South America

Peru

Discover Peru - home to Machu Picchu, the Amazon, the Andes, and a culinary scene that has made Lima the gastronomic capital of South America.

Where Is Peru?

Peru is a country in South America. Its capital is Lima.

Where Peru isSouth America · Capital Lima

Capital Lima
Population 34.6M
Area 1,285,216 km²

Peru is where the Andes meet the Amazon, where the Inca Empire built cities in the clouds, and where the food is so good that Lima has become the gastronomic capital of an entire continent. Machu Picchu gets most of the attention - and deservedly so, it's extraordinary - but the country is far more than one citadel. Peru has 28 of the world's 32 climate types, civilizations that predate the Inca by thousands of years, and over 4,000 varieties of the potato, which was domesticated here.

The geography is absurd. You can go from Pacific desert to snow-capped Andean peaks above 6,000 meters to dense Amazon jungle, all within a single country. Lake Titicaca sits at 3,812 meters, the highest navigable lake in the world. The Nazca Lines - enormous geoglyphs only visible from the air - have been baffling people for over 2,000 years. And the Peruvian Amazon makes up 60% of the country, a vast green lung that most tourists never see. Peru is one of those places where every turn reveals something unexpected.

At a glance

Language

Spanish (+ Quechua, Aymara)

Currency

Peruvian Sol (PEN)

Calling Code

+51

Drives On

Right

Internet

.pe

Timezone

PET (UTC-5)

Script

Latin

Government

Presidential Republic

Independence

1821

By population

Largest cities in Peru

Lima

Capital and culinary powerhouse, a sprawling coastal city where colonial churches sit beside world-class cevicherias

10,700,000

Arequipa

The White City built from sillar volcanic stone, overlooked by the 5,822-meter Misti volcano

1,100,000

Trujillo

City of eternal spring in the north, surrounded by the ruins of the Moche and Chimu civilizations

1,000,000

Chiclayo

Archaeological treasure trove near the Royal Tombs of Sipan, one of the most important finds in the Americas

800,000

Cusco

Former capital of the Inca Empire at 3,400 meters, gateway to Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley

450,000

Iquitos

Largest city in the world unreachable by road, a port on the Amazon surrounded entirely by rainforest

437,000

People

Famous people from Peru

Mario Vargas Llosa
Literature
Nobel Prize in Literature (2010) for novels exploring power, corruption, and identity in Latin America
Cesar Vallejo
Literature
One of the great poets of the 20th century, whose innovative verse influenced generations of Spanish-language writers
Pachacuti
Politics
Inca emperor who transformed Cusco from a small kingdom into a vast empire and is believed to have built Machu Picchu
Yma Sumac
Music
Soprano with a staggering five-octave vocal range, known as the Peruvian Songbird, a sensation in 1950s Hollywood
Paolo Guerrero
Sport
Peru's all-time top scorer and captain who led the team back to the World Cup in 2018 after a 36-year absence
Chabuca Granda
Music
Composer of La Flor de la Canela, Peru's most famous song and an anthem of Lima's cultural identity
Ricardo Palma
Literature
Author of Tradiciones Peruanas, a beloved collection of historical tales that defined Peruvian literary identity
Sofia Mulanovich
Sport
First South American to win a surfing world championship (2004), a pioneer who put Peruvian surfing on the map

Food

Traditional cuisine of Peru

Ceviche: Peru's national dish - fresh raw fish cured in lime juice with chili, onion, and cilantro, served with sweet potato and corn
Lomo Saltado: Stir-fried beef with onions, tomatoes, soy sauce, and french fries over rice - a perfect fusion of Peruvian and Chinese cooking
Aji de Gallina: Shredded chicken in a creamy sauce of aji amarillo chili, walnuts, and cheese, served over rice with olives and egg
Causa Rellena: Layered terrine of seasoned mashed potato filled with chicken or tuna salad, avocado, and aji amarillo
Anticuchos: Grilled beef heart skewers marinated in vinegar and spices, a beloved street food eaten from carts after dark
Pollo a la Brasa: Peruvian rotisserie chicken marinated in a secret blend of spices and spit-roasted, eaten by the millions weekly
Pisco Sour: Peru's national cocktail - pisco brandy shaken with lime juice, egg white, and angostura bitters into a frothy masterpiece
Pachamanca: Ancient cooking method where meat, potatoes, and corn are slow-cooked underground with hot stones and aromatic herbs

Nature

Nature and landmarks in Peru

Machu PicchuLandmark: The Lost City of the Incas, a 15th century citadel perched at 2,430 meters between cloud-forested peaks
Amazon RainforestForest: The Peruvian Amazon covers 60% of the country and is one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth
Lake TiticacaLake: The world's highest navigable lake at 3,812 meters, shared with Bolivia and home to the Uros floating reed islands
Colca CanyonCanyon: One of the deepest canyons in the world at 3,270 meters, twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, where Andean condors soar
Andes MountainsMountain: The Peruvian Andes include 30 peaks above 6,000 meters, including the spectacular Cordillera Blanca
Nazca LinesLandmark: Enormous geoglyphs of animals and geometric shapes etched into the desert over 2,000 years ago, visible only from the air
HuascaranMountain: Peru's highest peak at 6,768 meters in the Cordillera Blanca, the centerpiece of Huascaran National Park
Manu National ParkNational Park: One of the most biodiverse places on Earth, stretching from Andean highlands down into lowland Amazon rainforest

Sport

Sports in Peru

Football: Two-time Copa America champions, returned to the World Cup in 2018 after a 36-year absence to massive national celebration
Volleyball: Women's team won Olympic silver in 1988, the only South American team to medal in Olympic volleyball at the time
Surfing: World-class waves at Chicama (world's longest left-hand break) and Sofia Mulanovich became first South American world champion
Boxing: Kina Malpartida became Peru's first boxing world champion, inspiring a new generation of Peruvian fighters

Facts

Did you know?

Machu Picchu was built around 1450 CE and remained unknown to the outside world until American explorer Hiram Bingham reached it in 1911
Peru has 28 of the world's 32 climate types, from coastal desert to tropical rainforest to glacial highlands
Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world at 3,812 meters above sea level
Peru is the birthplace of the potato - over 4,000 varieties are grown here, in every color from purple to yellow
The Nazca Lines include figures up to 370 meters long, created between 500 BCE and 500 CE, and their purpose remains debated
Lima has been named the Best Culinary Destination in the World by the World Travel Awards multiple years running
The Amazon River begins in Peru, high in the Andes, as a small stream just 200 km from the Pacific Ocean
Iquitos is the largest city in the world that cannot be reached by road - you can only get there by plane or boat