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Article: Country Profile: Peru.
- Article from:
- New Internationalist
- Article date:
- April 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 New Internationalist Magazine. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Two centuries ago, Italian explorer Antonio Raimondi wrote that Peru is like a 'beggar seated on a bench of gold'. Today, nearly half the population lives on less than two dollars a day despite billion-dollar mining, oil and natural-gas extraction. But Raimondi's ancient and cynical metaphor does not reflect the creativity and strength flowing through Peru's shanty towns and peasant communities. In the small mango-growing town of Tambogrande, for example, residents who are literally seated atop a multi-mineral deposit worth billions have mounted a spirited campaign to keep out transnational mining interests -- and inspired others across the country.
Peruvian ...