Ica

Capital of the Peruvian coastal department and province of the same name, 331 km/206 mi southeast of Lima; population (2005) 189,600; urban agglomeration 665,600. Ica stands at an altitude of 406 m/1,332 ft and is the centre of Peru's principal wine-producing region. Cotton-ginning industries are also situated here. The town was founded in 1563 as Villa de Valverde.

Ica is known for its Festival Internacional de Vendimía, a wine harvest festival, which is held during early March. There is also a pilgrimage to El Señor de Luren in October and March. A special tourist festival is held in the second half of September.

Ica

Department on the south-central coast of Peru; area 21,306 sq km/8,226 sq mi; population (1996) 607,630. Much of Ica is sandy desert, but its river valleys are fertile, supporting the cultivation of cotton, maize, and vines. Wine is produced here in great quantity; and distilling is a major occupation. Other industries in the region include iron-ore mining, centred on the town of Marcona, and fishmeal processing, in the coastal towns of Tambo de Mora and San Andrés. Just south of Pisco, a modern deep-water port has been constructed at Puerto General San Martín.

Of particular interest in the department of Ica are the mysterious Nazca lines, a series of geometrical bird and animal shapes carved on the stony desert terrain outside the town of Nazca. The Paracas nature reserve, south of Pisco, is an important sanctuary for seabirds. In the north of the department, in the province of Chincha, live most of Peru's small Black population. Pisco is the site of a large military airbase.

The famous local colourless brandy known as pisco takes its name from the large port of Pisco in the north of the department .