Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
. It is located in the valleys of the
Chillón,
Rímac and
Lurín River
The Lurín River is a long watercourse located in the Lima Region of Peru. It originates in the glaciers and lagoons of the western Andes. It is known as the Chalilla River until joining the Taquía creek where it receives its common name. Its m ...
s, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of the country, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaside city of
Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the
Lima Metropolitan Area. With a population of more than 9.7 million in its urban area and more than 10.7 million in its metropolitan area, Lima is one of the largest cities in the
Americas
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.
Along with th ...
.
Lima was named by natives in the agricultural region known by native Peruvians as ''Limaq''. It became the capital and most important city in the
Viceroyalty of Peru
The Viceroyalty of Peru ( es, Virreinato del Perú, links=no) was a Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in South America, governed fro ...
. Following the
Peruvian War of Independence
The Peruvian War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia del Perú, links=no) consisted in a series of military conflicts in Peru beginning with viceroy Abascal military victories in the south frontier in 1809, in La Paz revolution an ...
, it became the capital of the Republic of Peru (República del Perú). Around one-third of the national population now lives in its
metropolitan area.
The city of Lima is considered to be the political, cultural, financial and commercial center of Peru. Lima is home to one of the oldest institutions of higher learning: the
National University of San Marcos
The National University of San Marcos ( es, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, link=no, UNMSM) is a public research university located in Lima, the capital of Peru. It is considered the most important, recognized and representative educ ...
, founded on 12 May 1551, is the first officially established and the oldest continuously functioning university in the
New World
The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...
. Lima is also one of the
thirty most populated urban agglomerations in the world. Due to its geostrategic importance, the
Globalization and World Cities Research Network
The Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) is a think tank that studies the relationships between world cities in the context of globalization. It is based in the geography department of Loughborough University in Leicestershire ...
has categorized it as a "beta" tier city. Jurisdictionally, the metropolis extends mainly within the
province of Lima and in a smaller portion, to the west, within the
Constitutional Province of Callao
Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and Regions of Peru, region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists o ...
, where the seaport and the
Jorge Chávez Airport are located. Both provinces have regional autonomy since 2002.
In October 2013, Lima was chosen to host the
2019 Pan American Games
; ay, Taqinipuniw anatt’apxtanxa''
, nations participating = 41
, athletes participating = 6,680
, events = 419 in 38 sports
, opening ceremony = July 26
, closing ceremony = August 11
, officially opened by = Martín Vizcarra
, to ...
; these games were held at venues in and around Lima, and were the largest sporting event ever hosted by the country. It also hosted the
APEC
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC ) is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Meetings of 2008 and 2016, the
in October 2015, the
United Nations Climate Change Conference
The United Nations Climate Change Conferences are yearly conferences held in the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). They serve as the formal meeting of the UNFCCC parties (Conference of the Parties, ...
in December 2014, and the
Miss Universe 1982
Miss Universe 1982, the 31st Miss Universe pageant, was held on 26 July 1982 at the Coliseo Amauta in Lima, Peru. It was the first time in the pageant's history that the event was held in South America. Seventy-seven contestants competed in the ...
contest.
Etymology
According to early Spanish articles, the Lima area was once called ''Itchyma'', after its original inhabitants. However, even before the
Inca
The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...
occupation of the area in the 15th century, a famous oracle in the Rímac valley had come to be known by visitors as ''Limaq'' (Limaq, pronounced , which means "talker" or "speaker" in the
coastal Quechua that was the area's primary language before the Spanish arrival). This oracle was eventually destroyed by the Spanish and replaced with a church, but the name persisted: the chronicles show "Límac" replacing "Ychma" as the common name for the area.
Modern scholars speculate that the word "Lima" originated as the Spanish pronunciation of the native name Limaq. Linguistic evidence seems to support this theory, as spoken Spanish consistently rejects
stop consonants in word-final position.
The city was founded in 1535 under the name City of
Kings (), because its foundation was decided on 6 January, date of the feast of the
Epiphany. This name quickly fell into disuse, and ''Lima'' became the city's name of choice; on the oldest Spanish maps of Peru, both ''Lima'' and ''Ciudad de los Reyes'' can be seen together.
![The Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Peru (Inca Empire), Guamán Poma, 1616](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/The_Coat_of_Arms_of_the_Kingdom_of_Peru_%28Inca_Empire%29%2C_Guam%C3%A1n_Poma%2C_1616.jpg)
The river that feeds Lima is called ''Rímac'', and many people erroneously assume that this is because its original Inca name is "Talking River" (the Incas spoke a highland variety of Quechua, in which the word for "talker" was pronounced ). However, the original inhabitants of the valley were not Incas. This name is an innovation arising from an effort by the
Cuzco
Cusco, often spelled Cuzco (; qu, Qusqu ()), is a city in Southeastern Peru near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region and of the Cusco Province. The city is the seventh most populous in Peru; ...
nobility in colonial times to standardize the toponym so that it would conform to the phonology of
Cuzco Quechua.
Later, as the original inhabitants died out and the local Quechua became extinct, the Cuzco pronunciation prevailed. Nowadays, Spanish-speaking locals do not see the connection between the name of their city and the name of the river that runs through it. They often assume that the valley is named after the river; however, Spanish documents from the colonial period show the opposite to be true.
Symbols
![Old Coat of arms of Lima](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Old_Coat_of_arms_of_Lima.svg)
Flag
Historically, it is known as "Banner of the City of the Kings of Peru". It is formed by a
golden-colored silk canvas and in the center is the embroidered coat of arms of the city.
Coat of arms
The
coat of arms of Lima was granted by the
Spanish Crown on 7 December 1537, through a real cédula signed in
Valladolid
Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...
by
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and his mother, Queen
Joanna of Castile
Joanna (6 November 1479 – 12 April 1555), historically known as Joanna the Mad ( es, link=no, Juana la Loca), was the nominal Queen of Castile from 1504 and Queen of Aragon from 1516 to her death in 1555. She was married by arrangement to P ...
. It is formed by a main field
azure, with three
gold crowns of kings placed in a triangle and above them a gold star that touches the three crowns with its points, and in the
orle some gold letters that say: ''Hoc signum vere regum est (This is the true sign of the kings).'' Outside the shield are the initials I and K (Ioana and Karolus), which are the names of Queen Joanna and her son Charles V. A star is placed above the letters and two crowned
sabre
A sabre ( French: sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...
-faced eagles embracing them, which hold the coat of arms.
Anthem
The anthem of Lima was heard for the first time on 18 January 2008, in a solemn session that was attended by the then
President of Peru
The president of Peru ( es, link=no, presidente del Perú), officially called the president of the Republic of Peru ( es, link=no, presidente de la República del Perú), is the head of state and head of government of Peru. The president is th ...
Alan García
Alan Gabriel Ludwig García Pérez (; 23 May 1949 – 17 April 2019) was a Peruvian politician who served as President of Peru for two non-consecutive terms from 1985 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2011. He was the second leader of the Peruvian Apris ...
, the mayor of the city
Luis Castañeda Lossio
Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...
and various authorities. Those in charge of creating the anthem were the
councillor
A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries.
Canada
Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...
s Luis Enrique Tord (author of the lyrics), Euding Maeshiro (composer of the melody) and the musical producer Ricardo Núñez (arranger).
History
Pre-Columbian era
![Pachacamac Mamacona2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Pachacamac_Mamacona2.jpg)
Although the history of the city of Lima began with its Spanish foundation in 1535, the territory formed by the valleys of the
Rímac,
Chillón and
Lurín rivers was occupied by pre-Inca settlements, which were grouped under the
Lordship of Ichma. The Maranga culture and the
Lima culture
The Lima culture was an indigenous civilization which existed in modern-day Lima, Peru during the Early Intermediate Period, extending from roughly 100 to 650. This pre-Incan culture, which overlaps with surrounding Paracas, Moche, and Nasca civi ...
were the ones that established and forged an identity in these territories. During those times, the sanctuaries of Lati (current
Puruchuco) and
Pachacámac (the main pilgrimage sanctuary during the time of the Incas) were built.
These cultures were conquered by the
Wari Empire
The Wari Empire or Huari Empire was a political formation that emerged around 600 CE in Peru's Ayacucho Basin and grew to cover much of coastal and highland Peru. The empire lasted for about 500 years, until 1100 CE. It existed during the same era ...
during the height of its imperial expansion. It is during this time that the ceremonial center of
Cajamarquilla was built.
As Wari importance declined, local cultures regained autonomy, highlighting the
Chancay culture. Later, in the 15th century, these territories were incorporated into the
Inca Empire
The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The adm ...
. From this time we can find a great variety of
huaca
In the Quechuan languages of South America, a huaca or wak'a is an object that represents something revered, typically a monument of some kind. The term ''huaca'' can refer to natural locations, such as immense rocks. Some huacas have been ass ...
s throughout the city, some of which are under investigation.
The most important or well-known are those of
Huallamarca,
Pucllana and Mateo Salado, all located in the middle of Lima districts with very high urban growth, so they are surrounded by business and residential buildings; however, that does not prevent its perfect state of conservation. On the outskirts of the city are the ruins of
Pachacámac, an important religious center built by the
Lima culture
The Lima culture was an indigenous civilization which existed in modern-day Lima, Peru during the Early Intermediate Period, extending from roughly 100 to 650. This pre-Incan culture, which overlaps with surrounding Paracas, Moche, and Nasca civi ...
3,000 years ago and which was used even until the time the
Spanish conquistadors
Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, ...
arrived.
Foundation of Lima
![Lima POMA1039v](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Lima_POMA1039v.jpg)
In 1532, the Spanish and their indigenous allies (from the ethnic groups subdued by the Incas) under the command of
Francisco Pizarro
Francisco Pizarro González, Marquess of the Atabillos (; ; – 26 June 1541) was a Spanish conquistador, best known for his expeditions that led to the Spanish conquest of Peru.
Born in Trujillo, Spain to a poor family, Pizarro chose ...
took monarch
Atahualpa prisoner in the city of
Cajamarca
Cajamarca (), also known by the Quechua name, ''Kashamarka'', is the capital and largest city of the Cajamarca Region as well as an important cultural and commercial center in the northern Andes. It is located in the northern highlands of Peru ...
. Although a ransom was paid, he was sentenced to death for political and strategic reasons. After some battles, the Spanish
conquered their empire. The
Spanish Crown named Francisco Pizarro governor of the lands he had conquered. Pizarro decided to found the capital in the Rímac river valley, after the failed attempt to establish it in
Jauja
Jauja (Shawsha Wanka Quechua: Sausa, Shawsha or Shausha, formerly in Spanish Xauxa, with pronunciation of "x" as "sh") is a city and capital of Jauja Province in Peru. It is situated in the fertile Mantaro Valley, to the northwest of Huancayo ( ...
.
He considered that Lima was strategically located, close to a favorable coast for the construction of a
port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...
but prudently far from it in order to prevent attacks by
pirate
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
s and foreign powers, on fertile lands and with a suitable cool climate. Thus, on 18 January 1535, Lima was founded with the name "City of the Kings", named in this way in honor of the
epiphany, on territories that had been of the
kuraka
A ''kuraka'' ( Quechua for the principal governor of a province or a communal authority in the Tawantinsuyu), or curaca (hispanicized spelling), was an official of the Inca Empire who held the role of magistrate, about four levels down from the S ...
Taulichusco. The explanation of this name is due to the fact that "around the same time in January, the Spaniards were looking for the place to lay the foundation for the new city,
..not far from the
Pachacámac sanctuary, near the
Rímac river
The Rímac River is located in western Peru and is the most important source of potable water for the Lima and Callao Metropolitan Area.
The river is part of the Pacific watershed and has a length of 204 km. The river begins in the highlan ...
.
However, as had happened with the region, initially called
New Castile and later
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
, the City of the Kings soon lost its name in favor of "Lima". Pizarro, with the collaboration of
Nicolás de Ribera, Diego de Agüero and Francisco Quintero personally traced the
Plaza Mayor and the rest of the city grid, building the Viceroyalty Palace (today transformed into the
Government Palace of Peru, which hence retains the traditional name of ''Casa de Pizarro'') and the
Cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...
, whose first stone Pizarro laid with his own hands. In August 1536, the flourishing city was besieged by the troops of monarch
Manco Inca Yupanqui
Manco Inca Yupanqui ( 1515 – c. 1544) (''Manqu Inka Yupanki'' in Quechua) was the founder and monarch (Sapa Inca) of the independent Neo-Inca State in Vilcabamba, although he was originally a puppet Inca Emperor installed by the Spaniards. ...
