Peru is a large developing country located in South America. Its total area is 1,285,216 sq. km. Peru is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west, Brazil to the east, Colombia to the north, and Bolivia and Chile to the southwest.
The largest cities in Peru
Peru is one of the most attractive countries for tourists. The main factor that attracts new visitors every year are the traces of the Inca civilization. There are 195 provinces and 1833 districts in Peru. A larger division is carried out according to the criterion of regions, of which there are 25 in Peru. The largest cities in Peru are Lima, which is the capital of the state, Arequipa, Chiclayo, Trujillo, Iquitos, Piura, Chimbote, Cusco, Pucallpa and others. In accordance with natural conditions, the whole country is conditionally divided into three regions. Coastal zone - Costa, mountainous - Sierra, and the territory covered with forests - Silva.
Capital of Peru
The capital of the state is Lima, it is also the administrative centerregion of the same name. The population of the largest Peruvian city is about 7 million 605 thousand inhabitants. Lima is located on the Pacific coast. The population density is extremely high and amounts to about 3 thousand people. per sq. km. territory. In the poorest slums, this number is even higher - about 7 thousand people.
Property prices in the capital are quite high - the average Peruvian is unable to afford a good home in Lima. Therefore, people have to rent apartments or move to the outskirts of Lima.
The beginning of the history of Lima dates back to the 16th century. The city was founded by Francisco Pissarro and still has the official name Ciudad de los Reyes, which means "city of kings". Those who visit Lima for the first time are surprised by the low degree of landscaping in the city. It may seem that this is due to the urbanization of the area, but this is not entirely true. In this area, the vegetation is very sparse, so in the city itself you can only occasionally see small palm trees, bushes and cacti.
Arequipa is the second largest city
If you list the largest cities in Peru, then Arequipa will be in second place after the capital. This city is located in one of the 25 administrative regions, which bears the same name Arequipa. The city is located in the southern part of Peru and is the center of its province.
The location of the city is very good - Arequipa is located on the fertile soils of the banks of the Chile River, at the foot of the dormant volcano El Misti. On one side of Arequipa is the Atacama Desert, on the opposite side beginsmountain ranges of the Andes. This city is one of the largest industrial and financial cities in Peru, second only to Lima.
Ancient Inca City
Cusco rightfully occupies the place of the most attractive city for foreign tourists. Peru is a country famous for its archaeological finds. The city is located at an altitude of 3200 m above sea level. In translation, its name means "navel of the earth."
Cusco is a city where the Inca civilization lived for almost 200 years. The Incas considered the Cusco Valley sacred, and their amazing buildings have survived here to our times: temples, houses, the Machu Picchu fortress. The city of Cusco, as well as the fortress of Machu Picchu, are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The interaction of the heavenly and earthly worlds was the main concept underlying the worldview of the Incas in the city of Cusco. Peru is also known for other ancient civilizations: Nazca, Mochica, Tiahuanaco, Chavin culture. The Incas, on the other hand, believed that Cuzco was the center of the universe, and the Urubamba River, in their view, was the earth's axis.
Pucallpa - a distant city in Peru
Another major city is Pucallpa. Peru has several cities with similar living conditions. Pucallpa is the regional center of the Ucayali region, which is located on the territory of the Amazonian forest. Pucallpa means "red earth" in Quechua. The city was founded in the 1840s by the Franciscans.
The cities of Peru attract guests with their originality. Many of them seemabandoned in the world of dense forests and mountains. For a long time, Pucallpa was one of the smallest cities, moreover, isolated from the world by the impenetrable forests of the Amazon and the Andes. Only at the beginning of the twentieth century. here was first built a railway connection with other cities.
