Cities in Peru: main features

Peru is a major developing country, located on the territory of South America. Its total area is 1 285 216 square meters. Km. From the western part of Peru is washed by the Pacific Ocean, in the east lies the border with Brazil, in the north - with Colombia, and on the south-western side of Peru borders Bolivia and Chile.

The largest cities in Peru

Peru is one of the most attractive countries for tourists. The main factor that attracts new visitors every year is the traces of Inca civilization. In all, Peru has 195 provinces and 1,833 districts. The larger division is based on the criteria of the regions that Peru has 25. The largest cities of Peru are Lima, the capital of the state, Arequipa, Chiclayo, Trujillo, Iquitos, Piura, Chimbote, Cusco, Pucalpa and others. In accordance with natural conditions, the whole country is conditionally divided into three regions. Coastal zone - Costa, mountain - Sierra, and the territory covered with forests - Silva.

The capital of Peru

The capital of the state is Lima, it is also the administrative center of the same region. The population of the largest Peruvian city is about 7 million 605 thousand people. Lima is on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The population density is extremely high and amounts to about 3 thousand people. Per sq. M. Km. Territory. In the poorest slums this number is even greater - about 7 thousand people.

Real estate prices in the capital are high enough - a typical Peruvian can not afford to buy a good home in Lima. Therefore, people have to rent an apartment or move to the periphery 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 gardening of the city. It may seem that this is due to the urbanization of the area, but this is not entirely true. In this area, vegetation is very scarce, so in the city itself you can only occasionally see small palms, bushes and cacti.

Arequipa - the second largest city

If you list the largest cities in Peru, then in second place after the capital will be Arequipa. This city is located in one of the 25 administrative regions, which is of the same name of 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 successful - Arequipa is located on the fertile soils of the banks of the Chile River, at the foot of El Misty's sleeping volcano. On one side of Arequipa is the Atacama Desert, on the opposite side the Andes mountain ranges begin. This city is one of the largest industrial and financial cities in Peru, behind the palm of primacy only Lima.

Ancient Inca City

The most attractive city for foreign tourists is Cuzco. Peru is a country known for its archaeological finds. The city is located at an altitude of 3200 m above sea level. In translation, its name means "the navel of the earth".

Cuzco is a city where the Inca civilization lived for almost 200 years. The Incas were considered the sacred valley of Cusco, and to this day their amazing buildings have survived: temples, houses, the fortress of Machu Picchu. The city of Cusco, like the fortress of Machu Picchu, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The interaction of the celestial and terrestrial world was the main concept underlying the Inca worldview in Cusco. Peru is also known for other ancient civilizations: Nazca, Mochica, Tiahuanaco, Chavin culture. The Incas believed that Cusco is the center of the universe, and the Urubamba river in their view was the earth's axis.

Pucalpa is the far city of Peru

Another major city is Pucalpa. Peru has several cities with similar living conditions. Pucalpa is the regional center of the Ucayali region, which is located on the Amazon forest. In translation from the Quechua language, Pucalpa means "red earth". The city was founded in the 1840s by the Franciscans.

The cities of Peru attract visitors with their own identity. Many of them seem to be thrown into the world of dense forests and mountains. For a long time Pukalpa was one of the smallest cities, also isolated from the world by the impenetrable forests of the Amazon and the Andes. Only at the beginning of the twentieth century. Here for the first time the railway communication with other cities was built.