Peru-+Kerry+Johnson


 * Peru **
 * Development**

HDI Rank: .773 ranked 87th of 177

GDP per capita: $6,600

Primary Sector Jobs: Growing Cotton, Mining Copper, Logging, Fishing, Growing Coffee

Secondary Sector Jobs: Producing Petroleum, Food Processing, Textile Production, Cement Production, Fertilizer Production

Tertiary Sector Jobs: Education, Government, Retailing, Banking, Advertising

Raw Materials: Iron ore, Copper, Zinc, Lead, Petroleum

Consumer Goods: Landline Telephones, Mobile Telephones, Computers, Radios, Televisions, Motor Vehicles, Books, Furniture, Sports Equipment, Electrical Appliances

Education: • Free and compulsory for children ages 6 to 15 • Large class sizes • Primary student-teacher ratio: 27:1 • Secondary student-teacher ratio: 19-1 • Poorly-trained teachers • Inadequate facilities • Upper and middle-class children attend private schools since public school quality is low

Literacy: 87.7%

Life Expectancy: Total: 70.14 years Male: 68.33 years Female: 72.04 years

Infant Mortality Rate: 29.96 deaths/ 1000 live births

Natural Increase Rate: 1.289%

Crude Birth Rate: 20.09 births/ 1000 population

GDI Rank and Influential Factors: .735 Ranked 41 of 156 (88%) • Both men and women vote • Male literacy rate: 93.5% • Female literacy rate: 82.1% • Female life expectancy exceeds male by 3.71 years • The percentage of boys in secondary school is 9% higher than the percentage of girls • In rural areas, the percentage is 17% higher • Women are usually limited to teaching positions due to restricted job opportunities. • Other women create souvenirs to sell to tourists.


 * Industry**

Types of Industry: Food Processing, Refining, Fish meal, Automobile Assembly, Textiles, Mining

Site Factors for Industry: • Industries are located near water for the hydroelectric power • Land is expensive in Lima, where industries would have access to multiple methods of transportation • Land is cheaper just outside of Lima, where most of the industry is located. • Cheaper labor since located in greater Lima area • Since Peru is an LDC, industries often have to borrow money from banks in MDCs, who might not lend money since LDCs typically have poor economic structure

Situational Factors for Industry: • Adjacent to Pacific Ocean (fish and transportation) • Proximity to Central Railway aids mining industry • Amazon River allows water travel • Andes Mountains hinder transportation • The seaport Callao is a break-of-bulk point near Lima


 * Resources**

Types of Energy Used: • Hydroelectric power provides about ¾ of the energy Peru uses. • In the past few years, Peru has tried using natural gas as a source of power.

Problems Associated with Energy: • During droughts, there are sometimes power shortages due to Peru’s dependency on hydroelectric power. • Hydroelectric dams destroy ecosystems. • The world’s natural gas supply is finite.

Pollution Issues: • Air pollution in Lima • Water pollution from municipal and mining wastes • Soil erosion and pollution

What Peru is Doing to Stave of Pollution: • National Office for the Evaluation of Natural Resources creates policies. • The General Department of the Environment deals with control of pollution problems. • The Ministry of Agriculture specializes in water, forest, and wildlife resources.


 * Resources Used:**

Information on industry, raw materials, and primary sector jobs Peru Industry http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/Peru-INDUSTRY.html

Statistics on GDP, literacy, life expectancy, infant mortality rate, natural increase rate, consumer goods, crude birth rate, pollution CIA World Factbook https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html

Information on HDI Human Development Report 2007/2008 http://hdrstats.undp.org/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_PER.html

Information on resources, secondary sector jobs, industry, consumer goods, education Encyclopedia Britannica [|http://www.britannica.com/bps/topic/453147/Peru#tab=active~checked%2Citems~checked%3E%2Fbps%2Ftopic%2F453147%2FPeru&title=Peru%20--%20Britannica%20Online%20Encyclopedia]

Information on education, GDI rank and treatment of women Education Encyclopedia http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1196/Peru.html

Information on GDI rank and treatment of women Population Council http://www.popcouncil.org/gfd/girlseducation.html

Information on jobs The Federation of International Trade Associations http://www.fita.org/countries/peru.html

