Peru

In brief

Peru is a country in South America. Its capital is Lima. With 34.6 million inhabitants in 2025, it ranks 48th in the world by population, out of the 195 countries recognised by the UN. Its area is 1,285,216 km². It shares land borders with Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador.

GDP per capita stands at $9,684 (2025), 86th in the world. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years (2024). 86% of the population lives in cities.

History of Peru

Caral, about 5,000 years old, is one of the oldest cities in the Americas. Chavín, Paracas, Nazca, famous for its geoglyphs, Moche and Chimú came before the Inca Empire, whose capital was Cuzco and whose most famous site is Machu Picchu. Francisco Pizarro captured the emperor Atahualpa in 1532; Lima became the capital of a viceroyalty. San Martín declared independence on 28 July 1821, confirmed by the victory at Ayacucho in 1824. Between 1980 and 2000 the conflict with the Shining Path guerrillas killed about 70,000 people. Mario Vargas Llosa won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2010.

Geography of Peru

Peru combines a coastal desert on the Pacific, the Andes, where Huascarán (6,768 m) is the highest point, and the Amazon rainforest, which covers more than half the country. It shares Lake Titicaca with Bolivia.

Map of Peru

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Flag of Peru

The flag of Peru is red and white. Its official proportions are 2:3 (height to width).

• Red67%
• White27%
• Green3%

Share of the flag’s surface taken by each colour.

What the flag stands for

Red, white and red vertical bands. According to legend, General San Martín was inspired by the red and white wings of flamingos he saw on landing. The state flag bears the coat of arms, with a vicuña, a cinchona tree and a cornucopia.

Sources: Wikipedia, articles “Peru” and “Flag of Peru”.

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Fact file

Economy and society