Lima is the 37th largest city in the world, with a population of 8.5 million in 2007. Originally founded on the banks of the River Rimac by the Spaniards in 1533, Lima has dominated other settlements in Peru ever since. The original site was on flat, fertile, irrigated land, 8 km from a good harbour and at the lowest bridging point over the River Rimac. Francisco Pizarro, who founded the city, selected this focus to control the defeated Inca empire and to trade with Spain. The new capital city rapidly grew from a few hundred conquistadors to 37,259 in 1700, 63,315 in 1821 and 165,000 in 1900.
In most Latin American cities and developing countries around the world rural–urban migration has been a serious threat to sustainability. Agricultural reforms, land redistribution and the lack of investment in infrastructure have created a large gulf in the quality of life between deprived peripheral rural areas and core urban areas of Latin America. The harsh terrain and climate of the High Andes and seasonal flooding and deforestation have led to additional difficulties for rural communities in Peru. As a result, the rate of rural–urban mig ration increased exponentially throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Lima’s population grew by over 4 million in just 10 years (Figure 1).
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