Information on pollution Nations Encyclopedia http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Americas/Peru-ENVIRONMENT.html


 * Comparisons**

Compared to Brazil, Peru is less developed. For instance, Peru’s HDI is .773 and Brazil’s HDI is .800. While Peru is ranked 87th in the world in terms of HDI, Brazil is ranked 70th. Also, Peru’s natural increase rate is 1.289%, and Brazil’s natural increase rate is 1.011%. This statistic shows that Peru is less developed since low natural increase rates typically indicate more developed countries. Another statistic that sets Peru apart from Brazil is the GDP per capita. Peru’s GDP per capita is $6,600, and Brazil’s GDP per capita is $9,700. The literacy rates in Brazil and Peru are about the same, with Brazil’s as 88.6% and Peru’s as 87.7%. Also, both Brazil and Peru rely on hydroelectric power. Brazil and Peru both have similar infant mortality rates also. High infant mortality rates may result from poor health conditions in Latin America. In general, Peru is less developed than Brazil.

When one compares Peru and Australia, he or she notices that Australia is much more developed than Peru. For example, Australia’s life expectancy is 80.62 years, while the life expectancy in Peru is 70.14 years. This obvious difference in life expectancy illustrates that Australia has more advanced healthcare than Peru. Also, the GDI rank in Australia (.962) is much greater than the GDI rank (.735) in Peru. This statistic demonstrates that gender equality is more prevalent in Australia than in Peru. The literacy rate in Australia is 99%, compared to only 87.7% in Peru. A high literacy rate proves that the country’s citizens are educated. Peru and Australia share several characteristics, such as the variety of secondary sector jobs. Also, both countries deal with similar pollution issues, such as water pollution. Both Peru and Australia have access to oceans, which helps with transportation of goods. Clearly, Peru is less developed than Australia.

Peru is much more developed than Nigeria. For example, Nigeria’s HDI score is .470, while Peru’s score is .773. The difference in scores suggests that Peru is more developed than Nigeria. Nigeria’s GDI score is .425, and Peru’s GDI score is .735; therefore, Peru has more gender equality. Another difference between Peru and Nigeria is life expectancy. Peru’s total life expectancy is 70.14 years, and Nigeria’s total life expectancy is 47.44 years. On the other hand, Peru and Nigeria share several characteristics. For instance, both countries have issues trying to borrow money since they cannot afford to pay back the borrowed money. Also, both Peru and Nigeria can take advantage of water transportation since both countries are located near rivers and oceans. In addition, both countries utilize hydroelectric power. Overall, Peru is more developed than Nigeria.


 * Peru's Overall Development**

Overall, Peru is relatively developed, but it is not one of the most developed countries in the world. By comparing Peru’s HDI of .773 to the HDI scores of other countries, one can realize that Peru is not the most developed. Within Latin America, Peru’s statistics are very similar to most other Latin American countries, except for Brazil and Argentina. Peru’s education is not evenly distributed throughout the country. For instance, more people attend school in Peru’s urban areas. Public schools are not well-developed. The literacy rate is mediocre, with 87.7% of Peruvians being able to read and write. Throughout the world, Peru is less developed than North America, Western Europe, and the South Pacific. On the other hand, Peru is more developed than African countries and some Asian countries.

In fifty years, I can predict that Peru will develop more, but will still remain one of the lesser developed countries in the world. Peru already relies on hydroelectric power as a source of energy. In fifty years, the world’s supply of petroleum will have diminished greatly. Alternative forms of energy will be needed to power development, and Peru will have hydroelectric power. Also, Peru has access to rivers and the Pacific Ocean, allowing for easy transportation and international trade. Development will occur in Peru, but the rate at which it occurs will be slow due to several reasons. Since Peru’s quality of education is low, not many people are gaining the knowledge and experience needed to improve their country. There are few tertiary sector jobs in Peru because most Peruvians cannot fulfill the positions. Until Peru’s economy becomes more prosperous and stable, Peru will have trouble trying to borrow money from large banks. I believe that in the next few years, Peru will gain better healthcare, thus causing an increase in life expectancy and a decrease in infant mortality rate. There is definitely room for improvement in Peru, but Peruvians will have to take the initiative in order to move forward.