Peru is located on the western side of South America, bordering Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia and Chile, with the Pacific Ocean to the west. Its capital and largest city is Lima. Peru covers approximately 1.29 million square kilometres, making it the third-largest country in South America. Its population is just over 34 million, its currency is the Peruvian sol, and its national day is celebrated on 28 July. Peru is divided into 24 departments and the Constitutional Province of Callao.

The current president of Peru is Keiko Sofía Fujimori Higuchi, leader of the Fuerza Popular political party. She was sworn in on 28 July 2026 after winning the 2026 presidential election and is serving the constitutional term from 2026 to 2031. The president is both the head of state and the leader of the executive branch of government.Last updated: July 2026.

Peru is a constitutional republic with separate executive, legislative and judicial branches. The president leads the executive branch with the Council of Ministers. National laws are debated and approved by Congress.Beginning with the 2026–2031 term, Peru returned to a bicameral Congress. It now has a Senate with 60 senators and a Chamber of Deputies with 130 deputies, whose members are elected for five-year terms. Peru also has elected regional governments and municipal authorities responsible for local administration.

Peru has a multiparty political system, but its political parties have often been fragmented and alliances can change quickly. Relations between presidents and Congress have sometimes been difficult, contributing to frequent changes of national leadership during the past decade.Political opinions also vary considerably between Lima, other coastal cities, the Andean regions and the Amazon. Important issues in Peruvian politics include public security, corruption, employment, mining, infrastructure, education, healthcare and the considerable economic differences between regions.

Yes. Voting is compulsory for Peruvian citizens from the age of 18 until they reach 70. For people aged 70 and over, voting is optional. Citizens who are required to vote may receive a fine if they fail to do so without an accepted justification.Peruvians living abroad can also vote, provided that their registered address appears in the appropriate overseas electoral district.

According to the first results of Peru’s 2025 National Census, the country has a total population of 34,157,732 people. The census found that approximately 80.6% of the population lives in urban areas, while 19.4% lives in rural areas.Peru’s population increased by approximately 2.9 million people between the 2017 and 2025 censuses. This growth reflects natural population change as well as immigration into Peru during recent years.

Peru’s population is concentrated heavily in cities and along the Pacific coast. Lima Metropolitana alone has approximately 10.13 million inhabitants, representing around 29.7% of the national population.More than half of Peru’s population lives in the coastal region. The Andes contain numerous important cities and communities but are less densely populated, while the Amazon occupies the largest portion of Peru’s territory yet contains a much smaller share of its people.

Peru is commonly divided into three broad geographical regions:The Coast — La Costa: A narrow Pacific coastal zone containing Lima and many of Peru’s largest cities.The Andes — La Sierra: The mountainous central region, containing high valleys, plateaux and many historic Andean communities.The Amazon — La Selva: The extensive tropical region east of the Andes, divided broadly into high jungle and lowland rainforest.These regions differ greatly in landscape, population density, culture, agriculture and ways of life.

Spanish is the most widely spoken language and is used throughout the country. Under Peru’s Constitution, Quechua, Aymara and other Indigenous languages are also official in the areas where they predominate.Quechua is spoken in many parts of the Andes, while Aymara is particularly important in the southern highlands around Puno and Lake Titicaca. Numerous Indigenous languages are also spoken by communities throughout the Peruvian Amazon. Peru is therefore a multilingual as well as a multicultural country.

Lima is by far Peru’s largest city and dominates the country politically, economically and culturally. Lima Metropolitana has more than 10 million inhabitants and contains almost three in every ten Peruvians.Other major urban centres include Arequipa, Trujillo, Chiclayo, Piura, Huancayo, Cusco, Iquitos and Pucallpa. Callao, Peru’s principal port, forms part of the wider Lima urban area but has a separate constitutional and administrative identity.City rankings can vary depending on whether figures refer to the city itself, its province or the wider metropolitan area.

Peru covers approximately 1,285,216 square kilometres, making it the third-largest country in South America after Brazil and Argentina.Administratively, the country is divided into 24 departments and the Constitutional Province of Callao. These are divided further into provinces and districts. Peru has national, regional and municipal levels of government, although Lima has special arrangements because it is both the national capital and a very large metropolitan area.

Peru’s official currency is the sol, written using the symbol S/. For example, twenty-five soles is written as S/25.The currency was formerly called the nuevo sol, but its official name was shortened to sol in December 2015. Banknotes and coins are issued by the Central Reserve Bank of Peru. US dollars are sometimes accepted by tourism-related businesses, but everyday purchases are normally made in soles.

Peru has a diverse economy combining services, commerce, manufacturing, construction, agriculture, fishing, tourism and mining. Services form the largest part of the domestic economy, while mining is especially important for exports and foreign investment.Peru is a major producer of minerals, while its agricultural exports include products such as grapes, blueberries, avocados, coffee and cacao. Fishing and fish processing are also significant, particularly products derived from anchovy. The economic importance of each activity varies considerably between the coast, Andes and Amazon.