The Republic of Peru is democratic, social, independent, and sovereign, according to its constitution. Peru is a unitary state because it has a government that is well established and representative. Additionally, Peru follows the principle of powers and would be a unitary state because of this. Peru would not be a federal state because federalism is a form of government in which authority is divided (in various ways) between a central government and local governments. Peru does have many regions, but power is centralized instead of separated regionally. For example, Lima is the capital of Peru and is separated into 25 regions. Each area has a four-year-term elected government consisting of a president and council. These governments oversee regional development, public investment projects, economic development, and the management of public property. Though there are multiple regions throughout Peru, these regions do not have power like Peru as a country does.

Peru is a multinational country, and Peruvian culture today is a mixture of indigenous traditions, European colonial influences, and African and Asian influences. Prior to Spanish colonialism, Peru was home to a variety of Indigenous groups, resulting in a vast range of cultural diversity. In Peru, there is a wide range of languages, religious practices, clothing, and cultural customs. Despite Peru's multinational society, injustice and discrimination still exist. For example, African-Peruvians have had unequal access to healthcare, economic possibilities, and educational chances throughout history and into the present. Additionally, there is also a huge difference between rural and urban areas. Larger cities like Lima or Arequipa are highly developed regions, but when you move more North towards the Amazon Rainforest, regions tend to be less developed and much poorer.

Throughout Peru’s existence, multiple states have colonized and imperialized their territory for short periods of time. In the 16th century, the Spanish Empire conquered Peru and established a Viceroyalty with jurisdiction over most of its South American territories. The country declared independence from Spain in 1821, but it wasn't until the Battle of Ayacucho three years later that it was consolidated. After Peru’s independence from Spain, it is believed that around 1,900 British people are thought to have settled in Peru between 1860 and 1950. During this time period, Southampton and London, as well as Birmingham and Liverpool, were the most popular destinations for British emigrants in Peru. This then resulted in the European Immigration Society being created in Peru in 1872 (Spanish: Sociedad de Inmigración Europea). By this time, Peru had gained its independence, but later on the Japanese Empire picked Peru as a destination for its inhabitants since it was the first Latin American country to establish diplomatic relations with the Asian nation. Japan had not colonized Peru, but inhabitants had been placed there, and presence like this was seen in the country later on as well.

In Peru there have been many traces to terrorism. In 2020, there were six terrorist attacks that resulted in death. Some of the terrorist attacks and attempts were not as substantially dangerous, but still considered terrorism. First, on March 4, SL ambushed a joint police-military patrol and four officers were wounded. Second, on July 20, SL assassinated a soldier in the VRAEM Ayacucho's Huanta province's Pucacolpa district. Third, also on July 20 the military reported three SL terrorists were killed after they fired on a helicopter patrolling Ayacucho’s Huanta province. Fourth, on August 24, SL killed one soldier and one police officer during a combined police and military operation in Chachaspata, a town in the department of Ayacucho. Fifth, two soldiers and a police officer were killed on October 29 during a joint military-police patrol in Ayacucho's Huanta region in the VRAEM Emergency Zone after one of them stepped on a landmine planted by "terrorist criminals," according to the Peruvian government. Sixth, on December 21, SL assaulted a joint Navy-National Police Hovercraft drill in Junn's Satipo province in the VRAEM, killing one police officer and injuring three others from the banks of the Mantaro River. These terrorist attacks from SL are happening often, and Peru’s government is working on ways to stop them from happening.