINE MAGAZINE!
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PERU
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FACTS ABOUT PERU:
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Background:
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Ancient
Peru was the seat of several prominent Andean civilizations, most
notably that of the Incas whose empire was captured by the Spanish
conquistadors in 1533. Peruvian independence was declared in 1821, and
remaining Spanish forces defeated in 1824. After a dozen years of
military rule, Peru returned to democratic leadership in 1980, but
experienced economic problems and the growth of a violent insurgency.
President Alberto FUJIMORI's election in 1990 ushered in a decade that
saw a dramatic turnaround in the economy and significant progress in
curtailing guerrilla activity. Nevertheless, the president's increasing
reliance on authoritarian measures and an economic slump in the late
1990s generated mounting dissatisfaction with his regime. FUJIMORI won
reelection to a third term in the spring of 2000, but international
pressure and corruption scandals led to his ouster by Congress in
November of that year. A caretaker government oversaw new elections in
the spring of 2001, which ushered in Alejandro TOLEDO as the new head of
government; his presidency has been hampered by allegations of
corruption.
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Location:
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Western
South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and
Ecuador |
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Geographic coordinates:
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10 00 S,
76 00 W |
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Map references:
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South
America |
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Area:
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total:
1,285,220 sq km
land: 1.28 million sq km
water: 5,220 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
smaller than Alaska |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
5,536 km
border countries: Bolivia 900 km, Brazil 1,560 km, Chile 160 km,
Colombia 1,496 km (est.), Ecuador 1,420 km |
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Coastline:
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2,414 km |
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Maritime claims:
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territorial
sea: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm |
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Climate:
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varies
from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in
Andes |
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Terrain:
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western
coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern
lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva) |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Nevado Huascaran 6,768 m |
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Natural resources:
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copper,
silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate,
potash, hydropower, natural gas |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 2.89%
permanent crops: 0.4%
other: 96.71% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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11,950
sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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earthquakes,
tsunamis, flooding, landslides, mild volcanic activity |
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation
(some the result of illegal logging); 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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party
to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living
Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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Geography - note:
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shares
control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake, with Bolivia;
a remote slope of Nevado Mismi, a 5,316 m peak, is the ultimate source
of the Amazon River
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Population:
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27,544,305
(July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 32.1% (male 4,496,146; female 4,340,580)
15-64 years: 62.8% (male 8,709,098; female 8,594,351)
65 years and over: 5.1% (male 660,734; female 743,396) (2004
est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
24.6 years
male: 24.4 years
female: 24.9 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.39%
(2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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21.27
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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6.29
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-1.05
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
32.95 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 35.57 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 30.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 69.22 years
male: 67.48 years
female: 71.03 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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2.61
children born/woman (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.5%
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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82,000
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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4,200
(2003 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Peruvian(s)
adjective: Peruvian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Amerindian
45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black,
Japanese, Chinese, and other 3% |
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Religions:
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Roman
Catholic 90% |
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Languages:
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Spanish
(official), Quechua (official), Aymara, and a large number of minor
Amazonian languages |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90.9%
male: 95.2%
female: 86.8% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Republic of Peru
conventional short form: Peru
local long form: Republica del Peru
local short form: Peru |
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Government type:
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constitutional
republic |
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Capital:
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Lima |
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Administrative divisions:
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24
departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1
constitutional province* (provincia constitucional); Amazonas, Ancash,
Apurimac, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Callao*, Cusco, Huancavelica,
Huanuco, Ica, Junin, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, Loreto, Madre de
Dios, Moquegua, Pasco, Piura, Puno, San Martin, Tacna, Tumbes, Ucayali
note: some reports indicate that the 24 departments and 1
constitutional province are now being referred to as regions; Peru is
implementing a decentralization program whereby these 25 administrative
divisions will begin to exercise greater governmental authority over
their territories; in November 2002, voters chose their new regional
presidents and other regional leaders; the authority that the regional
government will exercise has not yet been clearly defined, but it will
be devolved to the regions over the course of several years |
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Independence:
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28 July
