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Republic of Peru
Peru
Timeline: 1983: Doomsday

OTL equivalent: Peru
Flag Coat of Arms
Flag Coat of Arms
Location of Peru
Location of Peru
Anthem "Himno Nacional del Perú"
Capital
(and largest city)
Lima
Language Spanish, Quechua, Aymara
Demonym Peruvian
Government Presidential Republic
President Martín Vizcarra
Area 1,285,216 km²
Population 29,132,013 
Currency Nuevo Sol
Peso-Real

Peru (Spanish: Perú, Quechua: Piruw, Aymara: Piruw), officially the Republic of Peru (Spanish: República del Perú, pronounced [reˈpuβlika ðel peˈɾu] , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.

Peru is a representative democratic republic divided into 25 regions. Its geography varies from the arid plains of the Pacific coast to the peaks of the Andes mountains and the tropical forests of the Amazon Basin. It is a country with a high Human Development Index score and a poverty level around 26%. Its main economic activities include agriculture, fishing, mining, and manufacturing of products such as textiles.

The Peruvian population, estimated at 32 million, is multiethnic, including Amerindians, Europeans, Africans and Asians. The main spoken language is Spanish, although a significant number of Peruvians speak Quechua, Aymara, or other native languages. Cantonese and other Chinese languages are spoken by about 5 percent of the population, despite lacking national status. This mixture of cultural traditions has resulted in a wide diversity of expressions in fields such as art, cuisine, literature, and music.

History[]

The first civilization present in Peru was that of the Norte Chico, one of the first in the world. Following that, several other cultures such as the Chavin, Nazca, and Moche populated the coastal and Andean areas. The Inca Empire was first founded from the city-state of Cuzco. Under a series of gifted rulers, the empire soon expanded to encompass a large part of the western coast of South America, making it the largest in the Americas. In addition, Quechua had become the most spoken language in the Americas.

Francisco Pizarro, Spanish conquistador, arrived in the early 16th century. He is known for having defeated the Inca Empire and their leader Athahualpa. The Spaniards established the encomienda system in Peru, and founded the city of Lima. Peru was declared a Viceroyalty in 1542. This period of Peruvian history was generally uneventful, as millions of Peruvians were converted to the Catholic faith.

Indepencia del Peru

José de San Martín declares Peru an independent nation in 1821.

Peru's movement toward independence was launched by an uprising of Spanish-American landowners and their forces, led by José de San Martín of Argentina and Simón Bolívar of Venezuela. San Martín, who had displaced the royalists of Chile after the Battle of Chacabuco led the military campaign. Emancipation was only completed by December 1824, when General Antonio José de Sucre defeated Spanish troops at the Battle of Ayacucho. Spain made futile attempts to regain its former colonies, such as at the Battle of Callao, and only in 1879 finally recognized Peruvian independence.

A short-lived attempt to reunite Peru with Bolivia failed when Chilean troops invaded and broke up the confederation. During the war of the Pacific, Peru and Bolivia lost territories to Chile. After the war, the government started to initiate a number of social and economic reforms in order to recover from the damage of the war. Political stability was achieved in the early 1900s. In 1929, Peru and Chile signed a final peace treaty, the Treaty of Lima by which Tacna returned to Peru and Peru yielded permanently the formerly rich provinces of Arica and Tarapaca, but kept certain rights to the port activities in Arica and decisions of what Chile can do on those territories.

The Great Depression caused the downfall of Leguía, renewed political turmoil, and the emergence of the American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA). The rivalry between this organization and a coalition of the elite and the military defined Peruvian politics for the following three decades.

In 1968, the Armed Forces, led by General Juan Velasco Alvarado, staged a coup against president Fernando Belaunde. The new regime undertook radical reforms aimed at fostering development but failed to gain widespread support. In 1975, Velasco was forcefully replaced as president by General Francisco Morales Bermúdez, who paralyzed reforms and oversaw the re-establishment of democracy. However, his reforms failed, and the job of democratization was left to president Fernando Belaúnde Terry.

Post-Doomsday[]

Peru was one of the least affected countries by Doomsday. Several Peruvians studying overseas were killed, but overall life in Peru continued as normal. Economically, however, Peru was cut off from many of its major trading partners, forcing it to become more self-sufficient.

