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.

---

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)

---

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.

---

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

Located in the South Pacific roughly halfway between New Zealand and Peru, the islands are one of the most remote and sparsely populated places on Earth.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

In May of last year, the same amount of Peru asparagus sold at Hunts Point for $32.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026

The Paddington statue originally arrived in Southampton in 2024 as part of the UK-wide trail celebrating the release of the film Paddington in Peru.

From BBC • May 3, 2026

Peru offers a unique setting for this type of research.

From Science Daily • Apr. 27, 2026

He wanted to do in Peru what Farmer had done in Haiti.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French