Callao

Chief commercial port of Peru, situated 12 km/7 mi northwest of Lima on Callas Bay; sheltered by the island of San Lorenzo; population (1993) 369,800. The port handles 75% of Peru's imports and 25% of its exports. Exports include petroleum, minerals (copper, iron, silver, zinc, lead) cotton, sugar, and coffee. Manufactures include petrochemical products, fertilizers, textiles, and leather goods. It has a dockyard and an oil refinery. Callao is now contiguous with Lima and the combined metropolitan area produces 75% of Peru's manufactures.

Callao was founded in 1537, but was destroyed by an earthquake in 1746 and had to be rebuilt. In 1851 the first railway in South America was contructed here, connecting Callao with Lima. The port suffered further earthquake damage in 1940 and was modernized in the 1950s.