Callao in the context of Historic Centre of Callao

Lima is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of the country, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The city is considered the political, cultural, financial and commercial center of Peru. Due to its geostrategic importance, the Globalization and World Cities Research Network has categorized it as a "beta" tier city. Jurisdictionally, the metropolis extends mainly within the province of Lima and in a smaller portion, to the west, within the Constitutional Province of Callao, where the seaport and the Jorge Chávez Airport are located. Both provinces have had regional autonomy since 2002.

The 2023 census projection indicates that the city of Lima has an estimated population of 10,092,000 inhabitants, making it the second-most populous city in South America and the largest Spanish-speaking city in the world in terms of city proper population. The Lima Metropolitan Area, which forms a contiguous urban area with the seaside city of Callao, has a population of 10,151,200 inhabitants. When considering the additional 6 districts contained in the Constitutional Province of Callao, the total agglomeration reaches a population of 11,342,100 inhabitants, one of the most populated urban agglomerations in the world. The city is marked by severe urban segregation between the poor pueblos jóvenes, populated in large part by immigrants from the Andean highlands, and wealthy neighborhoods.

The departments (Spanish: departamentos), informally called regions (Spanish: regiones), are the first-level administrative subdivisions of Peru. According to the Organic Law of Regional Governments, each department is administered by a regional government and a legislature responsible for administration, economic planning, and public services. These governments operate with autonomy while still coordinating with national authorities. Each department is led by a regional governor, who is elected by popular vote for a four-year term, and is responsible for implementing regional policies, managing budgets, and overseeing infrastructure projects. The governor is supported by a regional legislative council, composed of elected representatives from different provinces within the department. This council approves budgets, monitors public investments, and ensures government accountability.

There are 24 departments in total, as well as two provinces that operate under a special regime: Callao and Lima. The former does not belong to any department since 1836, but is nevertheless administered by a regional government of its own. The latter is administered by the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima, which is equal in status to a regional government.

The Rímac River [ˈri.mak] is located in western Peru and is the most important source of potable water for the Lima and Callao Metropolitan Area. It belongs to the Pacific Slope, into which it flows after bathing the cities of Lima and Callao, together with the Chillón River, to the north, and the Lurín River, to the south. It is 204 km long and has a basin of 3,312 km², of which 2,237.2 km² is a humid basin. The basin has a total of 191 lagoons, of which only 89 have been studied. The river begins in the highlands of the Huarochirí Province in the Lima Region and its mouth is located in Callao, near Jorge Chávez International Airport.

The river runs through the Rímac Valley (Spanish: Valle del Rímac), one of three valleys in the city of Lima. The city of Lima is located on the delta-shaped valley, as are various towns such as Matucana, Ricardo Palma, Chosica, Chaclacayo and Vitarte, small cities that function as strategic points between the coast and central mountains of Peru. It has a total surface of 3,700 km.

Jorge Chávez International Airport (IATA: LIM, ICAO: SPJC, SPIM) is the main international airport serving Lima, the capital of Peru. It is located in Callao, 11 kilometers (6.8 mi) northwest of the Historic Centre of Lima, the nation's capital city, and 17 kilometers (11 mi) from the district of Miraflores. In 2023, the airport served 22,876,785 passengers. Historically, the airport was the hub for Compañía de Aviación Faucett, which was the second oldest airline in the Americas, and Aeroperú, which served as Peru's flag carrier. Now it serves as a hub for many aviation companies. The airport was named after Peruvian aviator Jorge Chávez (1887–1910). It is among the busiest and largest airports in South America, providing international flights to North America, South America, Central America, the Caribbean and Europe, along with domestic flights in Peru.

In 2022, it entered the list of the 50 most important air hubs worldwide, occupying position number 47 after having been in position 58 in 2019 according to the international air statistics consultancy OAG. It is owned by the German transport company Fraport and operated by Lima Airport Partners.

The Lima Metropolitan Area (Spanish: Área Metropolitana de Lima, also known as Lima Metropolitana) is an area formed by the conurbation of the Peruvian provinces of Lima (the nation's capital) and Callao. 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.

