Department of Ayacucho

Ayacucho Departamento de Ayacucho (Spanish) Ayakuchu suyu (Quechua)
Department
Sara Sara and Lake Parinacochas in front of it
Flag Seal
Location of the Department of Ayacucho in Peru
Country	Peru
Subdivisions	11 provinces and 111 districts
Largest city	Ayacucho
Capital	Ayacucho
Government
• Governor	Wilfredo Oscorima Núñez (2023–2026)
Area
• Total	43,814.8 km2 (16,917.0 sq mi)
Elevation (Capital)	2,746 m (9,009 ft)
Highest elevation	5,505 m (18,061 ft)
Lowest elevation	1,800 m (5,900 ft)
Population  (2017)
• Total	616,176
• Density	14/km2 (36/sq mi)
UBIGEO	05
Dialing code	066
ISO 3166 code	PE-AYA
Principal resources	Potatoes, wheat, olluco, barley, sheep and handicrafts.
Poverty rate	72.5%
Percentage of Peru's GDP	0.65%
Website	www.regionayacucho.gob.pe

Ayacucho (Spanish pronunciation: [aʝaˈkutʃo] ^ⓘ), known as Huamanga from its creation in 1822 until 1825,^[1][2] is a department and region of Peru, located in the south-central Andes of the country. Its capital is the city of Ayacucho. The region was one of the hardest hit in the 1980s during the guerrilla war waged by Shining Path known as the internal conflict in Peru.

A referendum was held on 30 October 2005, in order to decide whether the department would merge with the departments of Ica and Huancavelica to form the new Ica-Ayacucho-Huancavelica Region, as part of the decentralization process in Peru. The proposal failed and no merger was carried out.^{[citation needed]}