La Punta is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

of 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 ...

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 ...

, and one of the seven districts that make up the port city of Callao. It is located in a peninsula in the western part of the province and is almost entirely surrounded by 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 ...

, except on its northeastern side, where it is bordered by downtown Callao. Officially established as a district on October 6, 1915, the current

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

('' alcalde'') of La Punta is Pio Salazar (2019-2022).

Geography

The district has a total land

area Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an ope ...

of 0.38 km². Its administrative center is located 2 meters above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

Boundaries

* North, East, South and West:

* Northeast: Downtown Callao

Demographics

According to a 2002 estimate by the INEI, the district has 7,246 inhabitants and a population density of 394.2 persons/km². In 1999, there were 1,248 households in the district. La Punta has historically been settled by Italian Peruvians and their legacy can still be seen in the district.

The district

La Punta is mostly an

upper middle class In sociology, the upper middle class is the social group constituted by higher status members of the middle class. This is in contrast to the term ''lower middle class'', which is used for the group at the opposite end of the middle-class strat ...

district, where Callao's most prestigious families have historically lived. Many of the district's old houses are still conserved. La Punta has an earthquake alarm system which alerts the residents to evacuate the district, since one strong enough could create a tsunami and easily wipe out the peninsula. La Punta is also one of the districts in which beaches are affected by the ocean current El Niño annually. Almost one third of La Punta's territory is occupied by the '' Escuela Naval del Peru'' ("Peruvian Naval Academy"). The ''Club Regatas Unión'' is located in the upscale

beach front A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shells ...

of La Punta. The district has three

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc sh ...

es: "Cantolao", "Malecón" and "La Arenilla". ''La Punta Racing Club'' is another club located in la Punta. ''The chamber of Commerce of La Punta'' has been recently created to promote tourist projects and to create the guild of traders, as well as cultural programs and workshops in the district. The main routes that connect La Punta with the rest of the Lima and Callao Metropolitan Area are the Avenida Almirante Grau and Coronel Bolognesi Avenues. The San Lorenzo and

El Frontón El Frontón is a deserted island and former penal colony off the coast of Callao, Peru. Geography Dry, deserted and without vegetation, it is located 7 km from the coast, to the west of La Punta District and to the southeast of San Lorenzo Isla ...

islands lie in front of La Punta and can clearly be seen from the district's beaches. La Punta is a small district compared with others but has a unique beauty. Because of its geography and intense crime prevention program the district is virtually crime free and clean. Buildings range from the very modern all the way back to 19th century manors.

Beaches

The beaches in La Punta are quite visited during the summer season because of their calm waters and small pebbles composition (in contrast to Costa Verde in Lima where the surf is stronger and the beaches are mainly stone), nevertheless La Punta is well known for their surprisingly frigid waters (Cantolao beach). This calm sea favours the practice of rowing and yachting. La Punta is the one district were most regattas are launched. Yacht Club del Peru has its main venue in La Punta in the beautiful Aspillaga House. There are four rowing clubs in La Punta: Club Universitario de Regatas, Club Regatas Union, Canottieri Italia, Club de Regatas Lima. Also the Naval Academy has a rowing team and there are a few clubs that also practice there intermittently. There is heavy traffic of racing shells in the mornings. The bay is also full of recreational crafts of all sizes.

External links

Municipalidad Distrital de La Punta
- District council official website (in Spanish)

- Pictures of La Punta {{Districts of Callao Districts of the Callao Region