IQUITOS

Amazon River port and capital of Loreto departamento, northeastern Peru. It is located about 2,300 miles (3,700 km) upstream from the Atlantic Ocean and 640 miles (1,030 km) north-northeast of Lima. It was founded in 1864 at the site of an Indian village and became the chief shipping port for the region during the rubber boom of the late 19th century. After 1912, when production dropped drastically, the city's population declined. Iquitos remained stagnant until the 1950s, when interest in the economic development of eastern Peru was renewed. The city has many older buildings dating from the late 19th century, with glazed tiles and ironwork imported from Europe. Iquitos is connected to Lima by air. It is the site of the National University of the Peruvian Amazon (founded 1961) and is the cultural, religious, and tourist centre of eastern Peru. Iquitos has become the centre for oil exploration in the Peruvian Amazon. Pop. (1990 est.) 269,500.