| My home town LIMA (Peru) |
| Generalities: |
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Area
or Surface: 34,802
KM². Number of Provinces + Districts: 10 provinces and 171 districts. Population of Lima: 6,732, 000 inhabitants. Date of Foundation: As department, August 04th, 1821. Main Resources: Cotton, corn, sugar cane, fruit trees. It is the first industrial center in the country. Typical Foods: Carapulcra limeña, Ceviche, Anticuchos, Arroz con Conchas. Desserts such as the Mazamorra Morada and the Arroz con Leche. |
| History |
| In Lima are to be found the remains of the first Andean inhabitant: hunters and harpoon fishermen, about 1,000 years ago. These remains were found in Chivateros, near the Chillón river, and in various places such as Ancón and Lurín. After a long time they incorporated nets, hooks, farming, ceramics and weaving. The inhabitants of the coast lived in the lomas and the valleys forming temples and dwelling complexes that give origin to immense ceremonial centers such as the Huacoy on the Chillón river; Garagay and La Florida on the Rímac river, Manchay on the Lurín river; and Chancay, Supe and many other valleys to the north and south. There are finely ornamented temples with figures modeled in clay. Then the Lima culture took shape, specially developed on the center Valleys from Chancay down to Lurín, with painted adobe buildings. The best known are the Márquez on the Chillón and Cerro Trinidad on the Chancay; later became more important those of Maranga and Juliana on the Rímac, and that of Pachacamac in Lurín. In this time the Wari conquest took place, thus giving rise to Wari style ceramics, together with a local style known as Nievería. The population grew and the culture changed. With the decline of Wari, whose most important center was Cajamarquilla, were born new local cultures, being the best known that of Chancay. There developed immense urban centers and a notable textile production as well as mass-produced ceramics. At this stage arose the Incas arrived, in the XV century, occupying important sites such as the Pachacámac Sanctuary. Lima was founded on January 18, 1535 by the conquerer Francisco Pizarro. Before becoming the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru, it was a first class religious place of worship. During the colonial period, Lima reached its greatest splendor in the XVII century in which progress, the construction of great houses and palaces went together with the luxury and prosperity of the nobility made Lima the richest among all colonies. During the Independence period, Lima gave to Nation a great number of illustrious patriots that shed their blood and gave their talent for the freedom. Among these were Don Pablo de Olavide, José Baquíjano y Carrillo, José Olaya and José Bernardo Alcedo, author of the National Anthem. |
| Geography: |
| The geography of the department of Lima is interesting, it being the most Andean one of the coast, since the Andes reach down to the shore in great altitude. The Cerro de Pasamayo reaches almost 1,000 meters in height, almost vertically over the Pacific Ocean. The Andes rise gigantically at less than 20 - 30 KM from the sea and its valleys form triangular inclined planes with peak encrusted in the Andes. They extent up to 40 KM in very few places. Lima has several copious rivers, such as the Huaura, Pativilca, Chillón, Cañete and Rímac, this last one with a course of 160 KM, formed by its union with the Santa Eulalia near Chosica. This department has along its shores a great number of islands, keys, and reefs. The San Lorenzo Island is the biggest one of the Pacific Ocean Islands of Peru. Islands such as the Pachacamac, Asia and El Frontón, are sizeable deposits of guano. The Lima littoral is overcast almost all year long. This on a strip up to 15 m. wide from the shore, depriving it from solar radiation. The sun appears at the end of spring and in summer. The increase of heat coincides with the swollen of the rivers because of the Andean rains. In winter the intense humidity produces the vegetation called lomas, the most important ones being the ones at Lachay and Pasamayo. The sea at the department has some very beautiful bays, appropiate for ports such as the ones in Cerro Azul, Chancay and Huacho. Besides it has a great ictiologial richness, that is different from the ones in the northern and southern seas. Lima has in its Andean zone a great variety of minerals such as copper, silver, calcium and salt. Mines from Casapalca to San Mateo contain silver and copper. The coal zone of the central basin reaches Oyón, 100 KM from the sea. Lima, named "City of the Kings" by the spaniards is today Peru's first financial and industrial center. |
| Tourism: |
| Currently, Lima, as any other metropolis in the world, offers the tourist great attractions and the comfort a traveller seeks. Its 500 years of life has left important remains from its rich history. It must be said that Lima, because of its origin and marked centralism concentrates the greatest attention from the tourists. Beautiful beaches, a varied cuisine and a variety of spectacles, everything that a tourist is eager to find. In Lima reigns the "criollismo". The religious faith, whose gratest expression is the world wide known prossession of the Señor de los Milagros or Cristo Morado de Pachacamilla (the month of October). An equally traditional custom is that of the corridas which take place in the Plaza de Acho and the festivities of Santa Rosa de Lima (August). The City of Lima has many touristic centers: museums such as the Magdalena, and the Gold Museum; site museums in Pachacamac and Puruchuco; churches and colonial houses such as San Francisco, La Merced and the Palace of Torre Tagle; archaeological ruins such as Pachacamac, Cajamarquilla, El Paraíso and Chilca; scenic landscapes such as the Infiernillo, Chillón and Río Cañete Canyons. There are thermal baths such as the Churín and numerous beaches within Metropolitan Lima. |
| Population: |
| Currently, the total Peruvian population is about 23 million 465 thousand inhabitants. The population, in the first 50 years of this century, increased in 3.8 millions of inhabitants; in the remaining 45 years the population increase was almost 16 millions people. Between 1990 and 1995, the population increased in 2.1 millions inhabitants. The 71% of population lives in urban areas and the 29% at rural areas. As per sex, the national population is divided in equal parts. 52% of national population lives in the coast, 36% in the highlands and 12% in the jungle. Around 6 millions inhabitants live in the Capital, Lima, including Callao's population. For the 1995-2000 period, the annually births average figure is thought to be 613 thousand and the average number of children per woman, 3. The annually deaths figure is thought to be 158 thousand, the men's life expectancy, 65 years and women's, 71 years; the children's death rate in 45 per one thousand born alive. |
| Photos: | ||
 Plaza de armas |
 Plaza San Martin |
 Palace of Torretagle in the old downtown city |
Hotel Marriott in Lima |
 Costa verde |
 view vrom costa verde to the "morro solar" in Lima |
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 Farol |
 view from the "Regatas" Club to Lima |
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 Palace of the church council |
 Palace of the church council |
