{{Short description|City and province of Peru}} {{Other uses}} {{redirect|Ports of Lima|the album by Sore|Ports of Lima (album)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Callao | settlement_type = [[List of cities in Peru|City]] and [[Provinces of Peru|constitutional province]] | image_skyline = {{multiple image |total_width = 300 |border = infobox |perrow = 1/2/2/1 |caption_align = center |image1 = Vista aérea de la Iglesia Matriz del Callao.jpg |alt1 = Vista aérea de la Iglesia Matriz del Callao |caption1 = View from the [[Plaza Grau]] |image2 = La Punta, Callao (6988073052).jpg |alt2 = La Punta, Callao |caption2 = [[La Punta District|La Punta]] |image3 = Plaza Grau del Callao.jpg |alt3 = Plaza Grau del Callao |caption3 = [[Monument to Miguel Grau Seminario|Monument to Miguel Grau]] |image4 = Beach of Callao, Peru.jpg |alt4 = Beach of Callao, Peru |caption4 = Beach in Callao |image5 = Bap_villavicencio.jpg |alt5 = Villavicencio ship |caption5 = [[Port of Callao]] |image6 = Fortaleza del Real Felipe del Callao 17.jpg |alt6 = Fortaleza del Real Felipe del Callao 17 |caption6 = Panoramic view from the [[Real Felipe Fortress]] }} | imagesize = 300px | image_flag = Flag of Callao.png | image_shield = Coat of arms of Callao.png | shield_size = 55 | nicknames = The Pearl of the Pacific,{{efn|{{langx|es|La Perla del Pacífico}}<ref name="nickname">{{cite web |date=2000 |url=http://www.e-camara.net/revista/2286/ultima-pag.htm |title=La Perla del Pacífico |editor=Camara de Comercio de Lima |access-date=9 May 2012 |archive-date=3 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203221218/http://www.e-camara.net/revista/2286/ultima-pag.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref>}} The First Harbour{{efn|{{langx|es|El Primer Puerto}}}} | motto = {{force singular}} The faithful and generous city of Callao, asylum of the laws and freedom{{efn|{{langx|es|La fiel y generosa ciudad del Callao, asilo de las leyes y de la libertad}}.}} | image_map = Peru - Callao, Constitutional Province of (locator map).svg | map_caption = Location of Callao within Peru | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = {{flag|Peru}} | subdivision_type1 = [[Provinces of Peru|Province]] | subdivision_name1 = Callao{{efn|name=Region|The '''Constitutional Province of Callao''' ({{langx|es|Provincia Constitucional del Callao}}) is coterminous with the city. Granted autonomy in 1836, it was given its current name in 1857. Equal in status to a department, it has been administered by a [[Regional Government of Callao|regional government]] since 2003.}} | parts_type = [[Districts of Peru|Districts]] | p1 = [[Bellavista District|Bellavista]] | p2 = [[Callao District|Callao]] (downtown) | p3 = [[Carmen de la Legua Reynoso]] | p4 = [[La Perla District|La Perla]] | p5 = [[La Punta District|La Punta]] | p6 = [[Ventanilla District|Ventanilla]] | p7 = [[Mi Perú District|Mi Perú]] | government_type = [[Regional Government of Callao|Regional Government]] | leader_title = Mayor | leader_name = [[Pedro Spadaro]] | established_date = 6 March 1537{{efn|The city has no official foundation date, and its origins date back to early January 1535, prior to the foundation of [[Lima]] on the 18th. On March 6, 1537, a successful request by Diego Ruiz to the [[Real Audiencia of Lima]] was recorded,<ref>{{Cite news |title=Conmemoración del 188° Aniversario de la Creación Política de la Provincia del Callao |date=2024-08-23 |url=https://www.gob.pe/institucion/regioncallao/noticias/1008950-conmemoracion-del-188-aniversario-de-la-creacion-politica-de-la-provincia-del-callao |work=[[Gob.pe]] |publisher=[[Regional Government of Callao|Gobierno Regional Callao]]}}</ref> and the port was elevated to city level in 1671.}} | founder = Diego Ruiz<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.regioncallao.gob.pe/historia-del-callao/ |title=Página en www.regioncallao.gob.pe |access-date=14 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140822110659/http://www.regioncallao.gob.pe/historia-del-callao/ |archive-date=22 August 2014}}</ref> | area_total_km2 = 147.85 | elevation_m = 5 |population_rank = [[List of cities in Peru|3rd in Peru]] | population_as_of = 2025 est. | population_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://cdn.www.gob.pe/uploads/document/file/8353403/6953760-estado-de-la-poblacion-peruana-2025-una-mirada-hacia-la-poblacion-adulta-mayor.pdf|title=Estado de la Población Peruana|date=July 2025|p=22}}</ref> | population_total = 1226200 | population_density_km2 = auto | population_demonym = Chalaco/a | timezone = [[Time in Peru|PET]] | utc_offset = -5 | coordinates = {{Coord|12|03|08|S|77|08|21|W|type:city_region:PE-CAL|display=inline,title}} | postal_code_type = Postal code | postal_code = 07001 | area_code = 14 | website = [http://www.municallao.gob.pe Official Website] }} '''Callao''' ({{IPA|es|kaˈʝa.o}}) is a seaside city and [[Provinces of Peru|constitutional province]] in [[Peru]].{{efn|name=Region}} Located next to the [[Pacific Ocean]], it forms part of the [[Lima metropolitan area]] alongside [[Lima province]]. Its autonomous status dates back to 1836, when it was declared a ''Littoral Province'' of the [[Peru–Bolivian Confederation]], after which it was declared a ''Constitutional Province'' by the government of [[Ramón Castilla]] in 1857.