, but the Spanish and their indigenous allies managed to defeat them.
In the following years, Lima gained prestige by being designated the capital of the
Viceroyalty of Peru
The Viceroyalty of Peru ( es, Virreinato del Perú, links=no) was a Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in South America, governed fro ...
and the seat of a ''
Real Audiencia
A ''Real Audiencia'' (), or simply an ''Audiencia'' ( ca, Reial Audiència, Audiència Reial, or Audiència), was an appellate court in Spain and its empire. The name of the institution literally translates as Royal Audience. The additional des ...
'' in 1543. Since the location of the coastal city was conditioned by the ease of communications with
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, a close bond with the port of
Callao was soon established.
File:Diego de Almagro y Francisco Pizarro en Castilla.jpg, Francisco Pizarro
Francisco Pizarro González, Marquess of the Atabillos (; ; – 26 June 1541) was a Spanish conquistador, best known for his expeditions that led to the Spanish conquest of Peru.
Born in Trujillo, Spain to a poor family, Pizarro chose ...
and Diego Almagro portrayed in 1615 by the Inca
The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...
painter Guamán Poma. Royal Library, Denmark
The Royal Library ( da, Det Kongelige Bibliotek) in Copenhagen is the national library of Denmark and the university library of the University of Copenhagen. It is among the largest libraries in the world and the largest in the Nordic countries ...
.
File:Kusi Yupanqui.jpg, Captain Luis de Ávalos de Ayala kills Manco Inca Yupanqui
Manco Inca Yupanqui ( 1515 – c. 1544) (''Manqu Inka Yupanki'' in Quechua) was the founder and monarch (Sapa Inca) of the independent Neo-Inca State in Vilcabamba, although he was originally a puppet Inca Emperor installed by the Spaniards. ...
in the conquest of Lima. Chronicle made in 1615 by the Inca
The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...
painter Guamán Poma. Royal Library, Denmark
The Royal Library ( da, Det Kongelige Bibliotek) in Copenhagen is the national library of Denmark and the university library of the University of Copenhagen. It is among the largest libraries in the world and the largest in the Nordic countries ...
.
Viceroyalty time
![Plaza de Armas, Lima](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Plaza_de_Armas%2C_Lima.jpg)
For the next century, it prospered as the center of an extensive trade network that integrated the viceroyalty with the
Americas
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.
Along with th ...
,
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
, and
East Asia
East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both Geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The modern State (polity), states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ...
. But the city was not without its dangers; violent earthquakes destroyed a large part of it between 1586 and 1687, leading to a great deal of construction activity. It is then when
aqueducts,
starlings
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The Sturnidae are named for the genus '' Sturnus'', which in turn comes from the Latin word for starling, ''sturnus''. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, ...
and retaining walls appear before the flooding of the rivers, the bridge over the
Rímac is finished, the
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...
is built, and numerous hospitals, convents and monasteries are built. Then we can see that the city is articulated around its neighborhoods. Another threat was the presence of
pirate
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
s and
corsairs in the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
, which motivated the construction of the
Walls of Lima
The Walls of Lima were a fortification consisting mainly of walls and bastions whose purpose was to defend the city of Lima from exterior attacks. It was built between 1684 and 1687, during the Viceroy Melchor de Navarra y Rocafull (Duke of Pa ...
between 1684 and 1687.
The
1687 earthquake marked a turning point in the
history of Lima, since it coincided with a recession in trade due to economic competition with other cities such as
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
. With the creation of the
Viceroyalty of New Granada
The Viceroyalty of New Granada ( es, Virreinato de Nueva Granada, links=no ) also called Viceroyalty of the New Kingdom of Granada or Viceroyalty of Santafé was the name given on 27 May 1717, to the jurisdiction of the Spanish Empire in norther ...
in 1717, the political demarcations were reorganized, and Lima only lost some territories that actually already enjoyed their autonomy. In 1746 a
strong earthquake severely damaged the city and destroyed
Callao, forcing a massive reconstruction effort by
Viceroy
A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the French word ''roy'', meaning " ...
José Antonio Manso de Velasco
José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ).
In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...
.
In the second half of the 18th century,
Enlightenment ideas about
public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...
and social control influenced the development of the city. During this period, the Peruvian capital was affected by the
Bourbon reforms
The Bourbon Reforms ( es, Reformas Borbónicas) consisted of political and economic changes promulgated by the Spanish Monarchy, Spanish Crown under various kings of the House of Bourbon, since 1700, mainly in the 18th century. The beginning of ...
as it lost its monopoly on foreign trade and its control over the important mining region of
Upper Peru
Upper Peru (; ) is a name for the land that was governed by the Real Audiencia of Charcas. The name originated in Buenos Aires towards the end of the 18th century after the Audiencia of Charcas was transferred from the Viceroyalty of Peru to t ...
. This economic weakening led the elite of the city to depend on the positions granted by the viceregal government and the
Church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* C ...
, which contributed to keeping them more linked to the Crown than to the cause of independence.
The greatest political-economic impact that the city experienced at that time occurred with the creation of the
Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata
The Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata ( es, Virreinato del Río de la Plata or es, Virreinato de las Provincias del Río de la Plata) meaning "River of the Silver", also called " Viceroyalty of the River Plate" in some scholarly writings, i ...
in 1776, which changed the course and orientations imposed by the new mercantile traffic. Among the buildings built during this period there is the Coliseo de Gallos, the
Acho Bullring and the General Cemetery. The first two were erected to regulate these popular activities, centralizing them in one place, while the cemetery put an end to the practice of burying the dead in churches, considered unhealthy by public authorities.
File:Bridge of Lima, Ladies of Lima 1842 Boilly and Eyriès (cropped).jpg, View of Lima and the Tapada limeña (a colonial women fashion) in a painting of 1842 by d'Orbigny
Alcide Charles Victor Marie Dessalines d'Orbigny (6 September 1802 – 30 June 1857) was a French naturalist who made major contributions in many areas, including zoology (including malacology), palaeontology, geology, archaeology and anthrop ...
and Benoît. Museum of the Americas, Spain.
File:Rimac en 1850.jpg, Lima as seem from the Rímac District, painting of 1850 by Batta Molinelli.
File:Calle de los Judíos (Lima) 1866.jpg, Colonial Calle de los Judíos (''Jewish quarter'') (Lima) in 1866 by Manuel A. Fuentes and Firmin Didot, Brothers, Sons & Co. University of Chicago Library
University of Chicago Library is the library system of the University of Chicago, located on the university's campus in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is the tenth largest academic library in North America, with over 11.9 million volumes as ...
.
File:Calles de la Coca and de Badegones (Lima) 1866.jpg, Colonial Calles de la Oca and de Bodegones (Lima) in 1866 by Manuel A. Fuentes and Firmin Didot, Brothers, Sons & Co. University of Chicago Library
University of Chicago Library is the library system of the University of Chicago, located on the university's campus in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is the tenth largest academic library in North America, with over 11.9 million volumes as ...
.
File:El viajero ilustrado, 1878 602092 (3810558891).jpg, Puente de Piedra Bridge, the former Arco del Puente Gate and the Walls of Lima
The Walls of Lima were a fortification consisting mainly of walls and bastions whose purpose was to defend the city of Lima from exterior attacks. It was built between 1684 and 1687, during the Viceroy Melchor de Navarra y Rocafull (Duke of Pa ...
in 1878 by ''El Viajero Ilustrado''. Old Fund of the University of Seville.
Independence
![La Independencia del Perú](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/La_Independencia_del_Per%C3%BA.jpg)
A combined expedition of Argentine and Chilean independence fighters led by General Don
José de San Martín
José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (25 February 177817 August 1850), known simply as José de San Martín () or '' the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru'', was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and centr ...
landed in southern Lima in 1820, but did not attack the city. Faced with a naval blockade and guerrilla action on the mainland, Viceroy
José de la Serna
José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ).
In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...
was forced to evacuate the city in July 1821 to save the
Royalist army. Fearing a popular uprising and lacking the means to impose the order, the City Council invited San Martín to enter the city, signing a Declaration of Independence at his request.
Proclaimed the
independence of Peru
The Peruvian War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia del Perú, links=no) consisted in a series of military conflicts in Peru beginning with viceroy Abascal military victories in the south frontier in 1809, in La Paz revolution a ...
in 1821 by General
San Martín, Lima became the capital of the new
Republic of Peru. Thus, it was the seat of the government of the liberator and also the seat of the first
Constituent Congress
A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
that the country had. The war lasted for two more years, during which the city changed hands many times and suffered abuses from both sides. By the time the war was decided, on 9 December 1824, at the
Battle of Ayacucho
The Battle of Ayacucho ( es, Batalla de Ayacucho, ) was a decisive military encounter during the Peruvian War of Independence. This battle secured the independence of Peru and ensured independence for the rest of South America. In Peru it is co ...
, Lima had been considerably impoverished.
Republican era
After the War of Independence, Lima became the capital of the
Republic of Peru, but the country's economic stagnation and political disorder paralyzed its urban development. This situation was reversed in the 1850s, when the growing public and private income derived from the export of
guano allowed a rapid expansion of the city. In the following twenty years, the State financed the construction of large public buildings to replace the old viceregal establishments, among these are the Central Market, the General Slaughterhouse, the Mental Asylum, the
Penitentiary
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correcti ...
and the Hospital Dos de Mayo. There were also improvements in communications; in 1850 a railway line between Lima and Callao was completed and in 1870 an iron bridge was inaugurated over the Rímac River, baptized as Puente Balta. In 1872 the
City Walls were demolished in anticipation of further urban growth in the future. However, this period of economic expansion also widened the gap between rich and poor, producing widespread social unrest.
During the
War of the Pacific
The War of the Pacific ( es, link=no, Guerra del Pacífico), also known as the Saltpeter War ( es, link=no, Guerra del salitre) and by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought ...
(1879–1883), the
Chilean army occupied Lima after defeating Peruvian troops and reserves in the battles of
San Juan and
Miraflores. The city suffered from the invaders, who looted museums, public libraries and educational institutions. At the same time, angry mobs attacked wealthy citizens and the Asian colony, looting their properties and businesses.
20th century
At the beginning of the 20th century, the construction of avenues that would serve as a matrix for the development of the city began. The avenues Paseo de la República, Leguía (today called Arequipa), Brasil and the landscaping Salaverry that headed south and Venezuela and Colonial avenues to the west joining the port of Callao.
In the 1930s the great constructions began with the remodeling of the
Government Palace of Peru and the
Palacio Municipal. These constructions reached their peak in the 1950s, during the government of
Manuel A. Odría
Manuel Arturo Odría Amoretti (26 November 1896 – 18 February 1974) was a military officer who served as the 45th President of Peru, essentially ruling as a military dictator.
Biography
Early life and military career
Manuel Odría was ...
, when the great buildings of the
Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Education were built (Javier Alzamora Valdez Building, currently the seat of the
Superior Court of Justice of Lima), the
Ministry of Health, the
Ministry of Labor
The Ministry of Labour ('' UK''), or Labor ('' US''), also known as the Department of Labour, or Labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, training, a ...
and the Hospitals of the Workers' Insurance and of the Employee as well as the
National Stadium
Many countries have a national sport stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadiu ...
and several large housing units.
Also in those years a phenomenon began that changed the configuration of the city, which was the massive immigration of inhabitants from the interior of the country, producing the exponential growth of the capital's population and the consequent urban expansion.
The new populations were settling on land near the center which was used as an agricultural area. The current districts of
Lince,
La Victoria to the south were populated;
Breña
Breña District ( es, Distrito de Breña) is the smallest district of the Lima Province in Peru. It is part of Lima city metropolitan area.
Government and politics
The current mayor is José Dalton Li Bravo.
Geography
The district has a total ...
and
Pueblo Libre
Pueblo Libre (originally called La Magdalena or Old Magdalena to differentiate it from Magdalena del Mar District) is a district of the Lima Province in Peru. Its name, which means ''Free Town'' or ''Free People'', was granted by José de San Mart ...
to the west;
El Agustino
El Agustino is a district of the Lima Province in Peru. It is part of city of Lima.
Officially established as a district on January 6, 1965, the current mayor (''alcalde'') of El Agustino is Víctor Modesto Salcedo Ríos. The district's postal code ...
