Pe ‧ ru /pəˈruː/ BrE AmE
a country on the west coast of South America, north of Bolivia and south of Ecuador. Population: 29,180,899 (2008). Capital: Lima. The high Andes Mountains cover a large part of the country. People connect Peru especially with the Incas, a Native American people who ruled the area before the first Europeans arrived, and who built many very impressive buildings, including those at Machu Picchu.