Lima is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, on a coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It forms a contiguous urban area with the seaport of Callao.

Lima was founded by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro on January 18, 1535, as La Ciudad de los Reyes, or "The City of Kings." It became the most important city in the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru and, after the Peruvian War of Independence, was made the capital of the Republic of Peru. Today around one-third of the Peruvian population lives in the metropolitan area.

Etymology

The first name of the city was the City of the Kings ( ) because its foundation was decided on January 6, date of the feast of the Epiphany. However, this quickly fell into disuse, as "Lima" became the capital's name of choice. It is uncertain where this name originated; it may derive from Quechuan rimaq (talking), pronounced IPA2: 'li-ma: in the ancient local Quechua I variety. It is worth noting that the river that feeds Lima is still called Rimac, closer to the Quechua II pronunciation for "Talking river". Many speculate that the Spanish produced "Lima" in trying to reproduce what in fact was "Rimac," which they heard from local inhabitants. On the oldest Spanish maps of Peru, both Lima and Ciudad de los Reyes can be seen together as names for the city.

History

Main: History of Lima

The city flourished during the 17th century as the center of an extensive trade network which extended as far as Europe and the Philippines. However, it also suffered considerable damage from two earthquakes in 1630 and 1687. A constant danger to the city's commerce was the presence of pirates and privateers in the Pacific Ocean. To protect the city against them, Viceroy Melchor de Navarra y Rocafull built a wall around it between 1684 and 1687. In the 18th century, Lima had to be rebuilt after being almost completely destroyed by an earthquake on October 28, 1746. This natural disaster led to the appearance of an intense devotion for the Lord of the Miracles, which has endured until today.

Geography

Metropolitan Lima has an area of 2672.28 km², of which 825.88 km² (31%) comprise the actual city and 1846.40 km² (69%) the city outskirts. The urban area extends around 60 km from north to south and around 30 km from west to east. The city center is located 15 km inland at the shore of the Rimac river, a vital resource for the city, since it carries what will become drinking water for its inhabitants and fuels the hydroelectrical 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 out of the 43 districts of Lima Province, corresponding to an urban area centered around the historic Cercado de Lima district. The city is the core of the Lima Metropolitan Area, one of the ten largest metropolitan areas in the Americas.