ABSTRACT
The Peruvian economy is an economy unbalanced in every respect: there is an imbalance between the inferior standard of living of the great masses and the provocatively superior standard of the minority. Although the agricultural population is slowly shrinking, Peru's economy is based fundamentally on agriculture. All the problems of the past were related to agriculture. Before and after the colonial era, mining in Peru was basically for gold and silver. Transportation is expensive. To send merchandise from the capital to the selva costs more, and takes more time, than to send it there from New York. Telegraph lines join the cities, but rarely reach the small settlements. Electronic communication has been extended by a network of short-wave radio stations. Peru's financial structure is an anachronism. Computerized accounting in banks has barely begun; in the majority, accounting by hand is the rule.