,
Ate
Ate or ATE may refer to:
Organizations
* Active Training and Education Trust, a not-for-profit organization providing "Superweeks", holidays for children in the United Kingdom
* Association of Technical Employees, a trade union, now called the Nat ...
and
San Juan de Lurigancho
San Juan de Lurigancho (SJL) is a district in Lima, Peru, located in the area known as ''Cono Este''.
It is Peru's most populous district, with a current population that may exceed one million.
On the north, it is bordered by the districts of ...
to the east and
San Martín de Porres and
Comas to the north.
As an emblematic point of this expansion, in 1973 the self-managed community of Villa El Salvador (current district of
Villa El Salvador
Villa El Salvador (VES) is an urban, largely residential coastal district on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. It borders the district of Chorrillos on the east; the Pacific Ocean on the southwest; Lurín on the southeast; Villa María del Triunfo on ...
) was created, located 30 km south of the city center and currently integrated into the
metropolitan area. In the 1980s,
terrorist
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
violence added to the disorderly growth of the city the increase of settlers who arrived as internally displaced persons.
In the 1940s, Lima started a period of rapid growth spurred by migration from the Andean region, as rural people sought opportunities for work and education. The population, estimated at 600,000 in 1940, reached 1.9 million by 1960 and 4.8 million by 1980. At the start of this period, the urban area was confined to a triangular area bounded by the city's
historic center,
Callao and
Chorrillos; in the following decades settlements spread to the north, beyond the Rímac River, to the east, along the Central Highway and to the south. The new migrants, at first confined to
slums in downtown Lima, led this expansion through large-scale land invasions, which evolved into shanty towns, known as ''
pueblos jóvenes
''Pueblos jóvenes'' (, "young towns") is the term used for the shanty towns that surround Lima and other cities of Peru. Many of these towns have developed into districts of Lima such as Comas, Los Olivos and Villa El Salvador.
Population
P ...
''.
Geography
![ISS030-E-286160](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/ISS030-E-286160.jpg)
The urban area covers about . It is located on mostly flat terrain in the
Peruvian coastal plain, within the valleys of the
Chillón,
Rímac and
Lurín rivers. The city slopes gently from the shores of the Pacific Ocean into valleys and mountain slopes located as high as above sea level. Within the city are isolated hills that are not connected to the surrounding hill chains, such as El Agustino, San Cosme, El Pino, La Milla, Muleria and Pro hills. The San Cristobal hill in the Rímac District, which lies directly north of the downtown area, is the local extreme of an Andean hill outgrowth.
Metropolitan Lima covers , of which (31%) comprise the actual city and (69%) the city outskirts.
The urban area extends around from north to south and around from west to east. The city center is located inland at the shore of the Rímac River, a vital resource for the city, since it carries what will become drinking water for its inhabitants and fuels the hydroelectric dams that provide electricity to the area. While no official administrative definition for the city exists, it is usually considered to be composed of the central 30 of 43 districts of
Lima Province
Lima Province is located in the central coast of Peru and is the only province in the country not belonging to any of the twenty-five regions. Its capital is Lima, which is also the nation's capital.
Despite its small area, this province is the ...
, corresponding to an urban area centered around the historic
Cercado de Lima district. The city is the core of the
Lima Metro Area, one of the ten
largest metro areas in the Americas. Lima is the world's third largest desert city, after
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
, Pakistan, and
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...
, Egypt.
Climate
Lima has a mild climate, despite its location in the tropics and in a
desert. Lima's proximity to the waters of the Pacific Ocean leads to intense maritime moderation of the temperatures, thereby making the climate much milder than those to be expected for a tropical desert, and thus Lima can be classified as a
desert climate
The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in deser ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
: ''BWh'') with
subtropical temperature ranges.
Temperatures rarely fall below or rise above . Two distinct seasons can be identified: summer, December through April, and winter from June through September/October. May and October/November are generally transition months, with a more dramatic warm-to-cool weather transition in later May or/and earlier June. Situated onshore from the cold ocean waters, rainfall is extremely rare in Lima.
The summers, December through April, are sunny, hot, and muggy. Daily temperatures oscillate between lows of and highs of . Coastal fogs occur in some mornings and high clouds in some afternoons and evenings. Summer sunsets are colorful, known by locals as "cielo de brujas" (Spanish for "sky of witches"), since the sky commonly turns shades of orange, pink, and red around 7 pm.
![Climate Chart Lima](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Climate_Chart_Lima.svg)
During winter, June through October, the weather is dramatically different. Grey skies, breezy conditions, higher humidity, and cooler temperatures prevail. Long 10 to 15-day stretches of dark overcast skies are not uncommon. Persistent morning drizzle (
garúa Garúa is a Spanish word meaning drizzle or mist. Although used in other contexts in the Spanish-speaking world, garúa most importantly refers to the moist cold fog that blankets the coasts of Peru, southern Ecuador, and northern Chile, especially ...
) frequently occurs from June through September, coating the streets with a thin layer of water that generally dries up by early afternoon. Winter temperatures vary little between day and night. They range from lows of and highs of , rarely exceeding except in the easternmost districts.
Relative humidity
Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present.
Humidity dep ...
is always very high, particularly in the mornings.
High humidity produces brief morning fog in the early summer and a usually persistent low cloud deck during the winter (generally develops in late May and persists until mid-November or even early December). The predominantly onshore flow makes the Lima area one of the cloudiest among the entire Peruvian coast. Lima has only 1284 hours of sunshine a year, 28.6 hours in July and 184 hours in April, which is exceptionally little for its latitude.
By comparison, London has an average of 1653 hours of sunshine per year, and Moscow 1731 hours of sunshine per year. Winter cloudiness prompts locals to seek sunshine in Andean valleys located at elevations generally above
above sea level.
While relative humidity is high, rainfall is very low due to strong atmospheric stability. The severely low rainfall impacts the city's water supply, which originates from wells and from rivers that flow from the
Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
. Inland districts receive anywhere between of rainfall per year, which accumulates mainly during the winter months. Coastal districts receive only . As previously mentioned, winter precipitation occurs in the form of persistent morning drizzle events. These are locally called 'garúa', 'llovizna' or '
camanchaca
Camanchacas are marine stratocumulus cloud banks that form on the Chilean coast, by the Earth's driest desert, the Atacama Desert, and move inland. In Peru, a similar fog is called garúa, and in Angola cacimbo. On the side of the mountains where ...
s'. On the other hand, summer rain is infrequent and occurs in the form of isolated light and brief showers. These generally occur during afternoons and evenings when leftovers from Andean storms arrive from the east. The lack of heavy rainfall arises from high atmospheric stability caused, in turn, by the combination of cool waters from semi-permanent coastal upwelling and the presence of the cold
Humboldt Current and warm air aloft associated with the South Pacific anticyclone.
Lima's climate (like most of coastal Peru) gets severely disrupted in
El Niño
El Niño (; ; ) is the warm phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific (approximately between the International Date ...
events. Coastal waters usually average around , but get much warmer (as in 1998 when the water reached ). Air temperatures rise accordingly.
Government
National
Lima is the capital city of the
Republic of Peru and
Lima Province
Lima Province is located in the central coast of Peru and is the only province in the country not belonging to any of the twenty-five regions. Its capital is Lima, which is also the nation's capital.
Despite its small area, this province is the ...
. As such, it is home to the three branches of the
Government of Peru
, border = Central
, image =
, caption = Logo of the Government of Peru
, date = 1990
, state = Peru
, address = Government Palace
, leader_title = President of PeruWhile there i ...
.
The
executive branch is headquartered in the
Government Palace, located in the
Plaza Mayor. All
ministries are located in the city.
The
legislative branch
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...
is headquartered in the
Legislative Palace and is home to the
Congress of the Republic of Peru
The Congress of the Republic of Peru ( es, Congreso de la República) is the unicameral body that assumes legislative power in Peru.
Congress' composition is established by Chapter I of Title IV of the Constitution of Peru. Congress is compose ...
.
![Palacio de Justicia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Palacio_de_Justicia._Lima%2C_Per%C3%BA..jpg)
The
Judicial branch
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
is headquartered in the
Palace of Justice and is home to the
Supreme Court of Peru. The
Palace of Justice in Lima is seat of the
Supreme Court of Justice
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
the highest judicial court in Peru with jurisdiction over the entire territory of Peru.
Lima is seat of two of the 28-second highest or
Superior Courts of Justice. The first and oldest Superior Court in Lima is the ''Superior Court of Justice,'' belonging to the
Judicial District and. Due to the
judicial organization of Peru, the highest concentration of courts is located in Lima despite the fact that its judicial district has jurisdiction over only 35 of the
43 districts. The ''Superior Court of the Cono Norte'' is the second Superior Court located in Lima and is part of the
Judicial District of North Lima. This judicial district has jurisdiction over the remaining eight districts, all located in northern Lima.
Local
![Palacio Municipal 21 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Palacio_Municipal_21_1.jpg)
The city is roughly equivalent to the
Province of Lima, which is subdivided into
43 districts. The
Metropolitan Municipality has authority over the entire city, while each district has its own local government. Unlike the rest of the country, the Metropolitan Municipality, although a
provincial municipality, acts as and has functions similar to a
regional government, as it does not belong to any of the
25 regions of Peru. Each of the 43 districts has their own distrital municipality that is in charge of its own district and coordinate with the metropolitan municipality.
Political system
Unlike the rest of the country, the Metropolitan Municipality has functions of regional government and is not part of any administrative region, according to Article 65. 27867 of the Law of Regional Governments enacted on 16 November 2002, 87 The previous political organization remains in the sense that a Governor is the political authority for the department and the city. The functions of this authority are mostly police and military. The same city administration covers the local municipal authority.
International organizations
Lima is home to the headquarters of the
Andean Community of Nations that is a
customs union
A customs union is generally defined as a type of trade bloc which is composed of a free trade area with a common external tariff.GATTArticle 24 s. 8 (a)
Customs unions are established through trade pacts where the participant countries set up ...
comprising the South American countries of
Bolivia,
Colombia,
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
, and
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
. Along with other regional and international organizations.
Demographics
![Perou-Lima 9906a](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Perou-Lima_9906a.jpg)
With a municipal population of 8,852,000 and 9,752,000 for the
metropolitan area and a population density of ,
[Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática]
''Perfil Sociodemográfico del Perú''
pp. 29–30, 32, 34. Lima ranks as the
30th most populous agglomeration in the world, , and the second biggest city in South America in terms of population within city limits, after
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
. Its population features a complex mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Mestizos of mixed
Amerindian
The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the inhabitants of the Americas before the arrival of the European settlers in the 15th century, and the ethnic groups who now identify themselves with those peoples.
Many Indigenous peoples of the A ...
and
European (mostly Spanish and
Italians
, flag =
, flag_caption = The national flag of Italy
, population =
, regions = Italy 55,551,000
, region1 = Brazil
, pop1 = 25–33 million
, ref1 =
, region2 ...
) ancestry are the largest ethnic group.
European Peruvian
Peruvians of European descent, also known as White Peruvians. Traditionally, this group had been more dominant in the political, commercial, and diplomatic sectors of Peruvian society. According to the most recent 2017 census where ethnic self-ide ...
s are the second largest group. Many are of
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
,
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
or
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
descent; many others are of
French,
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
, or
Croatian descent. The minorities in Lima include Amerindians (mostly
Aymara
Aymara may refer to:
Languages and people
* Aymaran languages, the second most widespread Andean language
** Aymara language, the main language within that family
** Central Aymara, the other surviving branch of the Aymara(n) family, which today ...
and
Quechua
Quechua may refer to:
*Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru
*Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language
**So ...
) and
Afro-Peruvians
Black Peruvians or Afro-Peruvians are Peruvian of mostly or partially African descent. They mostly descend from enslaved Africans brought to Peru after the arrival of the conquistadors.
Early history
The first Africans arrived with the conque ...
, whose African ancestors were initially brought to the region as
slaves.
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
of European descent and Middle Easterners are there. Lima's
Asian community is made up primarily of
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
(Cantonese) and
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
descendants, whose ancestors came mostly in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The city has, by far, the largest Chinese diaspora in Latin America.