Callao is Peru's chief [[seaport]] and home to its main airport, [[Jorge Chávez International Airport]]. Founded in 1537 by the [[Spaniards]], the city has a long [[naval]] history as one of the main ports in [[Spanish America]] and the Pacific, having been a vital Spanish town of the [[Viceroyalty of Peru]]. [[Historic Centre of Callao|Central Callao]] is about {{cvt|15|km|mi}} west of the [[Historic Centre of Lima]].
==Etymology== The name of the city and province is derived from ''{{Linktext|callao}}'', a nautical Spanish term for a pebble, replaced today by ''{{Linktext|guijarro}}''. It had been previously believed that the word was of Native origin, possibly [[Quechuan languages|Quechua]] or [[Aymaran languages|Aymara]] in origin. Proponents of this theory included a number of prominent historians of the 19th and 20th centuries, including [[Manuel de Mendiburu]], {{ill|Carlos Romero Ramírez|es|Carlos A. Romero Ramírez|lt=Carlos Romero}}, and [[Ricardo Palma]], among others.<ref name=INEI>{{Cite book |title=Conociendo CALLAO |last=Murillo Alfaro |first=Félix |publisher=[[Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática]] |year=1999 |language=es |url=http://www1.inei.gob.pe/biblioineipub/bancopub/Est/Lib0275/cap-01.htm |chapter=I. Reseña Histórica |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111213204757/http://www1.inei.gob.pe/biblioineipub/bancopub/Est/Lib0275/cap-01.htm |archive-date=2011-12-13}}</ref>
Interest in the etymology of both the city and its demonym increased due to a campaign launched by ''{{ill|Diario El Callao|es|lt=El Callao}}'', a newspaper then headed by M. Darío Arrús. It was during this campaign that Ricardo Palma suggested that the word had its origin in the Native words ''calla'' (coast) or ''chalhua'' (to fish). This claim was supported by the terms ''cala'' (a local word also used to describe fishing as an activity) and ''chala'' (port), the latter of which would give origin to the term ''Challahaque'', which would then be bastardised into ''chalaco''. He concluded, however, that the term was European in origin, due to its description in the ''Diccionario Histórico-Geográfico de la América Meridional'', a 1771 book by the Venetian [[Jesuit]] Juan Domingo Coleti. Described as "''Callao (Callaum-calavia)''", the latter term (''calavia'') was the term for ballast used by Italian fishermen at the time.<ref name=INEI/>
In addition to the above, {{ill|Juan de Arona|es|lt=Pedro Paz Soldán}}'s ''Diccionario de Peruanismos'' cites a similar origin. The definition provided by Augustinian priest Bernabé Torres in 1667, which made a specific mention of the rocky coastline, was ultimately considered decisive for the determination of the word's origin.<ref name=INEI/>
Prior to its definitive name, other terms for the port included: ''Puerto de Santa María'', ''Puerto de La Mar'' (used in Lima), ''Puerto de la Ciudad de los Reyes'', ''Callao de Lima'', and ''Puerto y Callao de la mar''. It appeared for the first time with the name of ''Callao de la Mar'' in 1558, and the name of ''Puerto del Callao'' had been defined by 1586. In 1630, it was named by [[Bernabé Cobo]] as the "Port and City of Callao" ({{langx|es|Pueblo y Puerto del Callao}}).<ref name=INEI/>
Residents of Callao are known as ''chalacos'' after the [[Quechuan languages|Quechua]] word ''[[Chala]]'', meaning coast.
==History== The oldest traces of human occupation of Callao date back more than 10,000 years and are the stone workshops on [[Chivateros|Chivateros Hill]]. Throughout the pre-Inca period, various peoples settled in the area, primarily dedicated to fishing.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Diagnóstico Socio Económico Laboral del Callao 2012 |publisher=[[Ministry of Labour and Promotion of Employment|Ministerio de Trabajo y Promoción del Empleo]] |year=2013 |pages=8 |language=es |url=https://prototipo.regioncallao.gob.pe/contenidos/contenidosGRC/DATAOSELCALLAO/filesContenido/file10000004.pdf}}</ref> In the mid-15th century, the territory of Callao was annexed to the [[Inca Empire]], with the Inca Palace of Oquendo being one of its strategic centres.
