Lima (known in Spanish as Cercado de Lima) is a district of the Lima Province in Peru. It is not where the inner city zone of Lima, the country's capital city, is located, San Isidro District being such area in Lima.

This district is the oldest in Lima and as such, vestiges of the city's colonial era remain today in the Historic centre of Lima, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.

Currently, the mayor of the Lima District is Susana Villarán and its postal code is 1.

The district has a total land area of 21.98 km². Its administrative center is located at 154 meters above sea level.

According to a 2005 estimate by the INEI, the district has 278,804 inhabitants and a population density of 15,736.9 persons/km². In 1999, there were 75,595 households in the district.

The high point of Lima's religious calendar for the masses is a month of festivities in October dedicated to the Lord of Miracles, during which take place several processions in the city.

Central Lima (known as Cercado proper) is limited by Avenida Alfonso Ugarte on the west and Jirón Huánuco (Huánuco Street) on the east. It is divided into West and East sides by Jirón de la Unión (Union Street), from which cuadras (blocks) are numbered beginning at 100 and changing the first numbers at the next block. Unlike New York's Fifth Avenue, though, Jirón de la Unión is not paved for cars, but almost entirely a shopping and pedestrian street; the main thoroughfares for cars and buses are Tacna Ave. on the West side and Abancay Ave. on the East. Both are separated from Jirón de la Unión by 4 blocks. The Plaza de Armas (Grand Army Plaza), which is the main square, is located on block 2 of Jirón de la Unión, facing the Peruvian government palace and the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima (City Hall).

Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima Metropolitan Area. With a population approaching 9 million, Lima is the fifth largest city in Latin America, behind Mexico City, São Paulo, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. Lima is home to one of the largest financial hubs in Latin America. It has been defined as a beta world city by GaWC international ranking.

Lima was founded by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro on January 18, 1535, as la Ciudad de los Reyes, or "the City of Kings". It became the capital and most important city in the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru. Following the Peruvian War of Independence, it became the capital of the Republic of Peru. Today, around one-third of the Peruvian population lives in the metropolitan area.

Lima is home to one of the oldest higher learning institutions in the New World. The National University of San Marcos, founded on May 12, 1551 during Spanish colonial regime, is the oldest continuously functioning university in the Americas.