![Mercado en la Plaza de la Inquisición 1843 (Lima) Rugendas](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Mercado_en_la_Plaza_de_la_Inquisici%C3%B3n_1843_%28Lima%29_Rugendas.jpg)
The first settlement in what would become Lima was made up of 117 housing blocks. In 1562, another district was built across the Rímac River and in 1610, the first stone bridge was built. Lima then had a population of around 26,000; blacks made up around 40% and whites made up around 38%. By 1748, the white population totaled 16,000–18,000. In 1861, the number of inhabitants surpassed 100,000 and by 1927, had doubled.
During the early 20th century, thousands of immigrants came to the city, including people of European descent. They organized social clubs and built their own schools. Examples are
The American-Peruvian school, the
Alianza Francesa de Lima, the Lycée Franco-Péruvien and the hospital Maison de Sante;
Markham College
Markham College is an international school in Lima, Peru. Founded by British immigrants, Markham promotes a mixture of British and Peruvian education. Markham is an independent, non-profit, co-educational, bilingual, secular, day school of approx ...
, the British-Peruvian school in Monterrico,
Antonio Raymondi District Italian School, the Pestalozzi Swiss School and also, several German-Peruvian schools.
Chinese and a lesser number of Japanese came to Lima and established themselves in the
Barrios Altos
Lima is a district of Lima Province in Peru. Lima district is the oldest in Lima Province and as such, vestiges of the city's colonial era remain today in the historic centre of Lima, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988 and ...
neighborhood in downtown Lima. Lima residents refer to their
Chinatown as ''Barrio chino'' or ''Calle Capon'' and the city's ubiquitous
Chifa restaurantssmall, sit-down, usually Chinese-run restaurants serving the Peruvian spin on Chinese cuisinecan be found by the dozens in this enclave.
In 2014, the National Institute for Statistics and Information (Instituto Nacional de Estadistica e Informatica) reported that the population in Lima's 49 districts was 9,752,000 people, including the Constitutional Province of Callao. The city and (metropolitan area) represents around 29% of the national population. Of the city's population 48.7% are men and 51.3% are women. The 49 districts in Metropolitan Lima are divided into 5 areas: Cono Norte (North Lima), Lima Este (East Lima), Constitutional Province of Callao, Lima Centro (Central Lima) and Lima Sur (South Lima). The largest areas are Lima Norte with 2,475,432 people and Lima Este with 2,619,814 people, including the largest single district San Juan de Lurigancho, which hosts 1 million people.
Lima is considered a "young" city. According to INEI, by mid 2014 the age distribution in Lima was: 24.3% between 0 and 14, 27.2% between 15 and 29, 22.5% between 30 and 44, 15.4% between 45 and 59 and 10.6% above 60.
Migration to Lima from the rest of Peru is substantial. In 2013, 3,480,000 people reported arriving from other regions. This represents almost 36% of the entire population of Metropolitan Lima. The three regions that supply most of the migrants are Junin, Ancash and Ayacucho. By contrast only 390,000 emigrated from Lima to other regions.
The annual population growth rate is 1.57%. Some of the 43 metropolitan districts are considerably more populous than others. For example, San Juan de Lurigancho, San Martin de Porres, Ate, Comas, Villa El Salvador and Villa Maria del Triunfo host more than 400,000, while San Luis, San Isidro, Magdalena del Mar, Lince and Barranco have less than 60,000 residents.
A 2005 household survey study shows a socio-economic distribution for households in Lima. It used a monthly family income of 6,000 soles (around US$1,840) or more for socioeconomic level A; between 2,000 soles (US$612) and 6,000 soles (US$1,840) for level B; from 840 soles (US$257) to 2,000 soles (US$612) for level C; from 420 soles (US$128) to 1200 soles (US$368) for level D; and up to 840 soles (US$257) for level E. In Lima, 18% were in level E; 32.3% in level D; 31.7% in level C; 14.6% in level B; and 3.4% in level A. In this sense, 82% of the population lives in households that earn less than 2000 soles (or US$612) monthly. Other salient differences between socioeconomic levels include levels of higher education, car ownership and home size.
In Metropolitan Lima in 2013, the percentage of the population living in households in poverty was 12.8%. The level of poverty is measured by households that are unable to access a basic food and other household goods and services, such as clothing, housing, education, transportation and health. The level of poverty has decreased from 2011 (15.6%) and 2012 (14.5%). Lima Sur is the area in Lima with the highest proportion of poverty (17.7%), followed by Lima Este (14.5%), Lima Norte (14.1%) and Lima Centro (6.2%). In addition 0.2% of the population lives in extreme poverty, meaning that they are unable to access a basic food basket.
Economy
![Bolsa de Valores, Lima, Perú, 2015-07-28, DD 101](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Bolsa_de_Valores%2C_Lima%2C_Per%C3%BA%2C_2015-07-28%2C_DD_101.JPG)
Lima is the country's industrial and financial center and one of Latin America's most important financial centers, home to many national companies and hotels. It accounts for more than two-thirds of Peru's industrial production and most of its
tertiary sector
The tertiary sector of the economy, generally known as the service sector, is the third of the three economic sectors in the three-sector model (also known as the economic cycle). The others are the primary sector (raw materials) and the second ...
.
The metropolitan area, with around 7,000 factories,
is the main location of industry. Products include textiles, clothing and food. Chemicals, fish, leather and oil derivatives are manufactured and processed.
The financial district is in
San Isidro, while much of the industrial activity takes place in the west of the city, extending to the airport in
Callao. Lima has the largest export industry in South America and is a regional center for the cargo industry. Industrialization began in the 1930s and by 1950, through
import substitution
Import substitution industrialization (ISI) is a trade and economic policy that advocates replacing foreign imports with domestic production.''A Comprehensive Dictionary of Economics'' p.88, ed. Nelson Brian 2009. It is based on the premise tha ...
policies, manufacturing made up 14% of
GNP
The gross national income (GNI), previously known as gross national product (GNP), is the total domestic and foreign output claimed by residents of a country, consisting of gross domestic product (GDP), plus factor incomes earned by foreign ...
. In the late 1950s, up to 70% of consumer goods were manufactured in factories located in Lima.
The Callao
seaport
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...
is one of the main fishing and commerce ports in South America, covering over and shipping 20.7 million metric tons of cargo in 2007. The main export goods are commodities: oil, steel, silver, zinc, cotton, sugar and coffee.
, Lima generated 53% of GDP. Most foreign companies in Peru settled in Lima.
In 2007, the Peruvian economy grew 9%, the largest growth rate in South America. The
Lima Stock Exchange
The Lima Stock Exchange ( es, Bolsa de Valores de Lima, BVL) is the stock exchange of Peru, located in the capital Lima. It has several indices. The S&P/BVL Peru General Index (formerly IGBVL) is a value-weighted index that tracks the performance o ...
rose 185.24% in 2006 and in 2007 by another 168.3%, making it then one of the fastest growing stock exchanges in the world. In 2006, the
Lima Stock Exchange
The Lima Stock Exchange ( es, Bolsa de Valores de Lima, BVL) is the stock exchange of Peru, located in the capital Lima. It has several indices. The S&P/BVL Peru General Index (formerly IGBVL) is a value-weighted index that tracks the performance o ...
was the world's most profitable.
The
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit 2008 and the
Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union Summit
The European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean Summit (EU–LAC) is a biennial meeting of heads of state and government of Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union. In the first EU–LAC summit, held in Rio de Janeiro between 28 J ...
were held there.
Lima is the headquarters for banks such as
Banco de Crédito del Perú,
Scotiabank Perú,
Interbank
Interbank is a Peruvian provider of financial services.
History
In 1897, Elias Mujica opened an agency at Jiron de la Union in Lima's historical center under the name of ''Banco Internacional''. In 1934, branches were opened in Chiclayo and ...
,
Bank of the Nation, Banco Continental, MiBanco, Banco Interamericano de Finanzas, Banco Financiero, Banco de Comercio and CrediScotia. It is a regional headquarters for
Standard Chartered. Insurance companies based in Lima include Rimac Seguros, Mapfre Peru, Interseguro, Pacifico, Protecta and La Positiva.
Tourism
As the main entry point to the country, Lima has developed an important tourism industry, among which its
Historic Center, its archaeological centers, its nightlife, museums, art galleries,
festivities and popular traditions stand out. According to Mastercard's Global Destination Cities Index, in 2014, Lima was the most visited city of Latin America and was the 20th city globally, with 5.11 million visitors. In 2019, Lima is the top destination in South America, with 2.63 million international visitors in 2018 and a growth forecast of 10.00% percent for 2019.
The
Historic Centre of Lima
Located principally in the city centre or Cercado de Lima and Rímac areas, the Historic Centre of Lima is among the most important tourist destinations in Peru.
Foundation
The city of Lima, the capital of Peru, was founded by Francisco Piz ...
, which includes part of the districts of
Lima
Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...
and
Rímac, was declared a
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
by
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
in 1988 due to the importance that the city had during the
Viceroyalty of Peru
The Viceroyalty of Peru ( es, Virreinato del Perú, links=no) was a Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in South America, governed fro ...
, leaving as testimony a large number of architectural legacies. Highlights include the
Basilica and Convent of San Francisco, the
Plaza Mayor, the
Lima Metropolitan Cathedral
The Basilica Metropolitan Cathedral of Lima and Primate of Peru, otherwise Lima Metropolitan Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in the Plaza Mayor of downtown Lima, Peru. This third and current Cathedral of Lima was built between 1 ...
, the
Basilica and Convent of Santo Domingo
The Basilica and Maximus Convent of Nuestra Señora del Rosario, popularly known as the Convent of Santo Domingo (or Convent of the Holy Rosary), is a Catholic religious complex located in the city of Lima, Peru.
It was created in the 1530s under ...
, the
Palacio de Torre Tagle, among others. The tour of the churches of the city is very popular among tourists. In a short walk through the city center we can find many, several of which date from the 16th and 17th centuries.
![Peru Travel- Monastery of San Francisco, Lima](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Peru_Travel-_Monastery_of_San_Francisco%2C_Lima.jpg)
Among them, the
Lima Metropolitan Cathedral
The Basilica Metropolitan Cathedral of Lima and Primate of Peru, otherwise Lima Metropolitan Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in the Plaza Mayor of downtown Lima, Peru. This third and current Cathedral of Lima was built between 1 ...
and the
Basilica of San Francisco stand out, which are said to be linked by the underground passageways of their catacombs. The
Sanctuary and Monastery of Las Nazarenas also stands out, a place of pilgrimage to the ''
Señor de los Milagros'' (Lord of the Miracles), whose festivities in the month of October constitute the most important religious manifestation of Lima and of all Peruvians. Some sections of the
Colonial Walls of Lima can still be seen: such is the case of the Bastion Santa Lucía, remains of the old Spanish fortification built by Viceroy
Melchor de Navarra y Rocafull around the city center, whose location adjoins the limit of
Barrios Altos
Lima is a district of Lima Province in Peru. Lima district is the oldest in Lima Province and as such, vestiges of the city's colonial era remain today in the historic centre of Lima, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988 and ...
and
El Agustino
El Agustino is a district of the Lima Province in Peru. It is part of city of Lima.
Officially established as a district on January 6, 1965, the current mayor (''alcalde'') of El Agustino is Víctor Modesto Salcedo Ríos. The district's postal code ...
.
Likewise, having Lima the privilege of being the only capital in South America with immediate access to the sea, it has wide tourist piers that in recent years have become a great attraction for thousands of tourists, especially in the districts of Miraflores and Barranco, where there is also a wide development in terms of entertainment in these areas, turning the capital into a place with several places of tourism and entertainment.
Until the 1970s, the hotel offer was characterized by having the best hotels in the city in the
center of Lima, however, since the early 1990s to date, these establishments have positioned themselves in other areas such as the central-southern area of the capital as in
Miraflores, Barranco,
Santiago de Surco
Santiago de Surco, commonly known simply as Surco, is a district of Lima, Peru. It is bordered on the north with the district of Ate Vitarte and La Molina; on the east with San Juan de Miraflores, on the west with San Borja, Surquillo, Mirafl ...
,
Surquillo and
San Borja; in addition to the
San Isidro district that has the largest hotel building in Peru, the 30-story Westin Libertador.
These fine examples of medieval Spanish fortifications were used to defend the city from attacks by
pirate
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
s and
corsairs. For this, part of the Walls corresponding to the rear area of the Basilica of San Francisco, very close to the
Government Palace, was recovered, in which a park was built (called Parque de la Muralla) and in which you can see remains of it. Half an hour from the historic center, in the
district of Miraflores you can visit the tourist and entertainment center
Larcomar which is located on the
cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...
s facing the sea.
