Real size
How big is Peru really?
1.3 million km²
500,000 sq mi · 20th largest of the 167 here · about the size of Chad
Normal web maps show it about the right size
Peru covers 1.3 million km² (500,000 sq mi), about the size of Chad. It sits close to the equator, where normal web maps barely stretch land, so they show it at about its real size, and make countries farther from the equator look bigger than it.
Measured from our map outlines, so official figures can differ by a few percent. Ranks count the 167 countries and territories on these pages: those over 5,000 km², not counting disputed territories.
- Real area
- 1.3 million km²
- Size rank
- 20th of 167
- On a normal web map
- About right
- Latitude
- 9°S
Countries about the same size
- ChadAbout the same size
- MaliAbout the same size
- AngolaAbout the same size
- South AfricaPeru is 1.1 times the size of South Africa
- NigerPeru is 1.1 times the size of Niger
Peru through history
Borders here have moved many times. Step through our maps, from 2000 BCE to today, to see who ruled this land before, and how big their realms really were.
Open the history map →Browse the eras →
Common questions
- How big is Peru?
- Peru covers about 1.3 million km² (500,000 sq mi). It is the 20th largest of the 167 countries and territories on these pages (those over 5,000 km²).
- Do maps show Peru at the right size?
- Yes. Peru lies so close to the equator that a normal web map barely stretches it, while countries far to the north or south are drawn several times too big.
- Is Peru bigger than Mongolia?
- No. Mongolia is about 1.2 times the size of Peru.
- Is Peru bigger than Chad?
- They are about the same size: within 5% of each other.