===Spanish period=== [[File:Atlas-heliche-callao-01.png|thumb|left|Callao in 1655.]] Callao had been settled by Spaniards in 1535, when in January of that year the ships that the conquistador [[Pedro de Alvarado]] sold to [[Francisco Pizarro]] and [[Diego de Almagro]] landed in the port. Later that same month, the city of [[Lima]] (then called ''Los Reyes'') was established. On March 6, 1537, the Spaniard Diego Ruiz obtained a license to inaugurate a [[Tambo (Inca structure)|tambo]] (an administrative structure with supplies) in the port of Lima.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Cronología de la conquista de los Reinos del Perú (1524 - 1572) |last=Huerta |first=Carlos |publisher=Lima |year=2013 |isbn=9786120014066 |pages=41 |language=es}}</ref> In 1555, the construction of the first Spanish neighbourhood began.
In 1556, Viceroy [[Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza, 3rd Marquis of Cañete|Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza]] appointed Francisco López as the port's first mayor. The [[Cabildo of Lima|Lima city council]] recognized him by presenting him with the staff of justice, a symbol of his municipal authority. However, the first municipal authority of the port was Cristóbal Garzón, who served as "Port Constable," having been appointed by the "Chief Constable of Lima," Juan Astudillo Montenegro. He also oversaw the adjacent lands of Daniel Gustavo Fonseca Arroyo, a landowner in Callao's countryside.
Due to its status as the main port of the [[Viceroyalty of Peru]], it was a constant target of pirate and privateer attacks. In 1579, English pirate [[Francis Drake]] violently attacked the port, and in 1624, the Dutchman [[Jacques l'Hermite]] did the same. In response, the Spanish government ordered the construction of defensive walls around the city, which were erected between 1634 and 1647. These defensive installations reached their culmination in October 1747 with the start of construction on the [[Real Felipe Fortress]], the first phase of which was completed in 1773. [[File: Plano del El Callao en 1744 - AHG.jpg|thumb|left|Callao in 1744.]] On the 1635 map by cartographer Guiljelmus Blaeuw (1571–1638), it is listed as the ''Villa del Callao'' (V. del Callao), just as Lima appears as "Los Reyes" or ''Villa de Lima'' ("V. Lima"). Due to its proximity to the Peruvian capital, it was colloquially known by the Spanish as the ''Port of Lima'' or as ''Callao de Lima'', a situation that was abandoned as the territory of Callao grew naturally and, like many European cities, developed to achieve city status in 1671.
Following this upgrade, it soon became the main port for Spanish commerce in the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]]. At the height of the viceroyalty, virtually all goods produced in the Lower Peru, [[Upper Peru]], and the [[Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata|River Plate]] were carried over the [[Andes]] by [[mule]] to Callao, to be shipped to [[Panama]], carried overland, and then transported on to Spain via [[Cuba]]. The port of Callao was also a node in the [[Manila galleon]] route connecting America and Asia through [[Acapulco]] and [[Manila]].<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Connecting China with the Pacific World |journal=Orientierungen. Zeitschrift zur Kultur Asiens |last=Schottenhammer |first=Angela |url=https://www.academia.edu/44625493/Connecting_China_with_the_Pacific_World |volume=31 |pages=144–145 |via=Academia |year=2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527045556/https://www.academia.edu/44625493/Connecting_China_with_the_Pacific_World |archive-date=2021-05-27}}</ref>
A number of natural disasters claimed many lives and caused widespread destruction in the port. Among the most devastating was the [[1746 Lima–Callao earthquake|earthquake of October 28, 1746]], which was accompanied by a tsunami that destroyed the city and decimated its population. Of the five thousand people who lived in Callao, only 200 survived. In response to this disaster and seeking to prevent its recurrence, Viceroy [[José Manso de Velasco, 1st Count of Superunda|José Manso de Velasco]], the 1st Count of Superunda, founded the city of [[Bellavista District|Bellavista]] on a plain three kilometers inland. However, this did not cause the residents of Callao to abandon their original location on the seashore. In 1780, direct trade between [[Manila]], [[Philippines]] at Asia; and Callao, [[Peru]]; in South America, was officially approved by the Spanish King, and organized by the Royal Philippine Company, leading to much immigration of Filipinos to Peru and Peruvians to the Philippines.<ref>{{cite book |last=Paquette |first=Gabriel B. |title=Enlightenment, Governance, and Reform in Spain and its Empire, 1759–1808 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-230-30052-1 |location=Basingstoke |series=Cambridge Imperial and Post-Colonial Studies |url=https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/9780230592704 |access-date=March 25, 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Cheong |first=Weng Eang |date=September 1970 |title=Changing the Rules of the Game (The India-Manila Trade: 1785–1809) |journal=Journal of Southeast Asian Studies |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=1–19 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |doi=10.1017/S002246340001925X |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-southeast-asian-studies/article/abs/changing-the-rules-of-the-game-the-indiamanila-trade-178518091/DFED0589509EC155F2EC9C91A201D637 |access-date=March 25, 2026}}</ref>
Callao took great importance during the [[Peruvian War of Independence]] since it not only controlled the traffic of goods, but also the use of the military fleet. In that sense, it changed hands several times, and in 1821, the first capture of the Real Felipe Fortress by the troops under the command of General [[José de San Martín]] took place. Following the [[Battle of Ayacucho]] on December 9, 1824, that sealed the independence of Peru and South America, Spain made unsuccessful attempts to retain its former territories. One of these attempts led to a [[Second siege of Callao|13-month siege]] by nationalist forces backed by [[Simón Bolívar]], concluding in 1826 with the surrender of the fortress to General [[Bartolomé Salom]] by General [[José Ramón Rodil]].