![La gran pirámide de la Huaca Pucllana](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/La_gran_pir%C3%A1mide_de_la_Huaca_Pucllana.jpg)
The city has two traditional zoological parks: the main and oldest is the Parque de las Leyendas, located in the
San Miguel district, and the other is the Parque Zoológico Huachipa located east of the city in the
Lurigancho-Chosica
Lurigancho-Chosica is a district of Lima Province, Peru, located in the valley of the Rímac River which it shares with neighboring Chaclacayo and Ate districts. It was created on January 2, 1857. Its capital is the town of Chosica. The district h ...
district. On the other hand, the offer of
cinema
Cinema may refer to:
Film
* Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography
* Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image
** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking
...
s is wide and has numerous state-of-the-art rooms (4D) that program international film premieres.
Exclusive beaches are visited during the summer months, which are located on the
Pan-American Highway
The Pan-American Highway (french: (Auto)route panaméricaine/transaméricaine; pt, Rodovia/Auto-estrada Pan-americana; es, Autopista/Carretera/Ruta Panamericana) is a network of roads stretching across the Americas and measuring about in to ...
, to the
north
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''north ...
are the resorts of
Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa is the Italian, Portuguese and Spanish name for Saint Rose.
Santa Rosa may also refer to:
Places Argentina
*Santa Rosa, Mendoza, a city
* Santa Rosa, Tinogasta, Catamarca
* Santa Rosa, Valle Viejo, Catamarca
* Santa Rosa, La Pampa
* S ...
and
Ancón; Until the 1980s, the latter was the most exclusive in Lima and Peru. Currently, although it maintains its architectural beauty, it is visited by people from all over
Lima North and the
Center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
. And to the
south of the city, the resorts of
Punta Hermosa
Punta Hermosa is one of 43 districts of the Lima Province in Peru. The capital of the district is the village of Punta Hermosa. The district's main attractions are its beaches.
Geography
Punta Hermosa borders the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Lu ...
,
Punta Negra,
San Bartolo and
Pucusana. Numerous restaurants, nightclubs, lounges, bars, clubs and hotels have been opened in such places to cater to bathers.
The suburban district of
Cieneguilla
Cieneguilla is one of the 43 districts that make up the Lima Province. It is located in the easternmost area of the province and is one of the few districts left that is not already completely urbanized.
Boundaries
It borders on the east with ...
, the
district of Pachacámac and the district of
Chosica
Lurigancho-Chosica is a district of Lima Province, Peru, located in the valley of the Rímac River which it shares with neighboring Chaclacayo and Ate districts. It was created on January 2, 1857. Its capital is the town of Chosica. The district ...
provide important tourist attractions among locals. Due to its elevation (over 500 masl), the sun shines in Chosica during the winter, being very visited by the residents of Lima to escape the urban fog.
Society and culture
Strongly influenced by
European,
Andean
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S l ...
,
African and
Asian culture, Lima is a melting pot, due to
colonization, immigration and
indigenous influences. The
Historic Centre was declared a
UNESCO World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
in 1988.
![Last look arounjd Lima (8444763943)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Last_look_arounjd_Lima_%288444763943%29.jpg)
The city is known as the ''Gastronomical Capital of the Americas,'' mixing
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
,
Andean
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S l ...
and
Asian culinary traditions.
Lima's beaches, located along the northern and southern ends of the city, are heavily visited during the summer. Restaurants, clubs and hotels serve the beachgoers. Lima has a vibrant and active theater scene, including classic theater, cultural presentations, modern theater, experimental theater, dramas, dance performances and theater for children. Lima is home to the
Municipal Theater, Segura Theater, Japanese-Peruvian Theater, Marsano Theater, British theater, Theater of the PUCP Cultural Center and the Yuyachkani Theater.
Architecture
The architecture of the capital is characterized by a mixture of styles as reflected in the changes between trends throughout various periods of the city's history. Examples of
colonial architecture
Colonial architecture is an architectural style from a mother country that has been incorporated into the buildings of settlements or colonies in distant locations. Colonists frequently built settlements that synthesized the architecture of their ...
include structures such as the
Basilica and Convent of San Francisco, the
Lima Metropolitan Cathedral
The Basilica Metropolitan Cathedral of Lima and Primate of Peru, otherwise Lima Metropolitan Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in the Plaza Mayor of downtown Lima, Peru. This third and current Cathedral of Lima was built between 1 ...
, and the
Palacio de Torre Tagle. These constructions were generally influenced by the styles of Spanish Neoclassicism,
Spanish Baroque The arts of the Spanish Baroque include:
*Spanish Baroque painting
*Spanish Baroque architecture
** Spanish Baroque ephemeral architecture
*Spanish Baroque literature
**''Culteranismo''
**''Conceptismo''
* Spanish Baroque art
** Bodegón
**Tenebri ...
, and the Spanish Colonial styles.
In the buildings of the historic center you can see over 1,600
balconies
A balcony (from it, balcone, "scaffold") is a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade, usually above the ground floor.
Types
The traditional Maltese balcony is ...
dating from the Viceroyalty and Republican times. The types of balconies that the city presents are open balconies, flat, box, continuous, among others. After the
Independence of Peru
The Peruvian War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia del Perú, links=no) consisted in a series of military conflicts in Peru beginning with viceroy Abascal military victories in the south frontier in 1809, in La Paz revolution a ...
, a gradual shift towards
Neoclassical and
Art Nouveau styles took place. Many of these constructions were influenced by the French architectural style.
![Palacio de Torre Tagle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Palacio_de_Torre_Tagle.JPG)
In 1940, the census results reflected the city's major urban problems such as sanitation, housing, work, recreation and transportation. During the following years, the Society of Architects, the Institute of Urbanism, the Grupo Espacio, the magazine ''El Arquitecto Peruano'' and the Department of Architecture at the National School of Engineers were created. These entities tried to promote the improvement of urban conditions based on modern principles. Meanwhile, the State promoted the development of collective housing through organizations such as the National Housing Commission (CNV) and the National Office of Planning and Urban Development (ONPU). With the architect Fernando Belaunde as deputy, in 1945 the Housing Plan based on Neighborhood Units was made official.
Some government buildings as well as major cultural institutions were built in this architectural time period. During the 1950s and 1960s, several
Brutalist style buildings were built on behalf of the
military government of
Juan Velasco Alvarado. Examples of this architecture are the
Museo de la Nación
The Museo de la Nación (English: ''Museum of the Nation'') is one of two major museums of Peruvian history in Lima, Peru. It is much larger than the other main museum in Lima, the Peruvian National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology, and H ...
and the
Peruvian Ministry of Defense. The 20th century saw the appearance of glass
skyscrapers, particularly around the
city's financial district. There are also several new architectural projects and real estate.
Language
Known as
Peruvian Coast Spanish
Peruvians ( es, peruanos) are the citizens of Peru. There were Andean and coastal ancient civilizations like Caral, which inhabited what is now Peruvian territory for several millennia before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century; Peruvian p ...
, Lima's Spanish is characterized by the lack of strong intonations as found in many other Spanish-speaking regions. It is heavily influenced by
Castilian Spanish. Throughout the Viceroyalty era, most of the Spanish nobility based in Lima were originally from Castile. Limean Castillian is also characterized by the lack of ''
voseo
In Spanish grammar, () is the use of as a second-person singular pronoun, along with its associated verbal forms, in certain regions where the language is spoken. In those regions it replaces , i.e. the use of the pronoun and its verbal fo ...
'', unlike many other
Hispanic American
Hispanic and Latino Americans ( es, Estadounidenses hispanos y latinos; pt, Estadunidenses hispânicos e latinos) are Americans of Spanish and/or Latin American ancestry. More broadly, these demographics include all Americans who identify as ...
countries. This is because ''voseo'' was primarily used by Spain's lower socioeconomic classes, a social group that did not begin to appear in Lima until the late colonial era.
Limean Spanish is distinguished by its clarity in comparison to other Latin American accents and has been influenced by immigrant groups including Italians,
Andalusians
The Andalusians ( es, andaluces) are a European ethnic group, native to Andalusia, an autonomous community in southern Spain. Andalusia's statute of autonomy defines Andalusians as the Spanish citizens who reside in any of the municipalitie ...
, West Africans, Chinese and Japanese. It also has been influenced by
anglicisms as a result of
globalization
Globalization, or globalisation (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), see spelling differences), is the process of foreign relation ...
, as well as by Andean Spanish and
Quechua
Quechua may refer to:
*Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru
*Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language
**So ...
, due to migration from the Andean highlands.
Museums
Lima is home to the country's highest concentration of museums, most notably the
Museo Nacional de Arqueología, Antropología e Historia del Perú, Museum of Art, the Museo Pedro de Osma, the
Museum of Natural History
A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more ...
, the
Museum of the Nation
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that Preservation (library and archival science), cares for and displays a collection (artwork), collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, culture, cultu ...
, The Sala Museo Oro del Perú Larcomar, the Museum of Italian Art, the Museum of Gold and the
Larco Museum
The Larco Museum (officially known as Rafael Larco Herrera Archaeological Museum, in es, Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera, links=no) is a privately owned museum of pre-Columbian art, located in the Pueblo Libre District of Lima, Peru. The ...
. These museums focus on art,
pre-Columbian cultures
This list of pre-Columbian cultures includes those civilizations and cultures of the Americas which flourished prior to the European colonization of the Americas.
Cultural characteristics
Many pre-Columbian civilizations established permanent o ...
, natural history, science and religion. The
Museum of Italian Art
The Museum of Italian Art (Spanish: Museo de Arte italiano) is a public museum in Lima, Peru, under the administration of the National Culture Institute. It's the only European arts museum in Peru.
History
The Museum of Italian Art was the gift f ...
shows European art.
File:LimaMuseoNacion.jpg, The Museo de la Nación
The Museo de la Nación (English: ''Museum of the Nation'') is one of two major museums of Peruvian history in Lima, Peru. It is much larger than the other main museum in Lima, the Peruvian National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology, and H ...
houses thousands of artifacts spanning the entire span of human occupation in Peru.
File:Museodearteitaliano.jpg, Museum of Italian Art It's the only European arts museum in Peru, under the administration of the National Culture Institute.
File:Lima museo larco.jpg, Larco Museum is a privately owned museum of pre-Columbian art that is housed in an 18th-century vice-royal building built over a 7th-century pre-Columbian pyramid.
File:Calle Antonio Polo Pueblo Libre.jpg, National Museum of the Archaeology, Anthropology, and History of Peru is the largest and oldest museum in Peru.
Food
![Causa Rellena](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Causa_Rellena.jpg)
Lima is known as the ''Gastronomical Capital of the Americas''. A center of immigration and the center of the Spanish Viceroyalty, chefs incorporated dishes brought by the conquistadors and waves of immigrants: African, European, Chinese and Japanese.
Since the second half of the 20th century, international immigrants were joined by internal migrants from rural areas. Lima cuisines include
Creole food,
Chifas,
Cebicherias and
Pollerias.
In the 21st century, its restaurants became recognized internationally.
In 2007, the Peruvian Society for Gastronomy was born with the objective of uniting Peruvian gastronomy to put together activities that would promote Peruvian food and reinforce the Peruvian national identity. The society, called APEGA, gathered chefs, nutritionists, institutes for gastronomical training, restaurant owners, chefs and cooks, researchers and journalists. They worked with universities, food producers, artisanal fishermen and sellers in food markets. One of their first projects (2008) was to create the largest food festival in Latin America, called Mistura ("mixture" in Portuguese). The fair takes place in September every year. The number of attendees has grown from 30,000 to 600,000 in 2014. The fair congregates restaurants, food producers, bakers, chefs, street vendors and cooking institutes from for ten days to celebrate excellent food.
Since 2011, several Lima restaurants have been recognized as among
The World's 50 Best Restaurants
The World's Best 50 Restaurants is a list produced by UK media company William Reed, which originally appeared in the British magazine ''Restaurant'' in 2002. The list and awards however are no longer directly related to ''Restaurant'' magazine ...
.
