Lima is the capital of Peru, a magnificent and interesting city. Its name originates from the word Rimac, a river that crosses the city.

Lima was founded in 1535 by the Spanish colonialist Francisco Pizarro, and was also known as the City of the Kings due to the fact that it was founded on 6th January. It was the principle city of the Spanish colonies in this region of the continent, until the fragmentation of Spanish rule in Meridional America.

Often ravaged by earthquakes, it still preserves diverse vestiges of grandeur and splendour that reach back into the past. There is, apart from the churches and the colonial buildings of the time, the cathedral, which was finished in 1625, destroyed by an earthquake and later reconstructed.

Lima is the political, administrative and cultural centre of Peru. Its university, Universidade Nacional de São Marcos, founded in 1551, was the first and most famous of all of South America. It was initially situated in a convent near the Church of Santo Domingo, constructed in 1549.

The centre or heart of modern Lima is situated in the Square of São Martin, in which a monument to the great patriot, Jose de San Martin, who proclaimed independence for Peru in 1821, can be found.

One of the best examples, to date, of colonial palaces is that of the Marquês Torre Tagle.

Lima, situated on the Pacific Ocean, has its port in an area called Callao, the principle Peruvian port.