Callao is a district of Callao, Peru. Its creation dates back to 1836, and its territory currently includes Jorge Chávez International Airport and the Port of Callao, the country's main seaport. Consequently, Callao is the largest port of entry to Peru.

The regional Governments (Spanish: gobiernos regionales) of the government of Peru administer each of the country's 24 departments, as well as the Constitutional Province of Callao and the Province of Metropolitan Lima. It has political, economic, and administrative autonomy in the subjects of its matter. The Constitution of Peru first mandated the establishment of regional governments in 1979.

The provinces of Peru (Spanish: provincias) are the second-level administrative subdivisions of the country. They are divided into districts (Spanish: distritos). There are 196 provinces in Peru, grouped into 24 departments (or regions), while two provinces—Lima and Callao—are subject to a special regime, with the latter not belonging to any department. This makes an average of seven provinces per region. The region with the fewest provinces is Callao (one) and the region with the most is Ancash (twenty).

While provinces in the sparsely populated Amazon rainforest of eastern Peru tend to be larger, there is a large concentration of them in the north-central area of the country. The province with the fewest districts is Purús Province, with just one district. The province with the most districts is Lima Province, with 43 districts. The most common number of districts per province is eight; a total of 29 provinces share this number of districts.

The Regional Government of Callao (Spanish: Gobierno Regional de Callao; GORE Callao) is the regional government that represents Callao. It is the body with legal identity in public law and its own assets, which is in charge of the administration of provinces of the department in Peru. Its purpose is the social, cultural and economic development of its constituency. It is based in the city of Callao.

Chimbote [tʃimˈbote] ; Quechua: Chimputi) is a city in northwestern Peru. It is the largest city in the Ancash Region and the tenth most populous in Peru. With a population of 425,367 in 2017, it is the capital of both Santa Province and Chimbote District. The city has an altitude of 4 meters.

The city is located on the coast in Ferrol Bay, 130 km south of Trujillo and 420 kilometers (260 mi) north of Lima on the North Pan-American highway. It is the start of a chain of important cities on the Peruvian north coast like Trujillo, Chiclayo and Piura. The advantages of this geographic location made Chimbote into a transshipment junction for the Santa River valley. The city is the second most important port city after Callao.

Lima Airport Partners S.R.L. is a Limited liability company that operates Peru's main airport: the Jorge Chávez International Airport in Callao, near Lima. It was founded in February 2001 and holds a 30-year concession to operate the airport. The company is 80.01% owned by Fraport AG of Germany.

The Port of Callao (Spanish: Puerto del Callao), officially the Callao Port Terminal (Spanish: Terminal Portuario del Callao), is the maritime port of Callao, a suburb of Lima, Peru.

It is the country's main port in terms of traffic and storage capacity. Likewise, it is one of the most important in Latin America, ranking seventh and first in the South Pacific region in 2015. In 2018, the port movement in the port of Callao was 2,340,657 TEU, ranking 6th in the list of port activity in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Battle of Ayacucho (Spanish: Batalla de Ayacucho, IPA: [baˈtaʎa ðe aʝaˈkutʃo]) was a decisive military encounter during the Peruvian War of Independence. This battle secured the independence of Peru and ensured independence for the rest of belligerent South American states. In Peru it is considered the end of the Spanish American wars of independence in this country, although the campaign of Antonio José de Sucre continued through 1825 in Upper Peru and the siege of the fortresses Chiloé and Callao eventually ended in 1826.

At the end of 1824, Royalists still had control of most of the south of Peru as well as of the Real Felipe fortress in the port of Callao. On 9 December 1824, the Battle of Ayacucho (Battle of La Quinua) took place between Royalist and Independentist forces at Pampa de Ayacucho (or Quinua), a few kilometers from Ayacucho, near the town of Quinua. Independentist forces were led by Simón Bolívar's lieutenant Antonio José de Sucre. Viceroy José de la Serna was wounded, and after the battle second commander-in-chief José de Canterac signed the final capitulation of the Royalist army.