Peru

American  

[puh-roo] / pəˈru /

noun

1. Spanish Perú.  a republic in western South America. 496,222 sq. mi. (1,285,215 sq. km). Lima.

2. a city in north-central Indiana.

3. a city in northern Illinois.

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Peru British  

/ pəˈruː /

noun

1. a republic in W South America, on the Pacific: the centre of the great Inca Empire when conquered by the Spanish in 1532; gained independence in 1824 by defeating Spanish forces with armies led by San Martín and Bolívar; consists of a coastal desert, rising to the Andes; an important exporter of minerals and a major fishing nation. Official languages: Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara. Official religion: Roman Catholic. Currency: nuevo sol. Capital: Lima. Pop: 29 849 303 (2013 est). Area: 1 285 215 sq km (496 222 sq miles)

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Peru Cultural  

1. Republic in western South America, bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west, Ecuador to the northwest, Colombia to the northeast, Brazil and Bolivia to the east, and Chile to the south. Its capital and largest city is Lima.

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Discover More

Peru was the heart of the Inca Empire, which flourished from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries. The remains of the empire include the fabled stone fortress of Machu Picchu.

Achieved independence from Spain in 1821.

Other Word Forms

• Peruvian adjective
• non-Peruvian adjective

Example Sentences

He is best known for the 1970 novel A World for Julius, which chronicled the frivolous lives of the elite in Peru's capital Lima through the eyes of an orphan.

From BBC

Equally appalling is the story of the relocated Japanese who settled—and prospered—in Peru.

From The Wall Street Journal

Diana left her native Peru two years ago, looking for financial and professional stability in Europe.

From BBC

"Colonial-era writings we studied report that communities across coastal Peru and northern Chile sailed to several nearby islands on rafts to collect seabird droppings for fertilization."

From Science Daily

By 2024, Beijing had formalised free trade agreements with Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Peru and these trade partnerships have been lucrative.

From BBC