La Punta
Encyclopedia
La Punta is a district
of the Constitutional Province of Callao in Peru
, and one of the six districts that make up the port city of Callao
.
It is located in a peninsula
in the western part of the province and is almost entirely surrounded by the Pacific Ocean
, except on its northeastern side, where it is bordered by downtown Callao.
Officially established as a district on October 6, 1915, the current mayor
(alcalde
) of La Punta is Wilfredo Duharte.
of 18.38 km². Its administrative center is located 2 meters above sea level
.
, the district has 7,246 inhabitants and a population density of 394.2 persons/km². In 1999, there were 1,248 households in the district.
La Punta has historically been settled by Italian Peruvian
s and their legacy can still be seen in the district.
La Punta is mostly an upper middle class
district, where Callao's most prestigious families have historically lived. Many of the district's old houses are still conserved.
La Punta has an earthquake alarm system which alerts the residents to evacuate the district, since one strong enough could create a tsunami and easily wipe out the peninsula.
La Punta is also one of the districts in which beaches are affected by the ocean current El Niño annually.
Almost one third of La Punta's territory is occupied by the Escuela Naval del Peru ("Peruvian Naval Academy").
The Club Regatas Unión is located in the upscale beach front of La Punta. The district has three beach
es: "Cantolao", "Malecón" and "La Arenilla".
The main routes that connect La Punta with the rest of the Lima and Callao Metropolitan Area are the Avenida Almirante Grau and Coronel Bolognesi Avenues.
The San Lorenzo
and El Frontón islands lie in front of La Punta and can clearly be seen from the district's beaches.
La Punta is a small district compared with others but has a unique beauty. Because of its geography and intense crime prevention program the district is virtually crime free and clean. Buildings range from the very modern all the way back to 19th century manors.
This calm sea favours the practice of rowing and yachting. La Punta is the one district were most regatas are launched. Yacht Club del Peru has its main venue in La Punta in the beautiful Aspillaga House. There are four rowing clubs in La Punta: Club Universitario de Regatas, Club Regatas Union, Canottieri Italia, Club de Regatas Lima. Also the Naval Academy has a rowing team and there are a few clubs that also practice there intermittently. There is heavy traffic of racing shells in the mornings. The bay is also full of recreational crafts of all sizes.
Districts of Peru
The districts of Peru are the third-level country subdivisions of Peru. They are subdivisions of the provinces, which in turn are subdivisions of the larger regions or departments...
of the Constitutional Province of Callao in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, and one of the six districts that make up the port city of Callao
Callao
Callao is the largest and most important port in Peru. The city is coterminous with the Constitutional Province of Callao, the only province of the Callao Region. Callao is located west of Lima, the country's capital, and is part of the Lima Metropolitan Area, a large metropolis that holds almost...
.
It is located in a peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
in the western part of the province and is almost entirely surrounded by the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, except on its northeastern side, where it is bordered by downtown Callao.
Officially established as a district on October 6, 1915, the current mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
(alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
) of La Punta is Wilfredo Duharte.
Geography
The district has a total land areaArea
Area is a quantity that expresses the extent of a two-dimensional surface or shape in the plane. Area can be understood as the amount of material with a given thickness that would be necessary to fashion a model of the shape, or the amount of paint necessary to cover the surface with a single coat...
of 18.38 km². Its administrative center is located 2 meters above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
.
Demographics
According to a 2002 estimate by the INEIInstituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática
The Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática is a semi-autonomous Peruvian government agency which coordinates, compiles, and evaluates statistical information for the country...
, the district has 7,246 inhabitants and a population density of 394.2 persons/km². In 1999, there were 1,248 households in the district.
La Punta has historically been settled by Italian Peruvian
Italian Peruvian
An Italian Peruvian is a Peruvian citizen of Italian descent. The phrase may refer to someone born in Peru of Italian descent or to someone who has immigrated to Peru from Italy...
s and their legacy can still be seen in the district.
The district
Upper middle class
The upper middle class is a sociological concept referring to the social group constituted by higher-status members of the middle class. This is in contrast to the term "lower middle class", which is used for the group at the opposite end of the middle class stratum, and to the broader term "middle...
district, where Callao's most prestigious families have historically lived. Many of the district's old houses are still conserved.
La Punta has an earthquake alarm system which alerts the residents to evacuate the district, since one strong enough could create a tsunami and easily wipe out the peninsula.
La Punta is also one of the districts in which beaches are affected by the ocean current El Niño annually.
Almost one third of La Punta's territory is occupied by the Escuela Naval del Peru ("Peruvian Naval Academy").
The Club Regatas Unión is located in the upscale beach front of La Punta. The district has three beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
es: "Cantolao", "Malecón" and "La Arenilla".
The main routes that connect La Punta with the rest of the Lima and Callao Metropolitan Area are the Avenida Almirante Grau and Coronel Bolognesi Avenues.
The San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo Island, Peru
San Lorenzo Island is the largest island of Peru. The island is in the Pacific Ocean near the port of Callao and measures .-Access:As of 2011, San Lorenzo is not open to the public...
and El Frontón islands lie in front of La Punta and can clearly be seen from the district's beaches.
La Punta is a small district compared with others but has a unique beauty. Because of its geography and intense crime prevention program the district is virtually crime free and clean. Buildings range from the very modern all the way back to 19th century manors.
Beaches
The beaches in La Punta are quite visited during the summer season because of their calm waters and small pebbles composition (in contrast to Costa Verde in Lima where the surf is stronger and the beaches are mainly stone), nevertheless La Punta is well known for their surprisingly frigid waters.This calm sea favours the practice of rowing and yachting. La Punta is the one district were most regatas are launched. Yacht Club del Peru has its main venue in La Punta in the beautiful Aspillaga House. There are four rowing clubs in La Punta: Club Universitario de Regatas, Club Regatas Union, Canottieri Italia, Club de Regatas Lima. Also the Naval Academy has a rowing team and there are a few clubs that also practice there intermittently. There is heavy traffic of racing shells in the mornings. The bay is also full of recreational crafts of all sizes.
External links
- Municipalidad Distrital de La Punta - District council official website (in Spanish)
- Todo Callao (in Spanish)
- Chim Pum Callao - Pictures of La Punta