South America
Peru
Peru covers about 1,290,000 km² (498,000 mi²), the 21st largest of the 246 places listed here. That is close to Chad, at about 1,266,000 km².
- 1,290,000km²Area, main territory
- 34.2 millionPopulation
- 42.1In Belgiums
500 km
- Peru
Facts
| Area, main territory | 1,290,000 km²498,000 mi² |
|---|---|
| Official area | 1,285,000 km²Wikidata · agrees with our measure |
| In Belgiums | 42.1 |
| Capital | Lima |
| Population | 34.2 millionWikidata, 2025 |
| Density | 26 people per km² |
| Latitude range | 18°S to 0°S |
| In other languages | Perú Español · Pérou Français · ペルー 日本語 · 秘鲁 中文 · 페루 한국어 |
| Continent | South America#3 of 13 countries by area |
What the numbers say about Peru
- Russia, the largest place listed, is 13.2× the size of Peru.
- At 26 people per km², Peru is the 138th most densely populated of the 185 places over 1,000 km²; the median is 72 per km².
- Peru lies at 9°S, close to the equator, where a standard web map (Web Mercator) is nearly true to size: it inflates area by only about 1.0×.
- Laid out flat, Peru's main territory stretches about 2,040 km north to south and 1,390 km east to west.
- Wikidata's official figure of 1,285,000 km² agrees with our measured area of 1,290,000 km², to within 2%.
How Peru measures up
Peru holds 7.3% of the land area and 7.8% of the people of the 13 countries listed for South America.
| Where it ranks | Figure | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 1,290,000 km² | 20th of 239 |
| Population | 34.2 million | 44th of 237 |
| Density | 26 per km² | 138th of 185 |
| Farthest north | 9.1°S | 186th of 212 |
| Compared with | Its area | Peru is |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 30,700 km² | 42.1× its size |
| United Kingdom | 244,000 km² | 5.29× its size |
| Germany | 358,000 km² | 3.61× its size |
| Japan | 374,000 km² | 3.45× its size |
| France | 548,000 km² | 2.35× its size |
| India | 3,151,000 km² | 0.41× its size |
| Brazil | 8,473,000 km² | 0.15× its size |
| United States | 9,447,000 km² | 0.14× its size |
| Russia | 16,980,000 km² | 0.08× its size |
Where Peru sits
- Peru's centre lies at 9.1°S, 74.4°W, in the southern and western hemispheres, about 1,010 km from the equator.
- Its main territory spans 18°S to 0°S, about 2,040 km from its southern edge to its northern.
Closest neighbours, by distance between centres
On the same latitude, elsewhere in the world
If Peru had other densities
- At Bangladesh's density of 1,252 people per km², Peru would have 1.62 billion people. It has 34.2 million.
- At Canada's density of 3.7 people per km², Peru would have 4.8 million people. It has 34.2 million.
- At the median density of the places listed, 72 per km², it would have 93.3 million.
About the same size as
Largest in South America
- Brazil8,473,000 km²
- Argentina2,783,000 km²
- Peru#3 · 1,290,000 km²
- Colombia1,135,000 km²
- Bolivia1,087,000 km²
Compare Peru
Share this outline
Sources and method
- Outline
- Natural Earth, 1:10m Admin 0 - Countries, public domain
- Boundary
- De facto, as drawn by Natural Earth.
- Area
- Measured on the WGS84 ellipsoid from the full-detail outline, shown rounded
- Official figures
- Area, population and capital from Wikidata (CC0), fetched 2026-11-11
- Population
- Wikidata, 2025; covers the whole country, overseas territory included
- Data built
- 2026-11-11