| Area Total | 1,285,216 sqkm |
| Climate | varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes |
| Natural Resources | copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower, natural gas |
| Imports | $38.65 billion (2017 est.)partners: China 22.3%, US 20.1%, Brazil 6%, Mexico 4.4% (2017) |
| Exports | $44.92 billion (2017 est.)partners: China 26.5%, US 15.2%, Switzerland 5.2%, South Korea 4.4%, Spain 4.1%, India 4.1% (2017) |
| Government | presidential republic |
| Capital | Lima |
| Population | 31.3 million (July 2018 est.) |
| Ethnicity | mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 60.2%, Amerindian 25.8%, white 5.9%, African descent 3.6%, other 1.2%, unspecified 3.3% (2017 est.) |
| Language | Spanish (official) 82.9%, Quechua (official) 13.6%, Aymara(official) 1.6%, Ashaninka0.3%, other languages 1.8% (2017 est.) |
News about Peru
- Fact-checking President Trump’s Peru viper tale
by Andean Air Mail & PERUVIAN TIMES on December 16, 2025Which is deadlier to humans in Peru: the Bothrops pit viper or the venomous Trumpapillar? By Rick Vecchio ✐ Peruvian Times Contributing Editor* Applying Trumpian logic, pit vipers cause more than six times as many human fatalities in Peru as stings by the “Trumpapillar,” a nickname for the venomous flannel moth The post Fact-checking President […]
- Peru’s ousted ‘president of the poor’ gets 11-year sentence for rebellion
by Agence France-Presse on November 27, 2025Pedro Castillo was sentenced by the supreme court for trying to disband Congress and rule by decree in 2022Peru’s supreme court on Thursday sentenced the former leftwing president Pedro Castillo to 11 years, five months and 15 days in prison for trying to disband Congress and rule by decree in December 2022.Labelled Peru’s first poor president, the […]
- Florida professor may have solved mystery of Peru’s Band of Holes
by Richard Luscombe in Miami on November 27, 2025Charles Stanish surmised indentations were rudimentary market place and later adapted as accounting and storage systemA Florida archaeologist’s decades-long persistence has helped solve one of Peru’s most puzzling geographical conundrums: the origin and purpose of the so-called Band of Holes in the country’s mountainous Pisco Valley.Charles Stanish, […]
- ‘The glacier is slowly melting, it’s clearly visible’ – This is climate breakdown
by Saúl Luciano Lliuya, as told to Fernanda Solorza on November 10, 2025The mountains have always been part of our lives. But now they pose a new threat and we need to take action. This is Saúl’s storyLocation Huaraz, PeruDisaster Lake Palcacocha glacier meltSaúl, a Quechua-speaking mountain guide, farmer and father who lives in the Andean highlands, was the lead plaintiff in a landmark climate lawsuit against the German […]
- Archaeologists discover how oldest American civilisation survived a climate catastrophe
by Dan Collyns in Vichama on November 5, 2025Experts find artefacts left behind in Caral showing how population survived drought without resorting to violenceArchaeologists in Peru have found new evidence showing how the oldest known civilization in the Americas adapted and survived a climate catastrophe without resorting to violence.A team led by the renowned Peruvian archaeologist Ruth Shady, 78, […]
- Peru severs diplomatic relations with Mexico after former prime minister claims asylum
by Associated Press on November 4, 2025Peru's government has severed diplomatic relations with Mexico over the asylum claim of former Peruvian prime minister Betssy ChávezPeru’s government has announced the country is severing diplomatic relations with Mexico over the asylum claim of the former Peruvian prime minister Betssy Chávez, who is under investigation for rebellion.The Peruvian […]
- How gen Z used Discord to overthrow governments – video explainer
by Bryony Moore, Neelam Tailor and Mathilde Poncet on October 31, 2025There have been a series of unprecedented protests in the global south led by gen Z, the demographic cohort born between 1997 and 2012. These uprisings have led to deadly crackdowns, scores of arrests and new leaders coming into power. From Nepal to Morocco, young people have taken direct inspiration from one another, in spite of the borders between them. […]
- Travel Book Review: Peru Seen Clearly By Young Eyesby Andean Air Mail & PERUVIAN TIMES on October 30, 2025
A smart, 138-page guide to Peru’s history, culture and living Andean traditions. By Rick Vecchio ✐ Peruvian Times Contributing Editor*☄ When I opened Peru: The Cultural Gem of South America, I had the Almost Famous moment — when Ben Fong-Torres realizes the seasoned rock and roll writer on the other end The post Travel Book Review: Peru Seen […]
- Brazil and Peru are failing uncontacted people – and the Amazon’s future is at stake | Julio Cusurichi Palacios and Beto Marubo
by Julio Cusurichi Palacios and Beto Marubo on October 27, 2025As Cop30 approaches, a new report makes it clear the survival of isolated tribes is under threat as protections are eroded. It’s time our countries fulfilled their obligations to defend Indigenous peopleA new report published on Monday by the NGO Survival International reveals 196 uncontacted Indigenous groups across 10 countries in South America, Asia […]
- ‘We’ll march as many times as necessary’: Peru’s youth protesters defy state of emergency
by Dan Collyns in Lima on October 25, 2025Rapper shot dead by police becomes symbol of resistance in Peru, amid wave of gen Z rallies sweeping the worldA youth group in Peru calling itself the Generation Z Collective says it will march again on Saturday in defiance of a state of emergency declared by the government this week in the capital, Lima, and neighbouring port of Callao.Group leaders said […]
- Peru’s interim president declares state of emergency after weeks of anti-government protests
by Agence France-Presse on October 22, 2025Declaration means government can send army to patrol streets, restrict freedom of assembly and curtail other rightsPeru’s interim president, Jose Jeri, announced a state of emergency in Lima and the neighbouring port of Callao on Tuesday after weeks of anti-government protests over corruption and organised crime.“The state of emergency approved by the […]
- On the trail of the guano miners – in pictures
on October 21, 2025Guano, a fertiliser derived from seabird excrement, enriched Peru in the 19th century and was shipped around the world in huge quantities. On Santa Island, north of Lima, workers still mine it in the toughest of conditionsPhotographs by Ernesto Benavides/AFP/Getty Images Continue reading...
- Peru to declare state of emergency after protests against new president leave one dead and dozens injured
by Reuters on October 17, 2025Demonstrators clashed with police outside congress building amid public anger at crime crisis days after José Jerí assumed power Peru is set to declare a state of emergency after at least one person was killed and dozens of police officers were injured in widespread protests against President José Jerí who assumed power just days ago.Prime minister […]
- Peru: police and anti-government protesters clash outside congress – video
on October 16, 2025Demonstrators calling for the resignation of Peru's interim president, José Jerí, clashed with hundreds of riot police in Lima on Wednesday. The protest, organised by youth organisations calling themselves Generation Z, echoes recent youth-led demonstrations around the worldThe Guardian view on gen Z protests: these movements share more than an interest […]
- The Guardian view on gen Z protests: these movements share more than an interest in anime | Editorial
by Editorial on October 12, 2025A new global wave of unrest is unfolding, driven by generational discontents and taking cues from each otherAfter a quarter-century of existence, the global triumph of Monkey D Luffy – a fresh-faced and rubber-bodied pirate captain – had seemed almost complete. The One Piece manga series, of which he is the freedom-fighting hero, had become the […]