Following doomsday, President Fernando Belaúnde Terry gave a speech instructing that Peru would have the ability to rise as a world power. Hundreds of thousands attended the speech. He continued to institute modernizing reforms and establish new economic accords with the neighbouring countries, initiatives wich were continues by his successor. By the end of the decade, Peru's GDP had rised and the inflation had dropped, helping to calm the social situation that the country had suffered in previous years. Meanwhile, Sendero Luminoso, a Maoist terrorist organization operating throughout Peru since 1980, began to lose support, and was forced to retreat before the advance of the Peruvian military.

Andean Union and territorial solutions[]

In 1990, Perú voted to join the Andean Union, to promote free trade between South American nations. The integration was facilitated by the trade agreements of the last decade, and although there were still pending territorial issues with Ecuador, nevertheless Peru opened up its trade barriers to its neighbours.

2000's Governments and the SAC[]

Recent years[]

Government[]

Peru is a presidential representative democratic republic with a multi-party system. Under the current constitution, the President is the head of state and government; he or she is elected for five years and cannot seek immediate re-election, he or she must stand down for at least one full constitutional term before reelection. The President designates the Prime Minister and, with his advice, the rest of the Council of Ministers. There is a bicameral Congress with 180 members for the Chamber of Deputies elected for a five-year term and 62 members for the Senate. Bills may be proposed by either the executive or the legislative branch; they become law after being passed by Congress and promulgated by the President. The judiciary is nominally independent, though political intervention into judicial matters has been common throughout history and arguably continues today.

Economy[]

Callao

The seaport of Callao is the main outlet for Peruvian exports.

The economy of Peru has a market-oriented economy with the 42nd largest in the world. Peru's economy has experienced significant growth in the last 15 years. It is considered an Emerging Market according to the MSCI due to political and macroeconomic stability, improved terms of trade, and rising investment and consumption. Its economy is diversified although commodity exports are still the most important. Trade and industries are centralized in Lima but agricultural exports have created development in all the regions. As of 2010, GDP per capita in ppp values is almost US$28,000. Peru has a high Human Development Index score of 0.856, according to a 2008 report.

Peruvian economic policy has varied widely over the past decades. The 1968–1975 government of Juan Velasco Alvarado introduced radical reforms, which included agrarian reform, the expropriation of foreign companies, the introduction of an economic planning system, and the creation of a large state-owned sector. These measures failed to achieve their objectives of income redistribution and the end of economic dependence on developed nations. Despite these adverse results, most reforms were not reversed until the mid-1980s, when the liberalizing governments ended price controls, protectionism, restrictions on foreign direct investment, and most state ownership of companies.

Services account for 55 percent of Peruvian gross domestic product, followed by manufacturing (23%), extractive industries (16%), and taxes (5%). Recent economic growth has been fueled by macroeconomic stability, improved terms of trade, and rising investment and consumption. Trade is expected to increase further. Historically, the country's economic performance has been tied to exports, which provide hard currency to finance imports and external debt payments. Although exports have provided substantial revenue, self-sustained growth and a more egalitarian distribution of income have proven elusive. Peru's main exports are copper, gold, zinc, textiles, and fish meal; its major trade partners are the remnants of China, the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand, and other SAC member states.

Asian Peruvian Immigration (1983DD)

Dot map showing Asian immigration to Peru since Doomsday. Red: Chinese, Yellow: Japanese, Green: Korean. Each dot represents 1,000 immigrants.

Peru has benefited greatly from trade with the successor states of China. The regular flights and ships between China and Peru have made Callao the most common hub for interactions between North America and Asia. Lima is on the road to become one of the world's most cosmopolitan economic centres. It is also a hub within South America, contributing to the growth of the service sector.

Culture[]

Peruvian culture is known for being diverse and rooted in African, Asian, Hispanic, and indigenous traditions. Peruvian food is based on Spanish food, using native influences such as the potato, and with heavy Asian influence. The official languages are Spanish, Quechua and Aymara, of which Spanish is used predominantly in the capital at Lima and by the government. The Cantonese dialect of Chinese as spoken in the Pearl River Delta was recognized by the government in 2011, although not as official. About 89 percent of Peruvians are members of the Roman Catholic Church, which is recognized by the state.

International relations[]

Peru is a member of the League of Nations. They have strong relations with the other nations making up the South American Confederation. However, nationalism under president Chávez has led to a degree of uneasiness. Both Chile and Ecuador have seen Peruvian nationalism as a threat to their existence, and called upon the South American Confederation to ensure that this does not reach uncontrollable levels. Peru boasts arguably the best relations with Chinese countries in the Western Hemisphere, and is a strong supporter of a unified Republic of Spain.

See Also[]

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