===Republican period=== In a session on March 8, 1834, the [[Congress of the Republic of Peru|National Convention]] presided over by [[Francisco Xavier de Luna Pizarro]] decorated the port as "The Faithful and Generous City of Callao, Asylum of the Laws and Liberty," as a reward for defending the government of General [[Luis José de Orbegoso]] against the coup attempts of General [[Pedro Pablo Bermúdez]]. The province last belonged to the [[department of Lima]] in 1836, after which it would be allowed an autonomy that has since remained.
The '''Littoral Province of Callao''' ({{langx|es|Provincia Litoral del Callao}}){{efn|Also called the '''Military and Political Government of Callao''' ({{langx|es|Gobierno Político y Militar del Callao}})}} was created on August 20, 1836. Its creation was ordered by [[Andrés de Santa Cruz]], then Protector of [[North Peru]], a newly created state that would become a constituent country of the [[Peru–Bolivian Confederation]] later that year. As a [[Provinces of Peru|littoral province]], it operated under a special autonomous regime separate from the country's departments, but equal in status to them.
The [[Peruvian Civil War of 1856–1858]] saw the troops of provisional president [[Ramón Castilla]] face of against those of [[Manuel Ignacio de Vivanco]] due to ideological differences regarding the constitution at the time. On the night of April 21, 1857, an {{ill|Battle of Callao (1857)|es|Desembarco en el Callao (1857)|lt=attack}} by Vivanco's troops on the port of Callao continued into the morning of the next day, where they were defeated by local pro-government militias. This action led to Castilla again changing the province's status.
The '''Constitutional Province of Callao''' ({{langx|es|Provincia Constitucional del Callao}}) was the new name under given to the province by Castilla. Like its predecessor, it meant that the province was independent of any department, but equal in status to them. The difference was in name only: all of the other provinces had been given their names by law, while this had been granted through a constitutional mandate. The new province's first mayor was Colonel Manuel Cipriano Dulanto.
Between 1850 and 1851, the Lima-Callao railway, the second in South America, began operating. This railway departed from the port and ran along the entire length of [[Óscar R. Benavides Avenue|Colonial Avenue]] to [[Plaza San Martín, Lima|San Juan de Dios Station]]. There was also another, smaller railway, called "El Urbanito," which only transported people within the port itself. Callao was a pioneer in urban health and safety, and on December 5, 1860, the first fire company in Peru, the Unión Chalaca No. 1, was inaugurated in its jurisdiction.
In 1864, following an incident which led to the death of a Spaniard one year prior, the [[Spanish Navy]] occupied the [[Chincha Islands]], leading to a [[Chincha Islands War|military confrontation]] that would last from 1865 to 1871. On May 2, 1866, [[Battle of Callao|a battle]] between the forces of Spanish Admiral [[Casto Méndez Núñez]] and those of Peruvian Colonel [[Mariano Ignacio Prado]] and [[José Gálvez Egúsquiza]] took place in the coast of Callao. The latter, then [[Ministry of Defence (Peru)|Minister of War]], was killed in action and subsequently commemorated as a war hero. [[File:Lima MKL Bd. 10 1890 (128443787).jpg|thumb|right|Callao in 1890.]] During the [[War of the Pacific]], Callao was one of the populated places near Lima that were [[Occupation of Lima|occupied by Chilean troops]] in early 1881. On January 17 of the same year, the Peruvian fleet was scuttled on site, and the port city surrendered the following day.
===20th century=== In 1921, the Bureau of Public Works granted a concession to [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|M.I.T.]] engineer John Tinker Glidden for paving, administering, and inaugurating a public cart road between Callao and Lima, further coalescing a [[Lima metropolitan area|metropolitan area between both cities]].
