Peru : Transportation

Transportation in Peru

Roads:
Peru is connected through a series of highways going throughout the country.



However if driving through the mountains, Peru is known for some of the most dangerous roads.


.
Railroads:

There are railroads connected most major cities. However the railroads do not go into the rainforest.

There are major stops in Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley, Cusco, Piura, and Urubamba


 Airports:
There are 5 international airports in Peru

• Rodríguez Ballón International Airport - Arequipa
• Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport - Cusco
• Crnl. FAP Francisco Secada Vignetta International Airport - Iquitos
• Jorge Chávez International Airport - Lima
• Cap. FAP Guillermo Concha Iberico International Airport - Piura

There are also 18 domestic airports scattered throughout the country.

Peru : International

International Trade:

Exchange Rate:

Tuesday, 22 April 2014:  
      1 US Dollar (USD)  = 2.781Peruvian Nuevo Sol (PEN)



As seen in the graph above, the worth of the PEN in exchange for one USD has been dropping in the last 30 days.

Immigration and Emigration:

The majority of foreigners arriving with work visas were Chilean (18.9%), followed by Colombians (14%), Spaniards (10.6%), and Americans (9.5%).
The most common international destinations for Peruvians, according to the INEI, were Chile, Bolivia, the United States, and Ecuador.

Relations to other Countries: 

Peru shares its borders with Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia and Chile. Peru's relationships with its neighbors are generally cooperative, although recently a dispute between Peru and Chile was finally settled. The dispute was over where the true border should be. In the end the decision called for Chile to give up some of their territory, but both countries were civil and abiding of the to ruling.

Peru : Toursim

Importance of Tourism
Peru's international tourism number of arrivals in 2012 was 2,846,000         
Tourism is the third largest industry in Peru. It employs 10.8% of the labor force in Peru.
Tourism makes up 7% of the Peruvian GDP
Major tourist attractions
1. Machu Picchu: The lost city of the Incas, it is invisible from the Urubamba Valley below and completely self-contained.

2. Plaza de Armas: This is the center of Cuzco it was known by the Incas as the square of the warrior. It is the cultural center of Inca life.
3. Mancora: It is located on the northern coast and is a small town featuring Peru's best sandy beach. There are many beach resorts and luxurious restaurants and nightclubs. It is a popular surfing destination.

National Parks, wildlife or natureee preserves
1. Colca Canyon: This is a canyon of the Colca River, which is located in the Andes mountains. It is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon (but the walls are less step). One of the main attractions here is that you are able to see Condors(large birds) at a close range.
2. Iquitos (Amazon River)

Museums
1. Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera, Lima: The world's largest private collection of pre-Columbian art focuses on the Moche dynasty
2. Museo de la Nación, Lima: The National Museum traces the art and history of the earliest inhabitants to the Inca Empire.
3. Convento y Museo de San Francisco, Lima: One of the capitals best churches. Made with glazed ceramic tiles and carved ceilings. The church has religious art and a large library. Beneath the church are catacombs dug in the 16th century which holds the remains of tens of thousands of priest and parishioners.

Peru : Economics

Economic Measures

1. GDP

• $197.00 Billion USD

2. GDP Per Capita

• $4252.50 USD

3. Life Expectancy

• 73.98 Years

4. Poverty Rate

• 25.8%

5. Literacy Rate

• 89.6%

6. Unemployment Rate

• 6.4%

7. Inflation

• 3.38%

*As of 2014*

Peru's Resources 

 Natural Resources
Peru's natural resources are copper, silver, gold, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, and natural gas.
Due to Peru's geography there are many different climates, but they can be separated into three main regions: jungle, mountains, and coast.

The Coast: The north coast has as a short rainy season in November and December. The south coast has two seasons, winter and summer. Winter is from April to October and summer is from November to March.

The Mountains: There are two season when in the mountains, which are opposite of the coast. Summer is from April to October and winter from November to March. In the summer they have sunny days and cold nights with very little rain. In the winter it rains much more.

The Jungle: Like the climate in the mountains, there are two seasons in the jungle. Rainy season from November to March, and dry season from April to October. There is high humidity during both seasons.

In the Andean Amazon there are many rivers due to the water coming down from the Andes Mountain range. A few of the larger ones are Maranon, Huallaga and Ucayali. Most of the rivers join into the Amazon river.


Labor
The size of the labor force in Peru is 15475963.60
The Peruvian Educational System is divided into four sections:

• Basic or Initial Education

This is for children 3 to 5 years old. One year of initial education is mandatory for children 5 years of age.

• Primary Education

Children will stay in primary school for six years. To pass on from primary education, students need an average mark of 11 in a 20-point evaluation system, and have to have passed at least language or mathematics

• Secondary Education

Secondary Education is split into two cycles, the first cycle is a two year period which is mandatory for all children. The second cycle last three years and is optional to learn more in arts.

• Higher Education

This allows people to  pick a field and take classes to become certified, or to attend a university and earn their bachelor's and master's degrees.



Climate information found at :
http://www.peru.travel/about-peru/location-geography-and-climate.aspx

Peru

Culture

Popular Sports
Peru’s major sport is football and you’ll find men and boys playing it in the streets of every city, town and settlement in the country down to the remotest of jungle outposts. Volleyball is a very popular sport in Peru, mainly for women. Bullfighting used to be very popular, however it is becoming less popular. Bullfights are still often held at fiesta times. Often with the bull being left to run through the village until it’s eventually caught and mutilated by one of the men. Lima bullfights in October, in contrast, are a very serious business.

