The department of Lima is located in the central occidental part of the country. It has an extension of 33,820 km² (13,058 sq ml) and a population of over 7'000,000 people. The capital is the city of Lima, one of the most important in South America, and declared Cultural Patrimony of the World. The weather is mild and fresh all year round, due to the its proximity to the seashore and the absence of rain.
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.
Francisco Pizarro knew what he was doing when he founded the city of Lima on the banks of the Rimac River on January 6, 1535. This day is celebrated as the Epiphany, or day of the kings. Therefore, Lima is known as the city of kings. Located on the central coast, or costa, of Peru, the city is only about eight miles from the sea and serviced by the port of Callao, an important consideration then and now. See this interactive map from Expedia.
Lima now is a city populated with people of many nations and ethnic backgrounds. The population is swollen with people leaving the mountains, sierra, and the Amazon rain forest, selva, areas looking for a better life in the capital. This leads to ever growing shantytowns ringing the capital. These pueblos’ jóvenes or young towns, pollution, heavy traffic, poverty and other unsavory features are what a visitor often sees first on a visit to Lima.
Lima in colonial days was the center of a vast viceroyalty that extended from present day Ecuador to central Chile. It was the seat of power, government, politics, trade, commerce and culture. For two centuries, Lima was the headquarters of the Spanish Inquisition and home of the first university established in South America. Lavish buildings, religious and secular, graced the streets. As the continent's first university, founded in 1551. Behind baroque facades and elaborate gates, courtyards and palaces added grace to colonial life. Balconies and exterior decoration beautify the facades. Though much of Lima was destroyed by earthquakes over the years, many of the colonial buildings built around the original city center, now the center of Colonial Lima, survived. This area is now a UNESCO Mankind Heritage Site. Refer to this map of central Lima and the history of Peru.