In 2016, Central was awarded No. 4 (chefs
Virgilio Martinez and Pia Leon), Maido was awarded No. 13 (chef Mitsuharu Tsumura) and Astrid & Gaston was awarded No. 30 (chef Diego Muñoz and owned by chef Gaston Acurio). In addition, Central was named No. 1 restaurant in the list of Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants 2015. Out of the 50 best restaurants in Latin America, we find: Central #1, Astrid & Gaston #3, Maido #5, La Mar #12, Malabar #20, Fiesta #31, Osso Carnicería y Salumería #34, La Picanteria #36 and Rafael #50. These restaurants fuse ideas from across the country and the world.
Peruvian coffee and chocolate have also won international awards.
Lima is the Peruvian city with the greatest variety and where different dishes representing South American cuisine can be found.
Ceviche is Peru's national dish and it's made from salt, garlic, onions, hot Peruvian peppers, and raw fish that's all marinated in lime. In Northern Peru, one can find black-oyster ceviche, mixed seafood ceviche, crab and lobster ceviche. In the Andes one can also find trout ceviche and chicken ceviche.
Religion
![Convento Santo Domingo - Lima](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Convento_Santo_Domingo_-_Lima.jpg)
The arrival of the
Spanish conquistadors
Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (, ; meaning 'conquerors') were the explorer-soldiers of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires of the 15th and 16th centuries. During the Age of Discovery, conquistadors sailed beyond Europe to the Americas, ...
in Peru meant the introduction of the
Catholic religion
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
in this area populated by aborigines of various ethnic groups, who followed
animist and
polytheistic
Polytheism is the belief in multiple deities, which are usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religious sects and rituals. Polytheism is a type of theism. Within theism, it contrasts with monotheism, the ...
religions, which produced a
religious syncretism. Through a long process of indoctrination and practices among the pre-Columbian settlers, the Spanish
friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ...
s made faith their most important task. The city of Lima, capital of the
Viceroyalty of Peru
The Viceroyalty of Peru ( es, Virreinato del Perú, links=no) was a Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in South America, governed fro ...
, became in the 17th century a city of
monastic
Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...
life where saints such as
Rose of Lima (patron saint of Catholics in Lima, of
National Police of Peru
The Peruvian National Police ( es, Policía Nacional del Perú, PNP) is the national police force of Peru. Its jurisdiction covers the nation's land, sea, and air territories. Formed from the merge of the Investigative Police, the Civil Guard, a ...
, of the
Republic of Peru, of the
American continent and of the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
) and
Martín de Porres
Martín de Porres Velázquez (9 December 1579 – 3 November 1639) was a Peruvian lay brother of the Dominican Order who was beatified in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI and canonized in 1962 by Pope John XXIII. He is the patron saint of mixed-r ...
.
The Peruvian capital is the seat of the
Archdiocese of Lima
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lima ( la, Archidioecesis Limana) is part of the Roman Catholic Church in Peru which enjoys full communion with the Holy See. The Archdiocese was founded as the Diocese of Lima on 14 May 1541. The diocese was r ...
, which was established in 1541 as a
diocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...
and in 1547 as an
archdiocese. It is one of the oldest Ecclesiastical Provinces in the
Americas
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.
Along with th ...
. Currently the Archdiocese of Lima is in charge of
Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani. The city also has two
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
s of the
Muslim religion, three
synagogues of the
Jewish religion
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the M ...
, a temple of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The c ...
located in
La Molina, a church of the
Eastern Orthodox religion located in the
district of Pueblo Libre, five
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
temples and six
prayer
Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified ...
rooms of the
Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ International
According to the
2007 Peru Census, 82.83% of Lima residents over the age of twelve declared they were
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, while 10.90% profess the
Evangelical religion, 3.15% belong to other religions and 3.13% do not specify any religious affiliation. One of the most prominent Catholic religious manifestations in the capital is the procession of the
Señor de Los Milagros (Lord of Miracles), whose image dating from the
colonial era goes out in procession through the streets of the city in the month of October of each year. The ''Señor de Los Milagros'' was named Patron of the city by the Cabildo of Lima in 1715 and Patron of Peru in 2010.
Sports
The city and has sports venues for
football,
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...
,
volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...
and
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
, many within private clubs. A popular sport among Limenos is ''
fronton'', a
racquet sport
Racket sports are games in which players use a racket or paddle to hit a ball or other object. Rackets consist of a handled frame with an open hoop that supports a network of tightly stretched strings. Paddles have a solid face rather than a ne ...
similar to ''
squash
Squash may refer to:
Sports
* Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets
* Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling
* Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...
'' invented in Lima. The city is home to seven international-class
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...
links.
Equestrianism is popular in Lima with private clubs as well as the
Hipódromo de Monterrico The Hipódromo de Monterrico is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility opened in 1960 in Lima, Peru. Operated by the Jockey Club del Peru, it has a one and one-eight mile dirt racetrack with a one-mile inside track for turf racing.
Major races at H ...
horse racing track. The most popular sport in Lima is
football with professional club teams operating in the city.
File:Plaza Acho.jpg, Plaza de toros de Acho, the plaza is classified as a national historic monument. It is the oldest bullring
A bullring is an arena where bullfighting is performed. Bullrings are often associated with the Iberian Peninsula, but they can also be found through Iberian America and in a few Spanish and Portuguese ex-colonies in Africa. Bullrings are ...
in the Americas.
File:PRESIDENTA DEL CONSJEO DE MINISTROS Y MINISTRA DE DEFENSA REALIZARON UN SOBREVUELO POR LA CAPITAL - 51229945883.jpg, Estadio Nacional of Peru Its current capacity is 40,000 seats as stated by the Peruvian Football Federation.
File:Estadio monumental lima.jpg, Estadio Monumental "U"
The Estadio Monumental (''Monumental Stadium'') is a football stadium in the district of Ate in Lima, Peru. It is the home of Club Universitario de Deportes, and it was opened in 2000 to replace the Estadio Teodoro Lolo Fernandez. Its only leg ...
It is the highest capacity soccer stadium in South America and one of the largest in the world.
File:Lima Golf Club, San Isidro District.jpg, Lima Golf Club ( San Isidro District)
File:Campo de marte.jpg, Campo de Marte is one of the largest parks in the metropolitan area of Lima.
The historic
Plaza de toros de Acho, located in the
Rímac District
Rímac is a district in the Lima Province, Peru. It lies directly to the north of downtown Lima, to which it is connected by six bridges over the Rímac River. The district also borders the Independencia, San Martín de Porres, and San Juan de ...
, a few minutes from the
Plaza de Armas
The ''Plaza de Armas'' (literally Weapons Square, but better translated as Parade Square or parade ground) is the name for Latin American main squares. In the central region of Mexico this space is known as El Zócalo and in Central America as ...
, holds
bullfights
Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations.
There are several variations, including some forms wh ...
yearly. The season runs from late October to December.
Lima is the host of
2019 Pan American Games
; ay, Taqinipuniw anatt’apxtanxa''
, nations participating = 41
, athletes participating = 6,680
, events = 419 in 38 sports
, opening ceremony = July 26
, closing ceremony = August 11
, officially opened by = Martín Vizcarra
, to ...
.
The
131st IOC Session
The 131st IOC Session took place between September 13 – September 16, 2017 at the Lima Convention Centre in Lima, Peru. The host cities for the 2024 Summer Olympics and the 2028 Summer Olympics were elected during the 131st IOC Session on Septe ...
was held in Lima. The meeting saw Paris elected to host the
2024 Summer Olympics
)
, nations = TBA
, athletes = 10,500 ''(quota limit)''
, events = 329 in 32 sports (48 disciplines)
, opening = 26 July 2024
, closing = 11 August 2024
, opened_by =
, stadium = Stade de France Jardins du Trocadéro and River Seine
, summe ...
and Los Angeles elected to host the
2028 Summer Olympics
The 2028 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad, also known as Los Angeles 2028 or LA28) is an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to take place from July 14 to July 30, 2028, in and around Los Angeles, Cali ...
.
Lima will have 2 venues for the
2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup
The 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the 18th edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, the biennial international men's youth football championship contested by the under-17 national teams of the member associations of FIFA. It was hosted by Brazil be ...
.
Subdivisions
![Metropolitan_Lima](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Metropolitan_Lima.png)
Lima is made up of thirty-one densely populated districts, each headed by a local mayor and the Mayor of Lima, whose authority extends to these and the twelve outer districts of the Lima province.
The city's
historic center is located in the
Cercado de Lima district, locally known as simply Lima, or as "El Centro" ("Center"). It is home to most of the vestiges the colonial past, the Presidential Palace ( es, Palacio de Gobierno, links=no), the
Metropolitan Municipality and ( es, Consejo municipal metropolitano de Lima, links=no),
Chinatown and dozens of hotels, some operating and some defunct, that cater to the national and international elite.
The upscale
San Isidro District is the city's financial center. It is home to politicians and celebrities. San Isidro has parks, including Parque El Olivar, which is home to
olive trees imported from Spain during the seventeenth century. The Lima Golf Club, a prominent
golf club
A golf club is a club used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a club head. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety ...
, is located within the district.
Another upscale district is
Miraflores, which has luxury hotels, shops and restaurants. Miraflores has parks and green areas, more than most other districts. Larcomar, a shopping mall and entertainment center built on cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, featuring bars, dance clubs, movie theaters, cafes, shops, boutiques and galleries, is also located in this district. Nightlife, shopping and entertainment center around Parque Kennedy, a park in the heart of Miraflores.
La Molina,
San Borja,
Santiago de Surco
Santiago de Surco, commonly known simply as Surco, is a district of Lima, Peru. It is bordered on the north with the district of Ate Vitarte and La Molina; on the east with San Juan de Miraflores, on the west with San Borja, Surquillo, Mirafl ...
-home to the American Embassy and the exclusive Club Polo Lima – are the other three wealthy districts. The middle class districts in Lima are
Jesús María,
Lince,
Magdalena del Mar,
Pueblo Libre
Pueblo Libre (originally called La Magdalena or Old Magdalena to differentiate it from Magdalena del Mar District) is a district of the Lima Province in Peru. Its name, which means ''Free Town'' or ''Free People'', was granted by José de San Mart ...
,
San Miguel and
Barranco ''Barranco'' (), which is Spanish for "ravine", may refer to:
Places
* Barranco, Belize, a village in Toledo District, Belize
* Barranco, Spain, a village south of Jijona, Alicante, Spain
*Barranco District, Peru
*Barranco de Loba, Colombia
Perso ...
.
The most densely populated districts lie in Northern and Southern Lima, where the suburbs of the city begin (Spanish:
Cono Norte
The Cono Norte (recently being called ''Lima Norte'') is one of the five areas that make up the Lima Metropolitan Area. It is located in the northern part of the metropolis, hence its name. The socioeconomic levels of its residents are varied. Th ...
and
Cono Sur, respectively) and they are mostly composed of Andean immigrants who arrived during the mid- and late- 20th century looking for a better life and economic opportunity, or as refugees of the country's internal conflict with the
Shining Path
The Shining Path ( es, Sendero Luminoso), officially the Communist Party of Peru (, abbr. PCP), is a communist guerrilla group in Peru following Marxism–Leninism–Maoism and Gonzalo Thought. Academics often refer to the group as the Commun ...
during the late 1980s and early 1990s. In the case of Cono Norte (now called
Lima Norte), shopping malls such as Megaplaza and Royal Plaza were built in the
Independencia district, on the border with the
Los Olivos District
Los Olivos is a district of the Lima Province in Peru. Is a District of the Cono Norte area in the city of Lima.
History
In the Viceroyalty and early years of the republic, it was part of the great territory of Carabayllo.
In the mid-16th c ...
(the most residential neighborhood in the northern part). Most inhabitants are
middle or
lower middle class
In developed nations around the world, the lower middle class is a subdivision of the greater middle class. Universally, the term refers to the group of middle class households or individuals who have not attained the status of the upper middle ...
.
Barranco ''Barranco'' (), which is Spanish for "ravine", may refer to:
Places
* Barranco, Belize, a village in Toledo District, Belize
* Barranco, Spain, a village south of Jijona, Alicante, Spain
*Barranco District, Peru
*Barranco de Loba, Colombia
Perso ...
, which borders
Miraflores by the Pacific Ocean, is the city's bohemian district, home or once home of writers and intellectuals including
Mario Vargas Llosa
Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquess of Vargas Llosa (born 28 March 1936), more commonly known as Mario Vargas Llosa (, ), is a Peruvian novelist, journalist, essayist and former politician, who also holds Spanish citizenship. Vargas Ll ...
