How big is Peru really?
Peru covers 1,297,179 km² (500,843 mi²).
- Area
- 1,297,179 km² (500,843 mi²)
- Rank by area
- 20 of 219 countries and territories
- Closest in size
- South Africa (1,293,045 km²)
- Population
- 34,000,000
- People per km²
- 26
- Size on a Mercator map
- 1 times the real size
Open in TrueSizeAll countries by area
Peru vs United States (Contiguous 48)
The larger of the two covers 6.1 times the area of the smaller one, so the smaller one would fit into it 6.1 times.
| Peru | United States (Contiguous 48) | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 1,297,179 km² | 7,930,605 km² |
| Population | 34,000,000 | 330,211,806 |
| People per km² | 26 | 42 |
| Difference in area | 6,633,426 km² | |
Peru vs United Kingdom
The larger of the two covers 5.3 times the area of the smaller one, so the smaller one would fit into it 5.3 times.
| Peru | United Kingdom | |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 1,297,179 km² | 242,602 km² |
| Population | 34,000,000 | 67,736,802 |
| People per km² | 26 | 279 |
| Difference in area | 1,054,577 km² | |
Peru on a Mercator map
Most online maps and many printed world maps use the Mercator projection, which enlarges areas more and more towards the poles. This outline lies near the equator, so these maps draw it almost at its true size (1 times).
The outline reaches from 18.4° S to 0° S; at these latitudes Mercator enlarges areas between 1 and 1.1 times.
Countries closest in size
| Rank | Country | Area | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Peru | 1,297,179 km² | – |
| 21 | South Africa | 1,293,045 km² | -0.3% |
| 22 | Chad | 1,277,436 km² | -1.5% |
| 23 | Mali | 1,256,242 km² | -3.2% |
| 24 | Angola | 1,252,303 km² | -3.5% |
| 25 | Niger | 1,184,687 km² | -8.7% |
Peru: largest regions
| Region | Area | Share of the country |
|---|---|---|
| Loreto | 376,203 km² | 29% |
| Ucayali | 105,756 km² | 8.2% |
| Madre de Dios | 84,901 km² | 6.5% |
| Cusco | 72,280 km² | 5.6% |
| Puno | 67,931 km² | 5.2% |
- First-level regions in TrueSize
- 25
Peru in history
- First entry on the timeline
- 1532: Inca Empire
- Border changes on the timeline
- 18
- Largest extent on the timeline
- 14,515,530 km² (1542–1571)
| Names on the timeline | Years |
|---|---|
| Inca Empire | 1532 |
| Central Andes and Vilcabamba | 1533–1541 |
| Viceroyalty of Peru | 1542–1819 |
| Peru | 1820–1823 |
| Republic of Peru | 1824–Today |
| North Peru and South Peru | 1836–1838 |
| Peru and occupied El Oro | 1941 |
More comparisons
Areas are calculated from the outlines TrueSize draws on the map, so they can differ slightly from official figures. Population figures are estimates.