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

Scientists at the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum recently uncovered a mistake that dates back decades involving a poison frog specimen from Peru.

From Science Daily

China, already the largest trading partner for Brazil, Chile and Peru, has cultivated closer ties throughout the region.

From The Wall Street Journal

Orleans Tovar, a Venezuelan migrant in Peru, thanked the U.S. and hoped that other senior Maduro officials would be captured, too.

From The Wall Street Journal

“We’ve dreamed of this and needed this for so many years,” said Orleans Tovar, who arrived in Peru nearly eight years ago with a dozen family members.

From The Wall Street Journal

Journalists were also killed in Yemen, Ukraine, Sudan, Peru, India and elsewhere.

From Barron's