,
Chabuca Granda
María Isabel Granda Larco (3 September 1920 – 8 March 1983), better known as Chabuca Granda, was a Peruvian singer and composer. She created and interpreted a vast number of Criollo waltzes with Afro-Peruvian rhythms.
Granda's "La flor de la ...
and
Alfredo Bryce Echenique. This district has restaurants, music venues called "peñas" featuring the traditional folk music of coastal Peru (in Spanish, "música criolla") and Victorian-style chalets. Along with Miraflores it serves as the home to the foreign nightlife scene.
Education
Home to universities, institutions and schools, Lima has the highest concentration of institutions of higher learning on the continent. Lima is home to the oldest continuously operating higher learning institution in the New World,
National University of San Marcos
The National University of San Marcos ( es, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, link=no, UNMSM) is a public research university located in Lima, the capital of Peru. It is considered the most important, recognized and representative educ ...
, founded in 1551.
Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería (UNI) was founded in 1876 by Polish engineer
Edward Habich
Edward Jan Habich ( es, Eduardo de Habich) (31 January 1835, Warsaw – 31 October 1909, Lima, Peru) was a Polish engineer and mathematician. In 1876, he founded the National University of Engineering ( es, Universidad Nacional de Ingenier ...
and is the country's most important engineering school. Other public universities offer teaching and research, such as the
Universidad Nacional Federico Villarreal (the second largest), the
Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina
The National Agrarian University, also formally called National Agrarian University – La Molina (Spanish: ''Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina'') (UNALM), is a public university in Lima, Peru. It is the country's best university in the fi ...
(where ex-president
Alberto Fujimori
Alberto Kenya Fujimori Inomoto ( or ; born 28 July 1938) is a Peruvian politician, professor and former engineer who was President of Peru from 28 July 1990 until 22 November 2000. Frequently described as a dictator,
*
*
*
*
*
*
he remains a ...
once taught) and the
National University of Callao
The National University of Callao is a post-secondary institution in the Bellavista District of the Constitutional Province of Callao in the country of Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacio ...
.
The
Pontifical Catholic University of Peru
Pontifical Catholic University of Peru ( es, link=no, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, PUCP) is a private university in Lima, Peru. It was founded in 1917 with the support and approval of the Catholic Church, being the oldest private ...
, established in 1917, is the oldest private university. Other private institutions include
Universidad del Pacifico,
Universidad ESAN,
Universidad de Lima
The University of Lima ( es, Universidad de Lima) is a private nonprofit university in Lima, Peru.
It was founded in 1962 and it is considered one of the most prestigious and remembered universities in Peru. The decision to create the Universi ...
,
Universidad de San Martín de Porres,
Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia
Cayetano Heredia University ( es, link=no, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, UPCH; or simply ''Cayetano Heredia'') is a private nonprofit university located in Lima, Peru. It was named in honor of Cayetano Heredia, one of the eminent Peru ...
,
Universidad Cientifica del Sur,
Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola,
Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas
The Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC) is a private university in Lima, Peru, founded on January 5, 1994. Currently, it offers 46 career programs categorized in 13 schools.
History
The Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas was ...
,
Universidad Privada San Juan Bautista and Universidad Ricardo Palma.
The city and has a total of 8,047 elementary and high schools, both public and private, which educate more than one and a half million students. The number of private schools is much greater than public schools (6,242 vs 1,805) while the average size of private schools is 100 for elementary and 130 for high school. Public schools average 400 students in elementary and 500 in high school.
![Ministerio de Educación, Lima, Peru](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/Ministerio_de_Educaci%C3%B3n%2C_Lima%2C_Peru.jpg)
Lima has one of the country's highest levels of enrollment in high school and preschool. 86.1% of high school-age students are in school, vs the national average of 80.7%. In early childhood, the enrollment level in Lima is 84.7%, while the national average is 74.5%. Early childhood enrollment has improved by 12.1% since 2005. In elementary school, the enrollment in Lima is 90.7%, while the national average for this level is 92.9%.
The dropout rate for Lima is lower than the national average, except for elementary school, which is higher. In Lima, the dropout rate in elementary is 1.3% and 5.7% in high school, while the national average is 1.2% in elementary and 8.3% in high school.
In Peru, students grade second and fourth students take a test called "Evaluacion Censal de Estudiantes" (ECE). The test assesses skills in reading comprehension and math. Scores are grouped in three levels: Below level 1 means that students were not able to respond to even the most simple questions; level 1 means the students did not achieve the expected level in skills but could respond to simple questions; and level 2 means they achieved/exceeded the expected skills for their grade level. In 2012, 48.7% of students in Lima achieved level 2 in reading comprehension compared to 45.3% in 2011. In math, only 19.3% students achieved level 2, with 46.4% at level 1 and 34.2% less than level 1. Even though the results for Math are lower than for reading, in both subject areas performance increased in 2012 over 2011. The city performs much better than the national average in both disciplines.
The educational system in Lima is organized under the authority of the "Direccion Regional de Educacion (DRE) de Lima Metropolitana", which is in turn divided into 7 sub-directions or "UGEL" (Unidad de Gestion Educativa Local): UGEL 01 (San Juan de Miraflores, Villa Maria del Triunfo, Villa El Salvador, Lurin, Pachacamac, San Bartolo, Punta Negra, Punta Hermosa, Pucusana, Santa Maria and Chilca), UGEL 02 (Rimac, Los Olivos, Independencia, Rimac and San Martin de Porres), UGEL 03 (Cercado, Lince, Breña, Pueblo Libre, San Miguel, Magdalena, Jesus Maria, La Victoria and San Isidro), UGEL 04 (Comas, Carabayllo, Puente Piedra, Santa Rosa and Ancon), UGEL 05 (San Juan de Lurigancho and El Agustino), UGEL 06 (Santa Anita, Lurigancho-Chosica, Vitarte, La Molina, Cieneguilla and Chaclacayo) and UGEL 07 (San Borja, San Luis, Surco, Surquillo, Miraflores, Barranco and Chorrillos).
The UGELes with highest results on the ECE 2012 are UGEL 07 and 03 in both reading comprehension and math. UGEL 07 had 60.8% students achieving level 2 in reading comprehension and 28.6% students achieving level 2 in Math. UGEL 03 had 58.5% students achieve level 2 in reading comprehension and 24.9% students achieving level 2 in math. The lowest achieving UGELs are UGEL 01, 04 and 05.
23% of men have completed university education in Lima, compared to 20% of women. Additionally, 16.2% of men have completed non-university higher education along with 17% of women. The average years of schooling in the city is 11.1 years (11.4 for men and 10.9 for women).
Transportation
Air
![Airport lima peru](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Airport_lima_peru.jpg)
Lima is served by
Jorge Chávez International Airport
Jorge Chávez International Airport (Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chávez) is Peru's main international and domestic airport. It is located in Callao, northwest from Lima Center, the nation's capital city and from the district of Miraf ...
, located in
Callao (LIM). It is the country's largest airport hosting the largest number of domestic and international passengers. It serves as the fourth-largest hub in the Latin American air network. Lima possesses five other airports: the Las Palmas Air Force Base, Collique Airport and runways in
Santa María del Mar,
San Bartolo and
Chilca
Chilca was a rocket launch site in Peru at , near Lima. Chilca was in service from 1974 and 1983 and was mainly used for launching Arcas and Nike sounding rockets
A sounding rocket or rocketsonde, sometimes called a research rocket or a subor ...
.
Road
Lima is a major stop on the
Pan-American Highway
The Pan-American Highway (french: (Auto)route panaméricaine/transaméricaine; pt, Rodovia/Auto-estrada Pan-americana; es, Autopista/Carretera/Ruta Panamericana) is a network of roads stretching across the Americas and measuring about in to ...
. Because of its location on the country's central coast, Lima is an important junction in Peru's highway system. Three major highways originate in Lima.
*The
Northern Panamerican Highway extends more than to the border with Ecuador connecting the northern districts with many major cities along the northern Peruvian coast.
*The Central Highway ( es, Carretera Central, links=no) connects the eastern districts with cities in central Peru. The highway extends with its terminus at
Pucallpa
Pucallpa (, qu, puka allpa, lit=red dirt; Shipibo: ''May Ushin'') is a city in eastern Peru located on the banks of the Ucayali River, a major tributary of the Amazon River. It is the capital of the Ucayali region, the Coronel Portillo Pro ...
near Brazil.
*The
Southern Panamerican Highway connects the southern districts to the southern coast. The highway extends to the border with Chile.
The city has a single major bus terminal next to the mall Plaza Norte. This bus station connects to national and international destinations. Other bus stations serve private bus companies around the city. In addition, informal bus stations are located in the south, center and north of the city.
Maritime
![Puerto-del-callao](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Puerto-del-callao.jpg)
Lima's proximity to the port of
Callao allows Callao to act as the metropolitan area's major port and one of Latin America's largest. Callao hosts nearly all maritime transport for the metropolitan area. A small port in
Lurín serves oil tankers due to a nearby refinery. Maritime transport inside Lima city limits is relatively insignificant compared to that of Callao.
Rail
Lima is connected to the Central Andean region by the
Ferrocarril Central Andino
Ferrocarril Central Andino (FCCA) is the consortium which operates the Ferrovías Central railway in Peru linking the Pacific port of Callao and the capital Lima with Huancayo and Cerro de Pasco. As one of the Trans-Andean Railways it is the sec ...
which runs from Lima through the departments of
Junín,
Huancavelica
Huancavelica () or Wankawillka in Quechua is a city in Peru. It is the capital of the department of Huancavelica and according to the 2017 census had a population of 49,570 people. The city was established on August 5, 1572 by the Viceroy ...
,
Pasco and
Huánuco
Huánuco (; qu, Wanuku) is a city in central Peru. It had a population of 196,627 as of 2017 and in 2015 it had a population of 175,068. It is the capital of the Huánuco Region and the Huánuco District. It is the seat of the diocese of Hu ...
. Major cities along this line include
Huancayo
Huancayo (; in qu, label=Wanka Quechua, Wankayuq , '(place) with a (sacred) rock') is the capital of Junín Region, in the central highlands of Peru.
Location
Huancayo is located in Huancayo Province, of which it is also the capital. Si ...
,
La Oroya
La Oroya is a city on the River Mantaro in central Peru. It is situated on the Andes some 176 km east-north-east of the national capital, Lima, and is capital of the Yauli Province. La Oroya is the location of a smelting operation that ea ...
,
Huancavelica
Huancavelica () or Wankawillka in Quechua is a city in Peru. It is the capital of the department of Huancavelica and according to the 2017 census had a population of 49,570 people. The city was established on August 5, 1572 by the Viceroy ...
and
Cerro de Pasco
Cerro de Pasco is a city in central Peru, located at the top of the Andean mountains. It is the capital of the Pasco region, and an important mining center. At elevation, it is one of the highest cities in the world, and the highest or the sec ...
. Another inactive line runs from Lima northwards to the city of
Huacho
Huacho () is a city in Peru, capital of the Huaura Province and capital of the Lima Region. Also is the most populated city of the Lima Region and Norte Chico. It is located 223 feet (68 metres) above sea level and 148 km north of the city of ...
.
Commuter rail
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Downtown, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter r ...
services for Lima are planned as part of the larger
Tren de la Costa project.
Public
![Sistema Integrado de Transporte de Lima](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Sistema_Integrado_de_Transporte_de_Lima.jpg)
Lima's road network is based mostly on large
divided avenues rather than
freeways
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...
. Lima operates a network of nine freeways – the Via Expresa Paseo de la Republica, Via Expresa Javier Prado, Via Expresa Grau, Panamericana Norte, Panamericana Sur, Carretera Central, Via Expresa Callao, Autopista Chillon Trapiche and the Autopista Ramiro Priale.
According to a 2012 survey, the majority of the population uses public or collective transportation (75.6%), while 12.3% uses a car, taxi or motorcycle.
The urban transport system is composed of over 300 transit routes
that are served by buses, microbuses and combis.
Taxis are mostly informal and unmetered; they are cheap but feature poor driving habits. Fares are agreed upon before the passenger enters the taxi. Taxis vary in size from small four-door compacts to large vans. They account for a large part of the car stock. In many cases they are just a private car with a taxi sticker on the windshield. Additionally, several companies provide on-call taxi service.
