Ancash (Quechua: Anqash; Spanish: Áncash pronounced [ˈaŋkaʃ]) is a department and region in northern Peru. It is bordered by the departments of La Libertad on the north, Huánuco and Pasco on the east, Lima on the south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Its capital is the city of Huaraz, and its largest city and port is Chimbote. The name of the region originates from the Quechua word anqash ('light, of little weight'), from anqas ('blue') or from anka ('eagle').
