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Demographics
Peru has one of the largest populations of
Amerindians in the Americas - almost half of all Peruvians
are Amerindian, or 45 percent of the total population. The
two major indigenous ethnic groups are Quechua-speakers, followed
closely by the Aymara, as well as several dozen small Amerindian
ethnic tribes scattered throughout the country beyond the
Andes Mountains and in the Amazon basin. Mestizos, a term
that denotes people of mixed European and Amerindian ancestry,
constitute around 37% of the people.
Peruvians of European descent make up about
15% of the population. The remaining 3% is constituted by
Afro-Peruvians, and persons of Japanese and Chinese descent.
Despite the presence of Peruvians of Asian heritage being
quite recent, in the past decade they have made significant
advancements in business and political fields; a past president,
several past cabinet members, and several members of the Peruvian
congress are of Japanese or Chinese origin. Small numbers
of Arab Peruvians, mostly of Lebanese and Syrian origin, also
reside.
Most of Peru's population (about 40% percent)
lives in the Costa (coastal area), while 36% live in the Sierra
and only 12% in the Amazon rainforest. Almost one third of
the nation's population lives in the Lima and Callao Metropolitan
Area.
Socioeconomic and cultural indicators are
increasingly important as identifiers. For example, Peruvians
of Amerindian descent who have adopted aspects of Hispanic
culture also are considered "mestizo". With economic
development, access to education, intermarriage, and largescale
migration from rural to urban areas, a more homogeneous national
culture is developing, mainly along the relatively more prosperous
coast.
Peru has two official languages--Spanish
and the foremost indigenous language, Quechua. Spanish is
used by the government and the media and in education and
commerce. Amerindians who live in the Andean highlands speak
Quechua and Aymara and are ethnically distinct from the diverse
indigenous groups who live on the eastern side of the Andes
and in the tropical lowlands adjacent to the Amazon basin.
Peru's distinct geographical regions are
mirrored in a socioeconomic divide between the coast's mestizo-Hispanic
culture and the more diverse, traditional Andean cultures
of the mountains and highlands. The indigenous populations
east of the Andes speak various languages and dialects. Some
of these groups still adhere to traditional customs, while
others have been almost completely assimilated into the mestizo-Hispanic
culture.
Peru has two official languages - Spanish
and the foremost indigenous language, Quechua. Spanish is
used by the government and the media and in education and
commerce, although there is an increasing and organized effort
to teach Quechua in public schools. Amerindians who live in
the Andean highlands speak Quechua and Aymara and are ethnically
distinct from the diverse indigenous groups who live on the
eastern side of the Andes and in the tropical lowlands adjacent
to the Amazon basin.
Population at a Glance
Population: 27,900,000
Age structure:
0-14 years: 35% (male 4,776,074; female 4,628,899)
15-64 years: 61% (male 8,224,829; female 8,119,751)
65 years and over: 4% (male 579,465; female 683,881) (2000
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.75% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 24.48 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 5.84 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000
est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Source: www.wikipedia.org
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