Iquitos

Iquitos, city in north-east Peru, capital of Loreto Department. It is a port on the west bank of the Amazon. The city is the commercial outlet for the surrounding region, which yields rubber, balata, chicle, nuts, timber, rice, coffee, and tobacco. Cotton gins, sawmills, and distilleries are also here. The port is considered one of the furthest inland ports of major size in the world. Ocean-going vessels call here regularly, and Iquitos is also served by several airlines. The city was founded as a Peruvian settlement in 1863. Population 157,529 (2005 estimate).