It is located in the valleys of the Chillon, Rimac, and Lurin rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of the country, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms the metropolitan area of Lima, with a population of over 9.5 million. The city is the political, cultural, financial, and commercial center of the country. On an international scale, Lima is one of the thirty most populous urban agglomerations in the world. The city is home to one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the New World - the National University of San Marcos, founded on May 12, 1551. It is the first officially established and oldest continuously operating university in the Americas.
