Peru is located in the west of South America. The country’s name comes from the Indio language Quechua and means “lushness” in translation. Peru is bordered clockwise by Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia and Chile. To the west is the Pacific Ocean. Peru is the third largest country in South America after Brazil and Argentina. By population, it is the fourth largest country, because there are even more people living in Colombia, although it is slightly smaller than Peru. Peru is located in the southern hemisphere of the Earth.


What country does Peru belong to?
The Andes, i.e. a mountain range, run through the country from north to south. Peru is thus one of the Andean countries with Ecuador, Bolivia and Chile. From the 15th century, the great Inca Empire was located on their territories. So there are still many similarities among the Indians who speak Quechua and build their houses with mud bricks.
There are three natural areas in Peru: the coast in the west, the mountains (Sierra, Andes) in the middle and the Selva (forest, lowland) in the east.
The coast: Costa
The coastal region occupies only 11 percent of the country’s area. Nevertheless, most of the cities are located on the coast. Because the Humboldt Current brings very cold water here, it also cools the air and prevents the formation of rain clouds. This means that the land here is very dry.
Especially south of Lima, which is located about in the middle of the coastal region of Peru, hardly any rain falls. The further south you get, the drier and more desert-like it gets. The Atacama Desert then begins on the border with Chile. It is one of the driest landscapes on Earth! In some places it does not rain for decades. The land is fertile where rivers cut through it. People settled here and built cities. The length of the entire coastline is 2400 kilometers!
What language does Peru speak?
Is Peru in Europe or Asia?