Iquitos

Iquitos is the capital city of the Loreto Region in northern Peru. It is on the banks of the Amazon River. Iquitos is the biggest city in the rain forest of Peru, with about 400,000 residents. It is a major port on the Amazon. 

Excluding towns on islands, Iquitos is thought to be the largest city in the world that can not be reached by road. One can only get to Iquitos by boat, or by airplane. It is very remote, in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. 

Iquitos was founded in 1747 by Jesuit José Bahamonde. Originally it was the home of the Iquito native tribe. About 100 years ago, Iquitos was a very rich town, because of the rubber industry. Today Iquitos relies mostly on tourism, wood industry and local trade. 

 Other websites 
 http://www.munimaynas.gob.pe/  (in Spanish) (uses Macromedia Flash)
 Iquitos information at biopark.org 

Category:Cities in Peru
Category:Capitals of regions of Peru
Category:Loreto Region
Category:1747 establishments
Category:Establishments in Peru
Category:18th-century establishments in South America