1821 (from Spain) |
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National holiday:
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Independence
Day, 28 July (1821) |
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Constitution:
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31
December 1993 |
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Legal system:
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based on
civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal and compulsory until the age of 70; note - members of
the military may not vote |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: President Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique (since 28 July 2001);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government;
additionally two vice presidents are provided for by the constitution,
First Vice President (vacant) and Second Vice President David WAISMAN
(since 28 July 2001)
head of government: President Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique (since 28
July 2001); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government; additionally two vice presidents are provided for by the
constitution, First Vice President (vacant) and Second Vice President
David WAISMAN (since 28 July 2001)
note: Prime Minister Carlos FERRERO Costa (since 15 December
2003) does not exercise executive power; this power is in the hands of
the president
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year
term; special presidential and congressional elections held 8 April
2001, with runoff election held 3 June 2001; next to be held 9 April
2006
election results: President Alejandro TOLEDO Manrique elected
president in runoff election; percent of vote - Alejandro TOLEDO
Manrique 53.1%, Alan GARCIA 46.9% |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral
Congress of the Republic of Peru or Congreso de la Republica del Peru
(120 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year
terms)
elections: last held 8 April 2001 (next to be held 9 April 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - Peru Posible 26.3%,
APRA 19.7%, Unidad Nacional 13.8%, FIM 11.0%, others 29.2%; seats by
party - Peru Posible 47, APRA 28, Unidad Nacional 17, FIM 11, others 17 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme
Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are appointed by
the National Council of the Judiciary) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Peruvian
Aprista Party or PAP (also referred to by its original name Alianza
Popular Revolucionaria Americana or APRA) [Alan GARCIA]; Independent
Moralizing Front or FIM [Fernando OLIVERA Vega]; National Unity (Unidad
Nacional) or UN [Lourdes FLORES Nano]; Peru Posible or PP [David WAISMAN];
Popular Action or AP [Javier DIAZ Orihuela]; Solucion Popular [Carlos
BOLANA]; Somos Peru or SP [Alberto ANDRADE]; Union for Peru or UPP
[Roger GUERRA Garcia] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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leftist
guerrilla groups include Shining Path [Abimael GUZMAN Reynoso
(imprisoned), Gabriel MACARIO (top leader at-large)]; Tupac Amaru
Revolutionary Movement or MRTA [Victor POLAY (imprisoned), Hugo
AVALLENEDA Valdez (top leader at-large)] |
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International organization participation:
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APEC,
CAN, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH,
MONUC, NAM, OAS, ONUB, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNMEE, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Eduardo FERRERO Costa
chancery: 1700 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 833-9860 through 9869
FAX: [1] (202) 659-8124
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los
Angeles, Miami, New York, Paterson (New Jersey), San Francisco,
Washington (DC) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador J. Curtis STRUBLE
embassy: Avenida La Encalada, Cuadra 17s/n, Surco, Lima 33
mailing address: P. O. Box 1995, Lima 1; American Embassy (Lima),
APO AA 34031-5000
telephone: [51] (1) 434-3000
FAX: [51] (1) 434-3037 |
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Flag description:
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three
equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), white, and red with the coat
of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a shield
bearing a vicuna, cinchona tree (the source of quinine), and a yellow
cornucopia spilling out gold coins, all framed by a green wreath
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Economy - overview:
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Peru's
economy reflects its varied geography - an arid coastal region, the
Andes further inland, and tropical lands bordering Colombia and Brazil.
Abundant mineral resources are found in the mountainous areas, and
Peru's coastal waters provide excellent fishing grounds. However,
overdependence on minerals and metals subjects the economy to
fluctuations in world prices, and a lack of infrastructure deters trade
and investment. After several years of inconsistent economic
performance, the Peruvian economy was one of the fastest growing in
Latin America in 2002 and 2003, growing by 5% and 4%, respectively, with
the exchange rate stable and an annual inflation lower than 2%. Foreign
direct investment also was strong, thanks to the ongoing Camisea natural
gas pipeline project (scheduled to begin operations in 2004) and
investments in gold mining. Risk premiums on Peruvian bonds on secondary
markets reached historically low levels in late 2003, reflecting
investor optimism and the government's fiscal restraint. Despite the
strong macroeconomic performance, political intrigue and allegations of
corruption continued to swirl in 2003, with the TOLEDO administration
growing increasingly unpopular, and local and foreign concern rising
that the political turmoil could place the country's hard-won fiscal and
financial stability at risk. Moreover, as of late 2003, unemployment had
yet to respond to the strong growth in economic activity, owing in part
to rigid labor market regulations that act as an impediment to hiring. |
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GDP:
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purchasing
power parity - $146 billion (2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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4% (2003
est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing
power parity - $5,100 (2003 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
8%
industry: 27%
services: 65% (2003 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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17.7% of
GDP (2003) |
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Population below poverty line:
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54%
(2003 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage
share:
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lowest
10%: 1.6%
highest 10%: 35.4% (1996) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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46.2
(1996) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.3%
(2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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8.63
million (2003 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture
5.9%, mining and quarrying 0.4%, manufacturing 12.6%, construction 5.3%,
commerce 26.3%, household work 4.9%, other services 44.6% (2004) |
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Unemployment rate:
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9.7%;
widespread underemployment (2003 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$15.86 billion
expenditures: $17.05 billion, including capital expenditures of
$1.6 billion (2003 est.) |
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Public debt:
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49.2% of
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