Which city is the capital and largest city of Peru? Lima is both the country’s capital and its largest urban center.
The city was founded by Francisco Pizarro in 1535 in the valley of the Rímac River. Its original Spanish name was Ciudad de los Reyes, or “City of the Kings,” but the Indigenous name Limaq gradually became the usual form. Its coastal location helped make it a strategic administrative and trading center.
Lima became the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru and later remained the capital when Peru became independent. It is located near the Pacific coast and is closely linked with the port city of Callao. The metropolitan area now contains more than 10 million people, making it one of South America’s largest urban areas.
A common mix-up is Cusco, which was the historic capital of the Inca Empire and remains a major tourist destination. Arequipa and Trujillo are also important Peruvian cities, but neither is the national capital or the country’s largest city.