List of Peru Departaments and Capitals

Written and Fact-checked by Whereig Editors | Last Updated On: May 27, 2026

Peru is divided into 25 regions or departments (departamentos). Here is a list of the departments in Peru:

Peru is a South American country bordered by Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, and the Pacific Ocean. The country is divided into 24 regions and 1 constitutional province for administrative governance. Lima is the national capital and also the largest city in Peru.

The country includes the Andes Mountains, Amazon rainforest, coastal deserts, river valleys, high plateaus, and Pacific coastline stretching across western South America. Different regions are known for mining, agriculture, tourism, fishing, forestry, and ancient cultural heritage.

Key Facts

National capital: Lima
Total population: 35,000,000 (Official estimate 2025)
Total area: 1,285,216 km² (496,225 sq miles)
Currency: Peruvian Sol (PEN)
Bordering countries: Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile
Total Regions and Constitutional Province: 25
Total Provinces: 190+

List of Regions and Capitals of Peru

Total administrative divisions shown: 25 | Combined population: 35,000,000 | Combined area: 1,285,216 km²

#	Region / Province	Capital City	Geographic Region	Area (km²)	Population (Latest Census)
1	Amazonas	Chachapoyas	Northern Highlands	39,249	430,000
2	Áncash	Huaraz	Central Andes	35,914	1,200,000
3	Apurímac	Abancay	Southern Highlands	20,896	450,000
4	Arequipa	Arequipa	Southern Coast	63,345	1,600,000
5	Ayacucho	Ayacucho	South-Central Andes	43,815	700,000
6	Cajamarca	Cajamarca	Northern Andes	33,318	1,500,000
7	Callao Constitutional Province	Callao	Pacific Port Region	147	1,100,000
8	Cusco	Cusco	Southern Andes	71,986	1,400,000
9	Huancavelica	Huancavelica	Central Highlands	22,131	370,000
10	Huánuco	Huánuco	Central-Eastern Peru	36,849	900,000
11	Ica	Ica	Southern Coast	21,328	1,000,000
12	Junín	Huancayo	Central Andes	44,197	1,400,000
13	La Libertad	Trujillo	Northern Coast	25,500	2,200,000
14	Lambayeque	Chiclayo	Northern Coast	14,231	1,400,000
15	Lima Region	Huacho	Central Coast	32,126	1,100,000
16	Lima Metropolitan Area	Lima	Capital Region	2,672	11,000,000
17	Loreto	Iquitos	Amazon Basin	368,852	1,100,000
18	Madre de Dios	Puerto Maldonado	Amazon Rainforest	85,301	180,000
19	Moquegua	Moquegua	Southern Coast	15,734	210,000
20	Pasco	Cerro de Pasco	Central Highlands	25,320	280,000
21	Piura	Piura	Northwestern Coast	35,892	2,100,000
22	Puno	Puno	Altiplano Region	71,999	1,300,000
23	San Martín	Moyobamba	Amazon Foothills	51,253	950,000
24	Tacna	Tacna	Southern Borderlands	16,076	390,000
25	Ucayali	Pucallpa	Eastern Amazon	102,410	650,000

Largest Regions by Area

Loreto - 142,414 sq mi (368,852 km²)
Ucayali - 39,541 sq mi (102,410 km²)
Madre de Dios - 32,935 sq mi (85,301 km²)
Puno - 27,799 sq mi (71,999 km²)
Cusco - 27,794 sq mi (71,986 km²)
Arequipa - 24,458 sq mi (63,345 km²)
San Martín - 19,789 sq mi (51,253 km²)
Junín - 17,065 sq mi (44,197 km²)

Most Populous Regions

Lima Metropolitan Area - Population: 11,000,000 (Official Estimate 2025)
La Libertad - Population: 2,200,000 (Official Estimate 2025)
Piura - Population: 2,100,000 (Official Estimate 2025)
Arequipa - Population: 1,600,000 (Official Estimate 2025)
Cajamarca - Population: 1,500,000 (Official Estimate 2025)
Cusco - Population: 1,400,000 (Official Estimate 2025)
Junín - Population: 1,400,000 (Official Estimate 2025)
Lambayeque - Population: 1,400,000 (Official Estimate 2025)

Smallest Regions by Area

Callao Constitutional Province - 57 sq mi (147 km²)
Lima Metropolitan Area - 1,032 sq mi (2,672 km²)
Lambayeque - 5,495 sq mi (14,231 km²)
Moquegua - 6,075 sq mi (15,734 km²)
Tacna - 6,207 sq mi (16,076 km²)
Apurímac - 8,068 sq mi (20,896 km²)

Administrative Divisions by Geographic Grouping

Altiplano Region: Puno
Amazon Basin: Loreto
Amazon Foothills: San Martín
Amazon Rainforest: Madre de Dios
Capital Region: Lima Metropolitan Area
Central Andes: Áncash, Junín
Central Coast: Lima Region
Central-Eastern Peru: Huánuco
Central Highlands: Huancavelica, Pasco
Eastern Amazon: Ucayali
Northern Andes: Cajamarca
Northern Coast: La Libertad, Lambayeque
Northern Highlands: Amazonas
Northwestern Coast: Piura
Pacific Port Region: Callao Constitutional Province
South-Central Andes: Ayacucho
Southern Andes: Cusco
Southern Borderlands: Tacna
Southern Coast: Arequipa, Ica, Moquegua
Southern Highlands: Apurímac

Regions with Coastline

Arequipa
Callao Constitutional Province
Ica
La Libertad
Lambayeque
Lima Metropolitan Area
Lima Region
Moquegua
Piura
Tacna

Regions Sharing Borders with Other Countries

Ecuador: Piura
Colombia: Loreto
Brazil: Loreto, Madre de Dios, Ucayali
Bolivia: Cusco, Madre de Dios, Puno
Chile: Tacna

Major Economic Activities by Region

Region	Main Economic Activity	Known For
Lima Metropolitan Area	Finance and manufacturing	National capital and largest urban area
Cusco	Tourism	Machu Picchu and Inca heritage
Arequipa	Mining and industry	Volcanic landscapes and commerce
Piura	Agriculture and fishing	Coastal farming and ports
Loreto	Forestry and oil production	Amazon rainforest region
La Libertad	Agriculture and trade	Sugar and export industries

Sources

World Countries and Capitals

Location Map of Asian Countries

Peru Departaments and Capitals - Departaments in Peru