On the afternoon of April 28, 1947, the ''[[Kon-Tiki expedition|Kon-Tiki]]'', a raft crewed by a team led by Norwegian adventurer [[Thor Heyerdahl]] left Callao. By 1949, the city was known as one of the biggest centers of [[coca]]-based products and [[cocaine]] [[Drug traffic|traffic]] in the world.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=1949-04-11 |title=The White Goddess |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,800079,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070717031940/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,800079,00.html |archive-date=2007-07-17}}</ref>
Callao was one of many places affected by the [[Internal conflict in Peru|period of terrorism and instability]] that began in 1980. On June 19, 1986, the Peruvian government [[Peruvian prison massacres|executed a number of prisoners]] in the penal colony of [[El Frontón]]. On July 5, 1989, a [[1989 Callao bombing|terrorist attack]] targeting members of the [[Soviet Navy]] injured 33 people in total.
===21st century=== On April 15, 2014, the [[Congress of Peru]] approved that [[Mi Perú District|Mi Perú]], then a district of [[Lima province]]'s district of [[Ventanilla District|Ventanilla]], become a new district of Callao.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Congreso aprobó que Mi Perú sea el nuevo distrito del Callao |date=2014-04-15 |url=https://elcomercio.pe/lima/congreso-aprobo-mi-peru-sea-nuevo-distrito-callao-310683-noticia/ |work=[[El Comercio (Peru)|El Comercio]]}}</ref>
In January 2022, the province was affected by an [[2022 Callao oil spill|oil spill]] caused by abnormal waves provoked by the [[2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai eruption and tsunami|volcanic eruption in Tonga]] earlier that same day.
==Politics== Local government affairs are divided into two levels. Regional matters are handled by the [[Regional Government of Callao]], whose headquarters are located in front of the [[Jorge Chávez International Airport]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Directorio Regional |url=http://www.regioncallao.gob.pe/directorio-regional/ |access-date=2020-12-29 |website=Gobierno Regional del Callao |language=es}}</ref> Affairs such as city cleaning, promoting of sports and basic services are handled by the Provincial Municipality of Callao, which is headquartered in the [[Callao District]]. Also, each of the six districts has its own municipal government, which handles matters in their respective jurisdictional areas.
===List of mayors=== Since 2023, the incumbent mayor is [[Pedro Spadaro]]. The mayor of Callao represents both the province and the [[Callao District|district]].
{| class="wikitable" style_"font-size:85% width="auto" style="text-align: center" |- bgcolor="#ececec" ! rowspan=2|Mayor ! rowspan=2|Party ! colspan=2|Term |- ! Begin ! End |- |colspan=5|<div style="text-align: center;">'''Mayors of Callao''' (1556–1857)</div> |- |Cristóbal Garzón{{efn|As ''Alguacil del puerto''.}} |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1555}} |{{dts|}} |- |Francisco López |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1556|08|01}} |{{dts|}} |- |colspan=5|<div style="text-align: center;">'''Mayors of the Constitutional Province of Callao'''</div> |- |[[Manuel Cipriano Dulanto]] |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1857}} |{{dts|1858}} |- |José Flores Guerra |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1858}} |{{dts|1860}} |- |Enrique Higginson |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1860}} |{{dts|1861}} |- |rowspan=2|Gregorio Hurtado |rowspan=2; style="background: var(--background-color-interactive, #ececec) |— |{{dts|1861}} |{{dts|1864}} |- |{{dts|1867}} |{{dts|1868}} |- |Nicolás Chuiliza |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1872}} |{{dts|1873}} |- |Manuel Moscoso |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1872}} |{{dts|1873}} |- |Adolfo Aramburú |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1874}} |{{dts|1875}} |- |Wenceslao Venegas |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1876}} |{{dts|1877}} |- |Jorge Arnaiz |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1877}} |{{dts|1878}} |- |Jorge Alvarado |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1880}} |{{dts|1882}} |- |Juan C. Peralta |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1883}} |{{dts|1890}} |- |Wenceslao Venegas |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1887}} |{{dts|1888}} |- |Hermógenes Maurtua |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1890}} |{{dts|1892}} |- |Wenceslao Venegas |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1892}} |{{dts|1893}} |- |Carlos Mackenzie |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1893}} |{{dts|1895}} |- |Jorge Sharpe |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1895}} |{{dts|1896}} |- |Faustino Piaggio |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1896}} |{{dts|1898}} |- |Belisario Manrique |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1898}} |{{dts|1902}} |- |Alejandro Mime |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1901}} |{{dts|1902}} |- |Raúl de Saint Seine |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1902}} |{{dts|1905}} |- |John J. Impett |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1905}} |{{dts|1906}} |- |Adolfo Schulz |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1907}} |{{dts|1908}} |- |Mino Berazzoni |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1908}} |{{dts|1910}} |- |Santiago Greig |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1910}} |{{dts|1911}} |- |Francisco Dammert |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1911}} |{{dts|1912}} |- |Lincoln LaRosa |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1912}} |{{dts|1913}} |- |{{ill|Rafael Grau|es}} |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1913}} |{{dts|1914}} |- |Victor M. Perez |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1915}} |{{dts|1916}} |- |Alberto Secada |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1915}} |{{dts|1916}} |- |Juan C. Peralta |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1916}} |{{dts|1917}} |- |Juan E. Miller |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1917}} |{{dts|1920}} |- |Francisco Dammert |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1920}} |{{dts|1921}} |- |Juan M. Nosiglia |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1923}} |{{dts|1926}} |- |Carlos Roe León |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1926}} |{{dts|1927}} |- |César Velarde Labarrera |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1932}} |{{dts|1933}} |- |Rufino Azpiazú |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1933}} |{{dts|1935}} |- |Guillermo Gallo Porras |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1940}} |{{dts|1944}} |- |Napoleón Muñoz |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1945}} |{{dts|1946}} |- |Hernán Trisano |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1946}} |{{dts|1947}} |- |Alberto Sabogal |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1948}} |{{dts|1954}} |- |Carlos Nuñez del Arco |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1954}} |{{dts|1955}} |- |Juan Andrés Arata |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1956}} |{{dts|1957}} |- |Atilio Torchiani Nicolini |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1957}} |{{dts|1958}} |- |{{ill|Tomás M. Pizarro|es}} |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1958}} |{{dts|1962}} |- |Manuel L. Arispe |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1962}} |{{dts|1963}} |- |Oswaldo Winstanley Heredia |rowspan=2|[[Popular Action (Peru)|AP]]–[[Christian Democratic Party (Peru)|DC]] |{{dts|1964|01|01}} |{{dts|1966|12|31}} |- |Jorge Labarthe Gonzáles |{{dts|1967|01|01}} |{{dts|1969|12|31}} |- |Eduardo Carrillo Burgos |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1969}} |{{dts|1970}} |- |Enrique Madico Escudero |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1969}} |{{dts|1970}} |- |Héctor Sabogal Sologuren |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1971}} |{{dts|1974}} |- |Federico Gamboni Barrios |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1975}} |{{dts|1975}} |- |Agustín Drago Herrada |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1976}} |{{dts|1976}} |- |Alfonso Altet Torres |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1977}} |{{dts|1978}} |- |Alfonso Santessi Crovetto |{{N/A}} |{{dts|1979}} |{{dts|1980}} |- |Ricardo Muelle Maturana |[[Popular Action (Peru)|Acción Popular]] |{{dts|1981|01|01}} |{{dts|1983|12|31}} |- |Miguel Monteverde Win |rowspan=2|[[American Popular Revolutionary Alliance|APRA]] |{{dts|1984|01|01}} |{{dts|1986|12|31}} |- |Urbano Julve Ciriaco |{{dts|1987|01|01}} |{{dts|1989|12|31}} |- |rowspan=2|{{ill|Kurt Woll Muller|es}} |[[Democratic Front (Peru)|FREDEMO]] |{{dts|1990|01|01}} |{{dts|1992|12|31}} |- |[[Christian People's Party (Peru)|PPC]] |{{dts|1993|01|01}} |{{dts|1995|12|31}} |- |[[Alex Kouri|Alexander Kouri Bumachar]] |rowspan=5|Chim Pum Callao |{{dts|1996|01|01}} |{{dts|2006|12|31}} |- |{{ill|Félix Moreno Caballero|es}} |{{dts|2007|01|01}} |{{dts|2010|12|31}} |- |rowspan=2|{{ill|Juan Sotomayor|es|lt=Juan Sotomayor García}} |{{dts|2011|01|01}} |{{dts|2014|12|31}} |- |{{dts|2015|01|01}} |{{dts|2018|04|04}} |- |Rafael Urbina Rivera |{{dts|2018|04|04}} |{{dts|2018|12|31}} |- |{{ill|Pedro López Barrios|es}} |Por ti Callao |{{dts|2019|01|01}} |{{dts|2022|12|31}} |- |[[Pedro Spadaro|Pedro Spadaro Philipps]] |Contigo Callao |{{dts|2023|01|01}} |{{dts|}}''Incumbent'' |- |}
===Subdivisions=== Callao is divided into seven [[Districts of Peru|districts]], each of which is headed by a mayor.<ref name="municallao2012">{{cite web |url=http://www.municallao.gob.pe/muniCallao/distritos.jsp |title=El Callao – Distritos del Callao |author=Municipalidad provincial del Callao |date=2012 |language=es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150501230629/http://www.municallao.gob.pe/muniCallao/distritos.jsp |archive-date=1 May 2015}}</ref>
{|class="wikitable sortable" ! style="background: #F0F0F0;" |N°!! style="background: #F0F0F0;" |District!!style="background: #F0F0F0;" |Population!! style="background: #F0F0F0;" |Area<br />[[Square kilometer|km<sup>2</sup>]]!! style="background: #F0F0F0;" |Density<br />(pers/km<sup>2</sup>)!! colspan=2; style="background: #F0F0F0;"| Map |- |1||[[Callao District|Callao]] (downtown)||align=right|415,888||align=right|45.65 ||align=right|9,147.60 |rowspan=11|[[File:Location of the province Callao in Peru.png|180px|Callao big div num]] || rowspan=11|[[File:Mapa del Callao y distritos.gif|180px]] |- |2||[[Bellavista District|Bellavista]]||align=right|75,163||align=right|4.56 ||align=right|16 483.11 |- |3||[[Carmen de la Legua Reynoso]]||align=right|41,863||align=right|2.12 ||align=right| 19,746.7 |- |4||[[La Perla District|La Perla]]||align=right|61,698||align=right|2.75 ||align=right|22,435.64 |- |5||[[La Punta District|La Punta]]||align=right|4,370||align=right|0.75 ||align=right|5,826.67 |- |6||[[Ventanilla District|Ventanilla]]||align=right|277,895||align=right|73.52 ||align=right|3,779.86 |- |7||[[Mi Peru District|Mi Perú]]||align=right|51,522||align=right|2.47 ||align=right|20,859.11 |- |}
The rest of Callao Region is composed of the islands of [[San Lorenzo Island, Peru|San Lorenzo]], [[El Frontón]], Cavinzas and [[Palomino Islands (Peru)|Palomino]], which all together have an area of {{convert|17.63|km2|sqmi|sp=us|abbr=on}}.
