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Lima - Peru
Lima is the capital and largest city in
Peru, as well as the capital of Lima Province. It is the cultural,
industrial, financial, and transport hub of the country. The city is
located in an area encompassing the valleys of the Chillon, Rimac and
Lurin rivers. It lies on a desertic coast adjacent to the bay in the
Pacific Ocean where its port was built and named Callao.
Founded by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro, Lima is also known as
the City of Kings. For more than three centuries, Lima was the most
important city and the greatest metropolis in South America. More than
four centuries have passed since its founding as a Spanish city, and
Lima has become an expression of Peru's heritage, with nearly one-third
of the nation's population living in its metropolitan area.
While there is no formal administrative definition for the city of Lima,
it is generally considered to be comprised of the central 30 out of the
43 districts of Lima province, corresponding roughly to the urban area
centered on the historic Cercado de Lima district. The city serves as
the core of the Lima Metropolitan Area, one of the ten largest
metropolitan areas in the Americas.
The Historic centre of Lima, located in downtown Lima and the Rimac
District, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988 due to the
large number of historical buildings dating from the Spanish colonial
era, a small number of which have now been restored. In particular, the
monumental Plaza Mayor, with the 16th century Cathedral and the
Presidential Palace, and the catacombs of the Convento de San Francisco
are popular with visitors.
Several sections of the Lima City Walls can still be seen. These fine
examples of Spanish medieval fortification were used to defend Lima from
attacks from pirates and corsairs.
The city also has a number of fine museums, notably the National Museum
of Anthropology, Archaeology, and History and the Rafael Larco Herrera
Archaeological Museum, both in the Pueblo Libre district.
Many small beaches, which are heavily visited during the summer months,
are located by the southern Pan-American Highway. The most well-known
ones are located in the districts of Santa Maria del Mar, Punta Hermosa,
Punta Negra, San Bartolo and Pucusana. Also, the district of Ancon,
located north of the city, has a very popular beach resort.
Numerous restaurants, clubs and hotels have been opened in these places
to serve the many beachgoers. The beaches in Lima itself are not
suitable for swimming because the city's sewage is dumped raw into the
ocean.
The suburban district of Cieneguilla and the town of Chosica (in the
Lurigancho District) provide attractive green landscapes at a short
distance from the city. Because of their elevation (over 500 meters),
the sun shines in these areas even during winter and hence they are
visited by residents of Lima to escape from the winter fog.
Recently, the Palomino Islands near the port of Callao have attracted
visitors due to a population of sea lions.
Situated in Monterrico, the Gold Museum, together with the even more
interesting textile museum. Here can be seen almost perfectly preserved
thousand year old garments and feathered capes recovered from the
waterless deserts of Western Peru. Also in the same building, an arms
museum with a huge range of antique Spanish firearms, among muskets and
arquebuses.
Lima Pictures
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