Corredores Complementarios Bus System
The Sistema Integrado de Transporte (which means Integrated Transport System), is a bus system developed by the local government to reorganize the current system of routes that has become chaotic. One of the main goals of the SIT is to reduce the number of urban routes, renew the bus fleet currently operating by many private companies and to reduce (and eventually replace) most "combis" from the city.
As of July 2020, SIT currently operates 16 routes:
San Martin de Porres –
Surco
Santiago de Surco, commonly known simply as Surco, is a district of Lima, Peru. It is bordered on the north with the district of Ate Vitarte and La Molina; on the east with San Juan de Miraflores, on the west with San Borja, Surquillo, Mirafl ...
(107)
Ate
Ate or ATE may refer to:
Organizations
* Active Training and Education Trust, a not-for-profit organization providing "Superweeks", holidays for children in the United Kingdom
* Association of Technical Employees, a trade union, now called the Nat ...
–
San Miguel (201, 202,204,206 and 209),
Rimac
The Recreation, Intramural, and Athletic Complex (RIMAC, ) is a sports complex at the University of California San Diego comprising an arena, a weight room and various other event and athletic facilities. It is one of the largest college athleti ...
–
Surco
Santiago de Surco, commonly known simply as Surco, is a district of Lima, Peru. It is bordered on the north with the district of Ate Vitarte and La Molina; on the east with San Juan de Miraflores, on the west with San Borja, Surquillo, Mirafl ...
(301,302,303 and 306),
San Juan de Lurigancho
San Juan de Lurigancho (SJL) is a district in Lima, Peru, located in the area known as ''Cono Este''.
It is Peru's most populous district, with a current population that may exceed one million.
On the north, it is bordered by the districts of ...
–
Magdalena (404,405,409,412), and
Downtown Lima
Lima is a district of Lima Province in Peru. Lima district is the oldest in Lima Province and as such, vestiges of the city's colonial era remain today in the historic centre of Lima, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988 and ...
–
San Miguel(508)
Colectivos
Colectivo
''Colectivo'' (English: collective bus) is the name given in Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Paraguay to a type of public transportation vehicle, especially those of Argentina's capital city, Buenos Aires. The name comes from ''vehículos de tran ...
s render express service on some major roads. The colectivos signal their specific destination with a sign on their windshield. Their routes are not generally publicitized but are understood by frequent users. The cost is generally higher than public transport; however, they cover greater distances at greater speeds due to the lack of stops. This service is informal and is illegal. Some people in the periphery use so-called "mototaxis" for short distances.
Metropolitan Transport System
![Lima Metropoliano](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Lima_Metropoliano.jpg)
The Metropolitan Transport System or
El Metropolitano is a new, integrated system, consisting of a network of buses that run in exclusive corridors under the Bus Rapid Transit system (BST). The goal is to reduce passengers' commute times, protect the environment, provide improved security and overall quality of service. Metropolitano was executed with funds from the City of Lima and financing from the
Inter-American Development Bank and the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...
. Metropolitana is the first BRT system to operate with natural gas, seeking to reduce air pollution. This system links the principal points of the Lima Metropolitan Area. The first phase of this project has of line (north) to
Chorrillos (south). It began commercial operations on 28 July 2010. Since 2014, Lima Council operates the "Sistema Integrado de Transporte Urbano" (Urban integrated transport system), which comprises buses over Avenida Arequipa. By the end of 2012, the Metropolitano system counted 244 buses in its central routes and 179 buses in its feeding routes. Weekday use averages 437,148 passengers. Usage increased since 2011 by 28.2% for weekdays, 29.1% for Saturdays and 33.3% for Sundays.
Metro
The
Lima Metro
The Lima Metro ( es, Metro de Lima) is a rapid transit system that serves the area of the cities of Lima and Callao, both of which make up the Lima metropolitan area, currently linking the district of Villa El Salvador in the south of Lima wi ...
has twenty six passenger stations, with an average separation of . It begins in the Industrial Park of Villa El Salvador, south of the city, continuing on to Av. Pachacútec in Villa María del Triunfo and then to Av. Los Héroes in San Juan de Miraflores. Afterwards, it continues through Av. Tomás Marsano in Surco to reach Ov. Los Cabitos, to Av. Aviación and then cross the river Rimac to finish, after almost , in the east of the capital in
San Juan de Lurigancho
San Juan de Lurigancho (SJL) is a district in Lima, Peru, located in the area known as ''Cono Este''.
It is Peru's most populous district, with a current population that may exceed one million.
On the north, it is bordered by the districts of ...
. The system operates 24 trains, each with six wagons. Each wagon has the capacity to transport 233 people. The metro system began operating in December 2012 and transported 78,224 people on average on a daily basis.
Other transportation issues
![Intensa Congestión vehicular en Lima](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Intensa_Congesti%C3%B3n_vehicular_en_Lima.jpg)
Lima has high traffic congestion, especially at peak hours. 1.397 million vehicles were in use by the end of 2012. The region operates 65.3% of the cars in the country.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) offered economic incentives for municipalities to implement bicycle routes in their districts. Recreational bike lanes can be found in 39 districts. The Proyecto Especial Metropolitano de Transporte No Motorizado (PEMTNM) estimates that more than a million and a half people used the bike lanes in 2012. The bike lanes ran for . They estimate that the use of the bike lanes prevented the emission of 526 tons of carbon dioxide in 2012.
San Borja district was the first to implement a bike-share program called San Borja en Bici. It supplied 200 bicycles and six stations across the district (two of them connecting with the Metro). By December 2012, the program had 2,776 subscribers.
Challenges
Environment
Air
Lima suffers most from air pollution. The sedimentary dust has solid particles that settle as dust on different surfaces or float through the air. The fine particles are the most dangerous given that they are able to damage human respiratory systems. The recommended limit of these particles by the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...
is 5 tons/km2/month. In February 2014, Lima recorded an average of 15.2 tons/km2. The two districts with the highest concentration of sedimentary dust are El Agustino (46.1 tons/km2) and Independencia (25.5 tons/km2) in February 2014.
Lima has built
billboards which serve as
air purifier
An air purifier or air cleaner is a device which removes contaminants from the air in a room to improve indoor air quality. These devices are commonly marketed as being beneficial to allergy sufferers and asthmatics, and at reducing or eliminating ...
s.
Water
The permissible limit of lead in the water supply is 0.05 milligrams per liter, according to the Norm ITINTEC. In January 2014, the concentration of minerals in water treatment facilities of SEDAPAL was 0.051 iron, 0.005 lead, 0.0012 cadmium and 0.0810 aluminum. These values increased 15.9% and 33.3% in iron and cadmium with respect to January 2013 and a decrease of 16.7% and 12.4% in lead and aluminum. The values are within the recommended limits.
Solid waste
The amount of solid waste produced per capita in Lima is about per day. In 2012, each resident produced of solid waste. The district municipalities only collect about 67% of the solid waste they generate. The rest ends up in informal landfills, rivers, or the ocean. Three municipalities recycle 20% or more of their waste.
COVID-19
Lima has a population of about 10 million people. This equates to one-third of the overall population of the nation. Lima was subjected to a lengthy period of confinement or quarantine that lasted more than four months. However, in May 2020, the process of restoring activities began as part of the national government's economic reactivation strategy.
Lima's
green recovery
Green recovery packages are proposed environmental, regulatory and fiscal reforms to build prosperity in the wake of an economic crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic or the Global Financial Crisis. They pertain to fiscal measures that intend to recov ...
is centred on bringing services closer to the most vulnerable people, with the goal of creating a green, wealthy, and equitable city for all. The municipality has an aim of implementing sustainable infrastructure to limit the development of
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
through the execution of 46 km of rising bike routes.
Lima is one of over 10,000 cities from all around the world that make up the
Global Covenant of Mayors.
Access to basic services
In Lima, 93% of households have access to water supply in their homes. In addition, 92% of homes connect with sewage systems. 99.6% of homes have grid electric service. Although most households have water and sewage systems, some are available for only a few hours a day.
Security
![Lima from above](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Lima_from_above.jpg)
The perception of security varies by district. For example, San Isidro has the lowest perception of insecurity (21.4%), while Rimac has the highest perception of insecurity (85%), according to a 2012 survey. The five districts with the lowest perception of insecurity are San Isidro, San Borja, Miraflores, La Molina and Jesus Maria. The districts with the highest perception of insecurity are Rimac, San Juan de Miraflores, La Victoria, Comas and Ate.
Overall, 40% of the population in Lima above 15 years old has been a crime victim. The younger population (ages 15 to 29 years old) has the highest victimization rate (47.9%).
In 2012, citizens reported thefts (47.9%): in homes or establishments (19.4%), robbery or attack (14.9%), gang aggression (5.7%), among others in lesser frequency. The districts with the highest level of victimization are Rimac, El Agustino, Villa El Salvador, San Juan de Lurigancho and Los Olivos. The safest districts by level of victimization are Lurin, Lurigancho-Chosica, San Borja, Magdalena and Surquillo. These districts do not necessarily correspond to the districts with highest or lowest perception of insecurity.
While the police force is nationally controlled and funded, each district in Lima has a community policing structure called Serenazgo. The quantity of Serenazgos officials and resources varies by district. For example, Villa Maria del Triunfo has 5,785 citizens per official. Twenty-two districts in Lima have a ratio above 1000 citizens per Serenazgo official, while 14 districts have ratios below 200 citizens per official, including Miraflores with 119 and San Isidro with 57.
The satisfaction with the Serenazgos also varies greatly by district. The highest satisfaction rates can be found in San Isidro (88.3%), Miraflores (81.6%), San Borja (77%) and Surco (75%). The lowest satisfaction rates can be found in Villa Maria del Triunfo (11%), San Juan de Miraflores (14.8%), Rimac (16.3%) and La Victoria (20%).
Notable people
Twin towns – sister cities
Lima is
twinned with:
*
Akhisar
Akhisar ( ota, آق حصار) is a town and a district in Manisa Province; in the Aegean Region of western Turkey. Akhisar is also the ancient city of Thyatira (also known as ''Thyateira'').
With archaeological findings that are proving settle ...
, Turkey
*
Austin, United States
*
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
, China
*
Bogotá, Colombia
*
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...
, France
*
Brasilia, Brasil
*
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, Argentina
*
Caracas, Venezuela
*
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, United States
*
Guadalajara, Mexico
*
Karaçoban
Karaçoban ( ku, Qere Şivan) is a town and district of Erzurum Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental co ...
, Turkey
*
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe.
Kyi ...
, Ukraine
*
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
, Spain
*
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
, Mexico
*
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
, United States
*
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
, Canada
*
Pescara
Pescara (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Pescàrë; nap, label= Pescarese, Piscàrë) is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 119,217 (2018) residents (and approxim ...
, Italy
[
* Santa Ana, Costa Rica
*]São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
, Brazil
*Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
, China
* Stamford, United States
*Taipei
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...
, Taiwan
*Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa (, , ), formally Tegucigalpa, Municipality of the Central District ( es, Tegucigalpa, Municipio del Distrito Central or ''Tegucigalpa, M.D.C.''), and colloquially referred to as ''Tegus'' or ''Teguz'', is the capital and largest city ...
, Honduras
See also
*List of buildings in Lima
This is a list of notable buildings in Lima, the capital of the Peru.
The Historic Centre of Lima is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991.
List Pre-Columbian sites
Important Colonial buildings
References
{{Reflist
Buildings and stru ...
*Largest cities in the Americas
*List of people from Lima
*List of sites of interest in the Lima Metropolitan area
References
Works cited
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
General
*''Nota etimológica: El topónimo Lima'', Rodolfo Cerrón-Palomino, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
*''Lima Monumento Histórico'', Margarita Cubillas Soriano, Lima, 1996
History
*Higgins, James (editor). ''The Emancipation of Peru: British Eyewitness Accounts'', 2014. Online a
Jhemanperu
*Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática. ''Lima Metropolitana perfil socio-demográfico''. Lima: INEI, 1996.
Demographics
*Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática, ''Perfil Sociodemográfico del Perú''. Lima: INEI, 2008.
*United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, ''Urban Agglomerations 2007''. New York (June 2008).
External links
Municipality of Lima
1.40 gigapixel image of Lima
*
{{Authority control
Lima,
Capitals in South America
Cities in Peru
Lima Province
Populated coastal places in Peru
Populated places established in 1535
1535 establishments in the Spanish Empire
Buildings and structures in Lima