Lima is the 30th most populous city in the world. The third largest city in the Americas, just behind São Paulo and Mexico City. Peru's sprawling megacapital is actually a mosaic of many smaller cities. Comprising 43 districts with nearly 9 million inhabitants, Lima is a study in contrasts, with ultramodern seaside neighborhoods butting up against gritty shantytowns that cling to barren hillsides.
Lima must have one of the most fabulous sunsets in the world. It helps, of course, that the city faces due west across the Pacific, so the setting sun can flood into the beaches and pick out the last surfers elegantly essaying a few lines.
The city is built in a desert: Cairo, Egypt is the only other metropolis drier than Lima. There exists a specific sensory experience that holds the promise of both a new contemporary Latin world and a new life for individuals and the community.
