The Lima Metropolitan Area (, also known as ''Lima Metropolitana'') is an area formed by the
conurbation
A conurbation is a region consisting of a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ...
of the Peruvian provinces of
Lima
Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
(the nation's capital) and
Callao.
[Lima Metropolitana is formed by the Province of Lima and the Constitutional Province of Callao in accordance with D.S. N°011-72-PM as of April 25, 1972] It is the largest of the
metropolitan areas of Peru, the seventh
largest in the Americas, the fourth largest in Latin America, and among the thirty
largest in the world. The conurbation process started to be evident in the 1980s.
The metropolitan area is composed of five subregions. These are
Lima Norte,
Lima Sur,
Lima Este,
Central Lima, and
Callao. Its estimated 2020 population is over 11 million according to the
INEI.
History
The City of the Kings (Lima) was founded by
Spanish colonists on January 18, 1535. The port of
Callao was founded similarly two years later (1537). The city of
Lima
Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
began when
Francisco Pizarro
Francisco Pizarro, Marquess of the Atabillos (; ; – 26 June 1541) was a Spanish ''conquistador'', best known for his expeditions that led to the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire.
Born in Trujillo, Cáceres, Trujillo, Spain, to a poor fam ...
declared it at what is known in Christianity as the
Epiphany. He declared it at the center of the city, the
Plaza Mayor. It would become the most important city in South America.
The city of
Callao has also been highly important, as for hundreds of years it was the only port in all of the
Viceroyalty of Peru
The Viceroyalty of Peru (), officially known as the Kingdom of Peru (), was a Monarchy of Spain, Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in ...
(all of
Spanish South America at the time) allowed to ship anything to the rest of the world. For hundreds of years, Lima and Callao were separated by a desert. This did not diminish the importance of the union between the two cities. It was not until the 19th century, that they were connected by a railroad. The metropolitan linkage between these two cities did not start until they both grew enough to, in essence, crash into each other.
Present day
In the present day,
Lima
Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
is the most important metropolis in
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
and in the
Andean region. The area's financial district is
San Isidro. It is home to a large concentration of business centers, skyscrapers, and commerce.
Miraflores and
Barranco are two districts where the city's nightlife is mainly based in. Parts of the metropolis can be lively; music at night is common in some areas. Today different areas of the city have differing aspects and showcase variations in culture caused by varying times of settlement, differences in socio-economic level and immigration from other parts of Peru. The
downtown area, unlike many downtowns in other major cities, is largely a historic district, and is home to many cathedrals and churches built during the Spanish colonial period.
In the latter half of the 20th century, the city has grown rapidly by migration from other
regions of Peru
According to the ''Organic Law of Regional Governments'', the regions () are, with the departments, the first-level semi autonomous administrative subdivisions of Peru. Since its Peruvian War of Independence, 1821 independence, Peru had been divi ...
. Many of these migrants began to form new communities called ''
pueblos jovenes'' and ''asentamientos humanos'', literally ''young towns'' and ''human settlements''. These towns are similar to the ''
favelas'' of Brazil, but considerably smaller. Many of them, have no running water or electricity and the city has been unable to provide the infrastructure to all the new residents. Many of the communities, such as
Comas, and
Villa El Salvador have evolved into modern
districts, where residents have found the better life they were searching for.
Geography
The
conurbation
A conurbation is a region consisting of a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most ...
has an area of 2,819.26 km
2. It is concentrated mainly in the coastal area and runs north–south along the Pacific coast for almost 200 km, beginning in the district of
Ancón, on the border with the
Huaral Province of the
Lima region, and ending in the district of
Pucusana, on the border with the
Cañete Province, also in the Lima region. The
Rímac,
Chillón and
Lurín rivers pass through the area. It is made up of in total 50
districts (43 of
Lima Province and 7 of
Constitutional Province of Callao). Most of the area is located in the desert whereas the eastern portion is located in the foothills of the
Andes
The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...
. It is the world's second largest desert city after
Cairo
Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
, Egypt. The Lima metropolitan area is informally divided into five areas, Northern Lima, Southern Lima, Eastern Lima, Centro Lima and Callao.
