With approx. 8-10 inhabitants Lima is a growing metropolis and the cultural and economic centre of Peru. Directly placed at the Pacific Ocean the Peruvian capital is divided into 43 districts. Because of asphalt, cement and steel Lima doesn`t look quite welcoming to the visitors. But the city has more to offer than they guess in the first moment. So you can find a great choice of good museum, many lovely churches and an interesting architectonic city centre where you have the best shopping facilities of Peru. Out of town you can visit archeological sites like Pachacamac.
Lima was founded on 18th January in 1535 by the Spanish conquer Francisco Pizarro. He selected the lay of the land in the valley of Río Rímac because it was an advantageous basis to get into the Central Andes in a relative short time. If there was an emergency he could escape to his ships which lay quite close in the harbor. In 1551 the first university of America was founded in Lima. In the middle of the 19th century the industrialization phase reached also the Peruvian capital. So in 1854 the first railroad of South America was inaugurated here. Over the years Lima developed to the religious, economical and political center of all Spanish colonies in South America and the number of inhabitants grew increasingly. In colonial times the Spanish conquerors got slaves from Africa to this place, later contract workers from China followed. In the 20th century many foreign immigrants went to Lima to find the big money. Furthermore Lima has to fight against the problem of urbanization which pushes many Peruvians from the countryside to the metropolis. Unfortunately the bigger part of them will live in the endless seeming "Pueblos Jovenes" (Young villages) where electricity, water and canalization doesn`t exist. Nevertheless a great number of new Peruvians are flocking to Lima daily to find their luck and fail finally. It seems that the population boom of Lima doesn`t want to end.
The district Miraflores is the best and maybe safest for tourists. Thanks to greening plans there are some parks since some years that invite their visitors to relax. In the historical district of Lima you can learn a lot about the colonial time.