==Geography== Callao is built on and around the [[Peninsula of La Punta]], where the [[La Punta District|district of the same name]] (and wealthy residential neighborhood) is located. The peninsula separates the bays of [[Lima Bay|Miraflores]] and [[Callao Bay|Callao]].
===Islands=== [[File:Islaspalomino.jpg|thumb|right|[[Sea lion]]s in the [[Palomino Islands (Peru)|Palomino Islands]]]] Callao has several islands: [[San Lorenzo Island, Peru|San Lorenzo]] (currently a military base), [[El Frontón]] (a former high security prison), the [[Cavinzas Islands]], and the [[Palomino Islands (Peru)|Palomino Islands]], where numerous [[sea lion]]s and [[sea bird]]s live in a virtually untouched [[ecosystem]]. There are proposed plans to build a huge naval, terrestrial, and air port on [[San Lorenzo Island, Peru|San Lorenzo Island]]. This project is called the [[San Lorenzo Megaport Project]].
==Culture== Unlike other cities in the country, Callao does not commemorate a founding date. It commemorates its independence from the city of Lima and its elevation as an autonomous territory every August 20.
===Landmarks=== {{Further|Historic Centre of Callao}} A historical fortress, the ''[[Real Felipe Fortress|Castillo de Real Felipe]]'' (site of "[[José Ramón Rodil y Campillo|Rodil]]'s Last Stand"), stands on the promontory overlooking the harbor.
A [[Callao Naval Base|large naval base]] is sited in Callao. Its prison held [[Abimael Guzmán]], the leader of the [[Shining Path]] Communist Party of Peru, and holds [[Vladimiro Montesinos]], the ex-director of internal security during the [[Alberto Fujimori|Fujimori]] regime.
[[Jorge Chávez International Airport]] is located in Callao.
On a bluff overlooking the harbor sits [[Leoncio Prado Military Academy]], the military high school. The city also has a university, the [[National University of Callao]].
The main Naval Hospital, Centro Medico Naval is located on [[Avenida Venezuela]] in Bellavista. It contains the U.S. Navy command [[Naval Medical Research Unit Six]]; professional soccer clubs are [[Sport Boys]] and [[Atlético Chalaco]].
==Demographics== === Crime === Callao is one of the most dangerous areas in Peru and experiences the most crime.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Yagoub |first=Mimi |date=2017-03-27 |title=Peru's New Homicide Index Shows Spiking Violence in Drug Port |url=https://insightcrime.org/news/brief/peru-first-official-murder-stats-show-spiking-violence-in-drug-port/ |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=[[InSight Crime]] |language=en-US |archive-date=15 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115035202/https://insightcrime.org/news/brief/peru-first-official-murder-stats-show-spiking-violence-in-drug-port/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The main port city in Peru is known as one of the largest exit points of [[cocaine]] and is rife with organized crime that results in violence.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mistler-Ferguson |first=Scott |date=2023-01-12 |title=How Important Is Peru's Port of Callao for Cocaine Trade? |url=https://insightcrime.org/news/how-important-port-callao-peru-cocaine-trade/ |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=[[InSight Crime]] |language=en-US |archive-date=15 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115035157/https://insightcrime.org/news/how-important-port-callao-peru-cocaine-trade/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In December 2015, the government declared Callao in a [[state of emergency]] that extended until April 2016, with more than 30 people being killed at the time.<ref>{{Cite web |last=GrupoRPP |date=2016-04-14 |title=Amplían por 45 días el estado de emergencia en el Callao |url=https://rpp.pe/peru/callao/amplian-por-45-dias-el-estado-de-emergencia-en-el-callao-noticia-953688 |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=RPP |language=es |archive-date=15 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115041410/https://rpp.pe/peru/callao/amplian-por-45-dias-el-estado-de-emergencia-en-el-callao-noticia-953688 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Archivo de Edicion Impresa |url=https://impreso.larepublica.pe/larepublica |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=impreso.larepublica.pe |archive-date=15 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115041412/https://impreso.larepublica.pe/larepublica |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2016, the [[murder rate]] in Callao was double the national average; from 10.2 per 100,000 in 2011 to 15.2 in 2015, compared to Lima which saw 4.8 per 100,000 in 2011 and 5.0 per 100,000 in 2015.