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Peru earthquake 2007

Last reviewed: 15-08-2008

EARTHQUAKE IN THE ANDES


A devastating earthquake shook the area south of Peru's capital Lima on the evening of August 15, 2007, killing 520 and destroying 40,000 homes.

  • 7.9 on Richter scale at epicentre
  • Tens of thousands left homeless
  • More than 10 percent of Peruvians live on less than a dollar a day.

    The coastal province of Ica south of Lima was the worst hit region, including the cities of Chincha, Ica and Pisco.

    Rural communities were especially hard hit, and struggled to receive as much resources for rebuilding as towns. The Andes mountain range, which runs north-to-south along Peru's Pacific coast, has many active fault lines.

    In 1970, an earthquake killed around 50,000 Peruvians in catastrophic avalanches of ice and mud that buried the city of Yungay.

    KEY FACTS


    Population of Peru 27.8 million U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) Population Division, 2006
    Homeless families 40,000 lost homes and more than 30,000 others affected U.N. flash appeal
    Life expectancy 70.7 years UNDP - Human Development Report 2007/2008
    Adult literacy in 2004 87.7 percent Human Development Report 2006
    Population living on less than $1 a day 1990-2005 10.5 percent Human Development Report 2007/2008
    Per capita GNI in 2006, according to the Atlas method $2,980 World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008

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    Peruvian President Alan Garcia (L) and his Foreign Affairs Minister Jose Antonio Gracia, members of the UNASUR, attend a session in Quito February 9, 2010. South American leaders deeply divided by ...


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    Last updated:Tue Feb 9 17:04:24 2010