Metropolitan Municipality of Lima (Peru)

Lima is the capital city of the Republic of Peru. It is located on the central coast of the country, on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, forming an extensive and populous urban area known as Metropolitan Lima, flanked by the coastal desert and spread over the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers. According to the 2007 Peruvian census, Lima had more than 7.6 million inhabitants; while its urban agglomeration had more than 9,320,000 inhabitants, 30% of the Peruvian population, figures that make it the most populous city in the country. On January 18, 1535, the Spanish foundation was made with the name of the City of the Kings in the agricultural region known by the natives as Limaq, a name that it acquired over time. It was the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru and the largest and most important city in South America during the Spanish regime. After Independence it became the capital of the Republic. At present it is considered as the political, cultural, financial and commercial center of the country. Internationally, the city occupies the fifth place in the most populated cities in Latin America and is one of the thirty most populous urban agglomerations in the world. Because of its geostrategic importance, it has been defined as a global “beta class” city. Jurisdictionally, the metropolis extends mostly within the province of Lima and in a smaller portion, to the west, within the constitutional province of Callao, where the seaport and the Jorge Chavez International Airport are located. Both provinces have regional autonomy since 2002.