Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
🗺️

Peru

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Peru is a large country in western South America. It is the third largest country on that continent.

Gran Sello de la República del Perú
Gran Sello de la República del Perú

You can find it sitting right next to the Pacific Ocean. To the north, it shares borders with Ecuador and Colombia. Brazil sits to the east, and Bolivia is to the southeast. Chile is the neighbor to the south. The land here is very diverse. You might see dry plains near the coast. You could also visit the high Andes mountains. Far to the east, the green Amazon rainforest grows near the Amazon River.

Koppen-Geiger Map PER present
Koppen-Geiger Map PER present

This land has a very long history of people living together. The Caral-Supe civilization lived there a long time ago. It was the earliest civilization in the Americas.

Caral-25
Caral-25

Many other groups lived in Peru later on. The Moche were known for their clever metalwork and pottery.

Moche earrings
Moche earrings

The Chimu people built great walled cities along the coast. In the highlands, the Wari and Tiwanaku empires grew large. These groups all helped shape the culture of the region. They used things like irrigation to help plants grow in dry places.

The most famous group was the Inca Empire. The Incas built a huge state in the pre-Columbian Americas. They ruled from their capital city, Cusco.

Machu Picchu, Peru
Machu Picchu, Peru

The Incas called their land the "Four Regions." They were led by a king called the Sapa Inca. People believed he was the child of the sun god, Inti. The empire grew very large under the rule of Pachacuti. It stretched from southern Colombia down to northern Chile. This empire lasted until the Spanish arrived in the 16th century.

Luis Montero - The Funerals of Inca Atahualpa - Google Art Project
Luis Montero - The Funerals of Inca Atahualpa - Google Art Project

Spanish explorers arrived and eventually conquered the region. They set up a government called a viceroyalty. The capital of this new area was Lima.

Lima Peru - City of kings - Congress
Lima Peru - City of kings - Congress

Peru worked hard to become its own country. It proclaimed independence from Spain in 1821. Leaders like Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín helped. The fight for independence ended with a big battle in 1824.

Since then, the country has had many different periods of change. It has seen times of growth and times of struggle.

Today, more than 32 million people live in Peru. Most people speak Spanish as their main language. Many people also speak Indigenous languages like Quechua or Aymara.

Protestas Lima Diciembre 2022 (3)
Protestas Lima Diciembre 2022 (3)

This mix of people makes the culture very rich. Peru is famous all over the world for its delicious food. Lima is even called a global capital for cooking.

Sanisidroskyscrapers
Sanisidroskyscrapers

Many people work in mining, fishing, and farming. The country is also part of groups like the Pacific Alliance. This helps Peru work with other nations around the world.

432 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (45)
File:Gran Sello de la República del Perú.svg
Gran Sello de la República del Perú.svg
United States Navy Band - Marcha Nacional...
Marcha de banderas (José Sabas Libornio...
File:Caral-25.jpg
Caral-25.jpg
File:Moche_earrings.jpg
Moche_earrings.jpg
File:Machu_Picchu,_Peru.jpg
Machu_Picchu,_Peru.jpg
File:Luis Montero - The Funerals of Inca Atahualpa - Google Art Project.jpg
Luis Montero - The Funerals of Inca...
File:TupacAmaruII.jpg
TupacAmaruII.jpg
File:Batalla_de_Ayacucho_by_Martín_Tovar_y_Tovar_(1827_-_1902).jpg
Batalla_de_Ayacucho_by_Martín_Tovar_y_Tova...
File:Proclamación de la Independencia del Perú - Juan Lepiani.jpg
Proclamación de la Independencia del Perú...
File:Angamos2.jpg
Angamos2.jpg
File:Batalla de Arica.jpg
Batalla de Arica.jpg

+ 33 more

More to explore

✨ What else?

Related topics you might enjoy

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.