Lima, Peru, on the bank of the Rímac River

Lima, Peru, on the bank of the Rímac River Today’s Video of the Day from the European Space Agency features Lima, the capital and largest city of Peru. 

Lima is located on the Peruvian coastal plain within the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac, and Lurín rivers. 

According to ESA, one of the most notable characteristics of Lima is the barren desert that surrounds the city. The sand does not support plant life except for where water is artificially provided.

Lima is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean, and on the east by the foothills of the Andes Mountains.

With many historical buildings from the Spanish colonial era, the city’s historical centre was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. The Rímac River is located in western Peru and is the most important source of potable water for the Lima and Callao Metropolitan Area. The river is part of the Pacific watershed and has a length of 204 km. 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. 

In Andes Mountains: Physiography of the Central Andes …west slope of which the Rímac River rises in a cluster of lakes fed by glaciers and descends rapidly to the ocean (15,700 feet in 60 miles). Ticlio Pass, at an altitude of some 15,800 feet, is used by a railway. Many small lakes and ponds.

Video Credit: ESA

–—

By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Staff Writer