Department of Ayacucho

{{Short description|Departments of Peru}}

{{About|the Ayacucho Region|its capital city|Ayacucho}}

{{Redirect|Ayacucho Department|the Department of San Luis Province, Argentina|Ayacucho Department, San Luis}}

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Ayacucho

| native_name = Departamento de Ayacucho (Spanish)
Ayakuchu suyu (Quechua)

| native_name_lang =

| settlement_type = Department

| image_skyline = Sara Sara Volcano.jpg

| image_alt =

| image_caption = Sara Sara and Lake Parinacochas in front of it

| image_flag = Flag_of_Ayacucho.svg

| flag_alt =

| image_seal = Escudo_de_Ayacucho.svg

| seal_alt =

| image_shield =

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| nickname =

| motto =

| image_map = Peru - Ayacucho Department (locator map).svg

| map_alt =

| map_caption = Location of the Department of Ayacucho in Peru

| pushpin_map =

| pushpin_map_alt =

| pushpin_map_caption =

| coordinates =

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| coordinates_footnotes =

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = Peru

| subdivision_type1 = Subdivisions

| subdivision_name1 = 11 provinces and 111 districts

| subdivision_type2 =

| subdivision_name2 =

| subdivision_type3 = Largest city

| subdivision_name3 = Ayacucho

| established_title =

| established_date =

| founder =

| seat_type = Capital

| seat = Ayacucho

| government_footnotes =

| leader_party =

| leader_title = Governor

| leader_name = Wilfredo Oscorima Núñez
(2023–2026)

| unit_pref = Metric

| area_footnotes =

| area_total_km2 = 43814.8

| area_land_km2 =

| area_water_km2 =

| area_water_percent =

| area_note =

| elevation_footnotes = (Capital)

| elevation_m = 2746

| elevation_max_m = 5,505

| elevation_min_m = 1800

| population_footnotes =

| population_total = 616176

| population_as_of = 2017

| population_density_km2 = auto

| population_demonym =

| population_note =

| timezone1 =

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| postal_code_type = UBIGEO

| postal_code = 05

| area_code_type = Dialing code

| area_code = 066

| iso_code = PE-AYA

| website = [http://www.regionayacucho.gob.pe www.regionayacucho.gob.pe]

| footnotes =

| blank_name_sec1 = Principal resources

| blank_info_sec1 = Potatoes, wheat, olluco, barley, sheep and handicrafts.

| blank2_name_sec1 = Poverty rate

| blank2_info_sec1 = 72.5%

| blank3_name_sec1 = Percentage of Peru's GDP

| blank3_info_sec1 = 0.65%

| official_name =

}}

Ayacucho ({{IPA|es|aʝaˈkutʃo|-|ES-pe - Ayacucho.oga}}), known as Huamanga from its creation in 1822 until 1825,{{Cite web |url=https://www.bcrp.gob.pe/docs/Sucursales/Huancayo/ayacucho-caracterizacion.pdf |title=Caracterización del departamento de Ayacucho |website=BCRP}}{{Cite web |url=https://repositorio.bicentenario.gob.pe/handle/20.500.12934/661 |title=Copia de Decreto que cambia nombre a Huamanga |date=1825-02-15 |website=Biblioteca Bicentenario}} 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.{{cn|date=January 2023}}