Music
Music and dance has always played an important role in Peruvian society. Ancient Peruvians used sea shells, reeds and even animal bones to produce sounds.
These were some of the most important musical instruments in ancient Peru.

• Panpipes or zampoñas
• Terracotta trumpets
• Pututos 

 The music explored themes of religion, war and profanity.


Panpipes

Pututos 

Food

Peruvian food consists mainly of soups and stews, corn pancakes, rice, eggs and vegetables. Seafood is excellent, even in the highlands. Local specialties include ceviche, seafood prepared in lemon juice; lechón, suckling pig; and cuy, and whole roasted guinea pig

Major Religions and/or spiritual beliefs
The predominant religion is Roman Catholic, but there is a scattering of other Christian faiths. Indigenous Peruvians, however, have blended Catholicism and their traditional beliefs. An example is the near synonymous association of Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) and the Virgin Mary.

National Holidays and Traditional Customs
Along with the normal Roman Catholic holidays such as Christmas and Easter, there are a few additional holidays celebrated in Peru.

• The celebration of Corpus Christi used to be celebrated in the whole country, but the Fiesta is most impressive in Cusco. Fifteen saints and virgins, organized in several processions, arrive from different places to the cathedral of Cusco where to came to “greet” the body of Christ, sixty days after Eastern Sunday

• Inti Raymi: One of the biggest and most impressive celebration, a homage to the Sun, an important God in Inca Culture. The main part of the day takes place at the Ruins of Sacsahuaman, an acknowledgment to the Sun. The ceremony starts earlier the same day at the Koricancha (the Temple of the Sun, in the city of Cusco) and at the Plaza de Armas. Around noon the participants go to Sacsahuaman, together with the thousands of national and international tourists that came especially to see this impressive ceremony, where two llamas are sacrificed. June 24th, one of the shortest day on the southern hemisphere, was organized by the Incas because they were afraid that the Sun (their Father) would abandon them (his sons).

Popular TV Shows or Movies

Popular Peruvian TV show “Mi problema con las mujeres”

 

Movies:

• Días de Santiago
• La Teta Asustada
• Mariposa negra

Online News Sources

• http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/peru.htm
• http://www.w3newspapers.com/peru/
• http://www.peruviantimes.com/
• http://www.peruthisweek.com/

Online Forums for Expatriates

• http://www.expatperu.com/
• http://www.internations.org/peru-expats/forum
• http://www.expatexchange.com/peru/liveinperu.html
• http://www.expatwomen.com/expat-women-countries/expat-women-living-in-peru.php

Type of Government

The constitution of Peru that was formed on 31st December, 1993 established the present form of government which is constitutional republic form of government.
The Executive branch:

•   The president: the chief of state and head of government.
• The cabinet: made up of a council of ministers who are appointed by the president. The prime minister has no role to play in the executive portion of the Peru government. Executive powers lie only in the hands of the President.

The Legislative branch:

• Congress: The members of Congress are appointed on the basis of election results. 

The Judiciary Branch:

• The Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia is the sole functioning judicial body in Peru. 

 

 

Chapter One: Reinventing the Bazaar by John McMillan

What characterizes a market transaction?
"Decision-making autonomy is key. Participation in the exchange is voluntary; both buyer and seller are able to veto any deal. They are separate entities. Controlling their own resources, the participants in a market, in deciding how those resources are to be used, are not obliged to follow others' orders." (pg. 5).
McMillan tells that the only way for something to truly be a market transaction is if there is freedom of choice. Freedom for sellers to sell at a price they see fit. Freedom for buyers to choose if that product and price is one the works for them. If they don't agree with it, then they also have the choice to go somewhere else.

People may distrust markets for multiple reasons. In the U.S. the unequal distribution of wealth makes it so that people question the fairness of  these markets. They see millions of Americans in poverty and question the benefits of a free market system and encourage more government intervention. On the other hand, many people are against any government intervention. They believe that government involvement would do more harm then good.
 I believe that a market is the most effective method to developing a strong economy. However I also think that the government can play a role in providing support for those in poverty and helping them better their lives and thus lowering the poverty rate making the economy better as a whole.
 

Rules are important in a market. The regulation is necessary to create the best opportunities for everyone. Without rules, there would not be equal opportunity, the person with the most power and resources would control the market. This would then take away opportunities for everyone else.

 

Review "Why Did Human History unfold Differently On Different Continents For The Last 13,000 Years"

After reading “Why Did Human History Unfold Differently On Different Continents For The Last 13,000 Years?” by Jared Diamond

available online at http://edge.org/conversation/why-did-human-history-unfold-differently-on-different-continents-for-the-last-13000-years

This is what I learned:

Diamond’s major themes and key points

• The reasoning for one countries ability to take over another is due not to one thing but is the result of the chain of causation. One advantage leads to another and another, which then allows one country to have the advantage.
•  Countries with east/west axis are more easily advanced then those of north/south axis. This is due to the fact that north/south axis' make it more difficult for animals, food, people, etc. to travel over the different terrains and different climates. In east/west countries it is easier for animals and plants to wonder to other parts because the terrain and climate are so similar to each other.

What does he identify as the most important determinants to a society’s success?

 

• The success of a country can be traced back to a few things. One being that places with higher populations will give them a greater chance of inventions and ideas, being created and adopted. Also if they are connected to outside cities and countries they can also learn of these other countries inventions and ideas, which will greater their land as well.

 

How can these ideas be applied to today’s global economy?

 

• If countries today open up to other countries and their ideas and resources, then they can all learn some new things. If they maintain these ideas then each country can grow.