Pe·ru (p -r  ) A country of western South America on the Pacific Ocean. Inhabited since at least the 9th millennium b.c., it was the center of an Incan empire established after the 12th century a.d. The Spanish under Pizarro conquered the empire in 1533 and set up in 1542 the viceroyalty of Peru, which at one time included Panama and all of Spanish South America except Venezuela. Peru achieved full independence from Spain in 1824. Lima is the capital and the largest city. Population: 28,700,000. Pe·ru vi·an (-v -n) adj. & n. |   |
Peru [pəˈruː]
n
(Placename) a republic in W South America, on the Pacific: the centre of the great Inca Empire when conquered by the Spanish in 1532; gained independence in 1824 by defeating Spanish forces with armies led by San Martín and Bolívar; consists of a coastal desert, rising to the Andes; an important exporter of minerals and a major fishing nation. Official languages: Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara. Official religion: Roman Catholic. Currency: nuevo sol. Capital: Lima. Pop.: 26 090 000 (2001 est.). Area: 1 285 215 sq. km (496 222 sq. miles)
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  Peru - a republic in western South America; achieved independence from Spain in 1821; was the heart of the Inca empire from the 12th to 16th centuriesSendero Luminoso, Shining Path, SL - a terrorist group formed in Peru in the late 1960s as a splinter group from the communist party of Peru; is among the most ruthless guerilla organizations in the world; seeks to destroy Peruvian institutions and replace them with a Maoist peasant regime; is involved in the cocaine trade; "Shining Path has been responsible for 30,000 deaths" Movimiento Revolucionario Tupac Anaru, MRTA, Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement - a Marxist-Leninist terrorist organization in Peru; was formed in 1983 to overthrow the Peruvian government and replace it with a Marxist regime; has connections with the ELN in Bolivia OAS, Organization of American States - an association including most countries in the western hemisphere; created in 1948 to promote military and economic and social and cultural cooperation Inka, Inca - the small group of Quechua living in the Cuzco Valley in Peru who established hegemony over their neighbors in order to create an empire that lasted from about 1100 until the Spanish conquest in the early 1530s Arequipa - a city in southern Peru founded in 1540 on the site of an ancient Inca city capital of Peru, Lima - capital and largest city and economic center of Peru; located in western Peru; was capital of the Spanish empire in the New World until the 19th century Machu Picchu - Inca fortress city in the Andes in Peru discovered in 1911; it may have been built in the 15th century El Misti - the world's 2nd largest active volcano; located in the Andes in southern Peru Huainaputina - an inactive volcano in the Andes in southern Peru; last erupted in 1783 Amazon River, Amazon - a major South American river; arises in the Andes and flows eastward into the South Atlantic; the world's 2nd longest river (4000 miles) Andes - a mountain range in South America running 5000 miles along the Pacific coast Coropuna - a mountain peak in the Andes in Peru (21,083 feet high) Huascaran - a mountain in the Andes in Peru (22,205 feet high) South America - a continent in the western hemisphere connected to North America by the Isthmus of Panama Yerupaja - a mountain peak in the Andes in Peru (21,709 feet high) Peruvian - a native or inhabitant of Peru |
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