Backgrounder: Basic facts about Lima -- host city of 2016 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting

People walk into the Museum of the Nation, where the 2016 APEC (Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation) meeting will take place from Nov 19-20, in Lima, Peru, November 17, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

With around 9 million residents, or a third of Peru's overall population, Lima is the largest city in the South American country. As Peru's political, economic and cultural center, the city registers more than two-thirds of the country's GDP, taxes, bank deposits and private investments.

The city was founded by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro in 1535. Till the middle of the 18th century, it had been the capital and the most important city of the Spanish dominion in South America. It became the capital of the Republic of Peru in 1821.

Although severely damaged by earthquakes, the downtown area of Lima still homes a number of historical sites, including the Plaza de Armas, the Plaza San Martin, the San Francisco Convent and the Cathedral. That part of Lima is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Lima is also home to one of the oldest higher learning institutions in the Western Hemisphere. The National University of San Marcos, founded in 1551, is the oldest continuously functioning university in the Americas.

Despite its location in the tropics and in a desert, Lima's proximity to the cool waters of the Pacific Ocean leads to temperatures much cooler than those expected for a tropical desert, with an annual average temperature of about 22 degrees Celsius.

High relative humidity produces quickly passing morning fog from December to April and persistent low clouds and mist from May to November. The city has sunny, moist and warm summers and cloudy, damp and cool winters.

While relative humidity is high, rainfall is very rare. With an average annual precipitation of 15 mm, the city is known as one of the driest capitals over the world.

Lima hosted the 16th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in 2008.