Geographic coordinates:
10 00 S, 76 00 W

Map references:
South America

Area:
total: 1,285,220 sq km
land: 1.28 million sq km
water: 5,220 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Alaska

Land boundaries:
total: 7,461 km
border countries: Bolivia 1,075 km, Brazil 2,995 km, Chile 171 km,
Colombia 1,800 km, Ecuador 1,420 km

Coastline:
2,414 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm

Climate:
varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to
frigid in Andes

Terrain:
western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center
(sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Nevado Huascaran 6,768 m