Current Time in Chimbote, Peru

Chimbote lies on the Pacific coast of northern Peru, about four hundred kilometres north of Lima, on the wide and well-sheltered Bay of Ferrol. The city occupies a strip of desert between the ocean and the foothills of the Andes, with the rocky Isla Blanca guarding the entrance to the harbour and the green ribbon of the Santa River valley cutting inland behind it. Rain almost never falls, and the coastal fog known as garúa softens the light for much of the year.

Around three hundred and seventy thousand people live in Chimbote, making it the largest city in Ancash Region. Its importance is national and even global, because this is the principal fishing port of Peru and for decades was the world's leading producer of fishmeal, the protein-rich powder made from anchoveta that feeds farmed fish and livestock on every continent. Heavy industry followed, and the SiderPerú steelworks made the city a centre of metallurgy as well.

Until the middle of the twentieth century Chimbote was a small fishing and port village of a few thousand people. The cold, nutrient-rich Humboldt Current supports one of the richest fisheries on earth, and when industrial fishing arrived in the 1950s the town exploded, drawing migrants from the highlands in one of the fastest urban expansions in Latin American history. That turbulent boom was captured by the novelist José María Arguedas in his final work. The earthquake of 1970, which killed tens of thousands across Ancash, caused severe damage here, and the collapse of anchoveta stocks soon afterwards forced painful adjustment. The city has since diversified while remaining tied to the sea.

Chimbote is a working port rather than a resort, but it has real attractions. The waterfront promenade looks out over the fishing fleet, the beaches at Vesique and Tortugas draw weekend crowds, and boat trips visit sea lions and seabird colonies around the islands. The Sechín archaeological complex near Casma, with its startling carved stone warriors, is one of the oldest monumental sites in the Americas and lies a short drive south. Inland, the Santa valley leads to the spectacular Cañón del Pato and on to the peaks and glacial lakes of Huascarán National Park.

Local culture is a blend of coastal and Andean traditions brought by migrants, expressed in music, in the busy markets and above all in the food. Ceviche made from the morning catch, shellfish and the local fish stews are taken seriously, and the elaborate Holy Week processions and the anniversary festivities in June fill the streets.

The Pan-American Highway runs through the city, giving frequent bus links to Lima, Trujillo and the north, and a road climbs east to Huaraz. The Universidad Nacional del Santa and several private institutions serve local students.

Chimbote is a frank, energetic industrial city whose fortunes rise and fall with the ocean, and it remains the natural gateway between the Peruvian coast and the high Cordillera Blanca.