City (pop., 1998 est.: 710,103), southern Peru.
Located in the Andes Mountains at an elevation of 7,557 ft (2,303 m) at the foot of Misti Volcano (19,098 ft [5,821 m]), it has been subject to earthquakes, usually associated with volcanic activity, and was largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1868. In the Inca empire, Arequipa was an important point on the route from Cuzco to the seacoast. Modern Arequipa is the commercial centre of southern Peru.