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Iquitos| River port and capital of Loreto department, in the tropical rainforest of northeast Peru, situated on the west bank of the Amazon River 3,700 km/2,300 mi from its mouth; population (2005) 356,500; urban agglomeration 884,100. There are no connections by road to Iquitos, only by river and air; there is an international airport, and the port is accessible to ocean-going vessels. There are sawmills and an oil refinery. It is a centre of operations for oil exploration, and a tourist centre for the rainforest. Iquitos prospered during the rubber boom (1890–1920). |
| The university (founded 1962) specializes in engineering and agriculture. The city has an iron house and a bandstand designed by Eiffel. The city was founded in the 1750s as a Jesuit mission. |
| There is a floating shanty town – Belén – which is made up of huts built on rafts on the river. |
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