Lima is the capital and largest city of Peru. It ‘s located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, on a coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean on the west central coast of South America. It forms a contiguous urban area with the seaport of Callao.

Lima's climate is quite mild. The temperatures vary from mild to warm (neither very cold or hot).The average temperature is 18 °C to 19 °C (60–65 °F). The lowest temperatures vary from 12 °C (50 °F) to around 20 °C (68 °F) and the high average is around 25 °C (78 °F), with 30 °C (86 °F) in the warmest of days. The seasons are opposite to those in the United Estates and Europe.

Lima was founded by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro on January 18, 1535, as La Ciudad de los Reyes, or "The City of Kings." The city gained prestige as it was designated capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru and site of a Real Audiencia in 1543. The Western Hemisphere's first university, San Marcos University was established in 1551 and its first printing press in 1584. It also became an important religious center; a Roman Catholic diocese was established in 1541 and converted to an archdiocese five years later.

The city flourished during the 17th century as the center of an extensive trade network which extended as far as Europe and the Philippines. However, it also suffered considerable damage from two earthquakes in 1630 and 1687. A constant danger to the city's commerce was the presence of pirates and privateers in the Pacific Ocean. To protect the city against them, Viceroy Melchor de Navarra y Rocafull built a wall around it between 1684 and 1687. In the 18th century, Lima had to be rebuilt after being almost completely destroyed by an earthquake on October 28, 1746. This natural disaster led to the appearance of an intense devotion for the Lord of the Miracles, which has endured until today.

On July 28, 1821, José de San Martín declared the independence of Peru. In the mid 19th century, an economic boom sustained by guano exports allowed for several improvements to the city. During the 1879–1883 War of the Pacific, Chilean troops occupied Lima after defeating Peruvian resistance in the battles of San Juan and Miraflores destroying and burning some parts of the city. The city went through a process of urban renewal and expansion from the 1890s up to the 1920s. In the 1940s, the city started a period of rapid growth spurred by immigration from the Andean regions of Peru.

Lima is made up of thirty districts, each headed by a local mayor and the Mayor of Lima, whose authority extends to these and the thirteen outer districts of the Lima province.
The city's historic centre is located in the Cercado de Lima district, locally known as "El Centro" ("Downtown"), and it is home to most of the vestiges of Lima's colonial past, the Presidential Palace (Palacio de Gobierno), the metropolitan municipal council (Consejo municipal metropolitano de Lima), and dozens of hotels, some operating and some defunct, that used to cater to the national and international elite.

The Historic centre of Lima was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988 due to its large number of historical buildings dating from the Spanish colonial era. In particular, the Plaza Mayor, with the 16th century Cathedral and the Presidential Palace, and the catacombs of the Convento de San Francisco are popular tourist attractions. Like many other world capitals, Lima is home to the most prestigious national museums, including the National Museum of Anthropology, Archeology, and History and the Rafael Larco Herrera Archaeological Museum, both in the Pueblo Libre district, the Museum of the Nation, the Museum of Art, the Museum of Italian Art, the Museum of the Inquisition, and many others.

The upscale San Isidro district is the city's financial center. It is home to many prominent figures such as politicians and celebrities. It is also where the main banks of Peru and branch offices of world banks are headquartered. San Isidro has many parks, including Parque El Olivar, which has olive trees that were brought from Spain during the seventeenth century.

Another upscale district is Miraflores, which has many luxury hotels, shops and restaurants. Miraflores has more parks and green areas in the south of Lima than most other districts. Larcomar, a popular shopping mall and entertainment center built on cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, featuring bars, dance clubs, movie theaters, cafes, shops, boutiques and galleries, is also located in this district.

Barranco, which borders Miraflores by the Pacific Ocean, is known as the city's bohemian district, home or once home of many Peruvian writers and intellectuals like Mario Vargas Llosa, Chabuca Granda and Alfredo Bryce Echenique. This district has many acclaimed restaurants, music venues called "peñas" featuring the traditional folk music of coastal Peru ("música criolla"), and beautiful Victorian-style chalets. It along with Miraflores serves as the home to the foreign nightlife scene.

Lima has a world renowned cuisine, which fuses Andean and Spanish culinary traditions, as well as some African, Asian (mainly Chinese and Japanese), French, Italian and Muslim cuisine. The city is rapidly becoming world-famous for its seafood and unique vegetables, Creole, Peruvian–Chinese (called chifa) and fusion cuisine.