<ref name=":0" /> Despite government and cultural initiatives, crime has continued to increase in Callao, with some public events in the area ending in gunfire.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dupraz-Dobias |first=Paula |date=1 July 2017 |title=Painting Peru's hitmen |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2017/7/1/painting-perus-hitmen |access-date=2023-01-15 |publisher=[[Al Jazeera Arabic|Al Jazeera]] |language=en |archive-date=15 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115041340/https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2017/7/1/painting-perus-hitmen |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Transportation == === Airport === [[Jorge Chávez International Airport]] (IATA: LIM, ICAO: SPJC), known as Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chávez in Spanish, is Peru's main international and domestic airport. It is located in [[Callao District|Callao district]], {{cvt|12|km|mi|sp=us}} northwest from the [[Historic Center of Lima]]. Callao is the port city now [[Lima metropolitan area|fully integrated]] with [[Lima]], the nation's capital. In 2008, the airport handled 8,288,506 passengers and 98,733 aircraft movements. The airport was expanded in 2025 with the construction of a new terminal, increasing its capacity to 40 million passengers per year. The old terminal was closed and will be converted into a logistics center.
For many years it was the hub for now defunct [[Aeroperú]] and [[Faucett Perú|Compañía de Aviación Faucett]], one of the oldest airlines in Latin America. Now it serves as a hub for many aviation companies such as [[Sky Airline Peru]], [[Atsa Airlines]], [[JetSmart Perú]], [[Star Perú]] and [[LATAM Perú]]. <!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Limaairport.jpg|thumb|300px|[[LAN Airlines]] plane at Jorge Chávez International Airport {{deletable image-caption|Wednesday, 7 October 2009}}]] -->
=== Rail === The port of Callao is served by the {{RailGauge|ussg|allk=on}} [[Ferrocarril Central Andino]]. The rail system connects to the [[Desamparados station]] in the center of [[Lima]] and ends in [[Huancayo]]. The rail station in Callao does not currently serve commercial service and instead is used for cargo.
==Notable people== <!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦---> <!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦---> * [[Alexander Callens]] (born 1992), Peruvian footballer * [[Ángel Díaz Balbín]] (1955–1986), Peruvian triple murderer and suspected serial killer * [[Luciana Fuster]] (born 1999), Peruvian model, television personality, and [[Miss Grand International 2023]] * [[Mario Montalbetti]] (born 1953), Peruvian syntactician and linguistics professor * [[Claudio Pizarro]] (born 1978), highest-scoring [[Latin American]] in the history of the [[Bundesliga]] * [[Nolberto Solano]] (born 1974), Peruvian footballer and manager * [[Yma Sumac]] (1922–2008), Peruvian musician * [[Jhoao Ward]] (born 1989), Peruvian footballer
==See also== * [[Callao affair]], 1820 * [[Battle of Callao (1838)]] * [[Battle of Callao]], 1866 * [[Blockades of Callao]], several events * [[Siege of Callao (disambiguation)]], several events
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons}} {{Wikivoyage}} * [http://www.municallao.gob.pe Municipality of Callao] {{In lang|es}} * [http://www.regioncallao.gob.pe/ Regional government of Callao] * [http://www.lap.com.pe Jorge Chavez International Airport]; {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703112102/http://www.lap.com.pe/ |date=3 July 2017 }} * [http://www.unac.edu.pe/ National University of Callao] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221003357/http://www.unac.edu.pe/ |date=21 February 2021 }} {{In lang|es}}
{{Geographic location | Northwest = [[Pacific Ocean]] | North = [[Santa Rosa District, Lima|Santa Rosa]] | Northeast = [[San Martín de Porres District|San Martín de Porres]] | West = [[Pacific Ocean]] | Center = Callao | East = [[Cercado de Lima]] | Southwest = [[Pacific Ocean]] | South = [[Pacific Ocean]] | Southeast = [[San Miguel District, Lima|San Miguel]] }} {{Lima}} {{Large cities of Peru}} {{Regional capitals of Peru}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:Callao| ]] [[Category:1537 establishments in South America]] [[Category:1537 establishments in the Spanish Empire]] [[Category:Departments of Peru|Callao]] [[Category:Populated places established in 1537]] [[Category:Port cities and towns in Peru]] [[Category:Provinces of Peru]] [[Category:Regional capital cities in Peru]] [[Category:Regions of Peru|Callao]]