At 13,973 feet (4,380m) elevation in the Andes, it is the highest city
in the world. It became one of the world's richest silver producing
areas after silver was discovered there in the early 1600s. Although the
silver was exhausted by the Spanish, it is still an active mining center.
It is currently noted more for copper production but the mines in the
area also produce gold, lead, bismuth, and zinc.
Cerro de Pasco (population 70,000) is a
city in central Peru. It is the capital of the Pasco region, and an
important mining center.