Transportation
Today, Lima and Callao have conurbanized to the point that only signs mark the borders. Hundreds of streets and highways link the two cities.
*
Taxicabs vary in quality of service and price. Most can be simply stopped at any street, private taxi companies can be called to pick up passengers at a certain address. To improve the quality of taxis running in Lima, a new law was passed to prohibit importing used cars; thanks to this law, the city of Lima has ensured that taxis and other motorists drive increasingly new vehicles, thereby reducing smog.
*Bus
Numerous inter-urban bus companies offer transportation to other cities in Peru. Quality varies depending on the price, from luxury express buses to ill-maintained and crowded micros.
*
Mass-transit systems:
''
El Metropolitano:'' The newly completed bus system called Metropolitano is an above-ground
mass-transit system which traverses the
north area,
the north-central area,
the downtown, other residential districts,
the financial district,
the south central area, and the
Cono Sur. The system starts in
Chorrillos (southern Lima) and finishes in the limit of
Independencia and
Comas (northern Lima). Plans for additional lines were abandoned in favor of adding complementary lines to the existing route.
''
Lima Metro:'' In 2010, the government of
Alan García renewed the project of
Lima Metro, starting with the construction of Line 1. It calls for the construction and implementation of 11.7 kilometres (7.3 mi) (with a total of 22.5 kilometres (14.0 mi)) of viaduct elevated of double ramp from the Atocongo Bridge to
downtown Lima. The
Lima Metro Line 1 is being built by a consortium made up by two engineering and construction companies. It is estimated that construction will be complete by December 2010, with remaining work the electrification of the line. Siemens Engineering has responsibility for that portion. The first part of Line 1 must be completed in June 2011 and starts daily operations in July 2011.
*
Air transport
Lima's main passenger gateway for national and international air travelers is
Jorge Chávez International Airport located in
Callao (11 km.
northwest from the center).
Population distribution
% of the metro area's total population, sorted by district areas:
*
Lima Norte (
Ancón,
Carabayllo,
Comas,
Independencia,
Los Olivos,
Puente Piedra,
Rimac,
San Martin de Porres,
Santa Rosa): 26%
*
Lima Este (
Ate,
Cieneguilla,
Chaclacayo,
El Agustino,
La Molina,
Lurigancho-Chosica San Juan de Lurigancho,
San Luis,
Santa Anita): 12%
*
Lima Sur (
Barranco,
Chorrillos,
Lurín,
Pachacámac,
Pucusana,
Punta Hermosa,
Punta Negra,
San Bartolo,
San Juan de Miraflores,
Santa María del Mar,
Villa el Salvador,
Villa María del Triunfo): 20%
*Central Lima (
Breña,
La Victoria,
Lima
Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
,
Lince,
Pueblo Libre,
San Miguel): 11%
* Residential Lima (
Jesús María,
Magdalena del Mar,
Miraflores,
San Borja,
San Isidro,
Santiago de Surco,
Surquillo): 19%
*
Callao (
Bellavista,
Callao District,
Carmen de la Legua Reynoso,
La Perla,
La Punta,
Ventanilla District): 12%
Growth of the metropolitan area
The following maps show how the Lima/Callao metropolitan area has grown over the years. The first map shows the population in 1535, which is the year Lima was founded, and the last map shows the population in 2006.
Future as a megacity
The Lima metropolitan area has become an unofficial
megacity
A megacity is a very large city, typically with a population of more than 10 million people. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) in its 2018 "World Urbanization Prospects" report defines megacities as urban a ...
(a
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...
of more than ten million people) as of 2017. It was the first in the Andean States, the fourth in South America, the fifth in Latin America and the seventh in the Americas.
According to the
Globalization and World Cities Research Network, Lima is currently a Beta + city, one subcategory away from being in the"Alpha" category.
See also
*
List of metropolitan areas of Peru
*
Lima
Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
*
Callao
*
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
*
Metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...
*
List of Latin American cities by population
References
{{coord, 12.0583, S, 77.0911, W, source:wikidata, display=title
Geography of Lima
Metropolitan areas of Peru