Callao (Spanish pronunciation: [kaˈʎao]) is a Peruvian seaside city and region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area.

Founded in 1537 by the Spaniards, the city has a long naval history as one of the main ports in Latin America and the Pacific, as it was one of vital Spanish towns during the colonial era.

[4] As a result, Callao also became a permanent target for pirate and corsair attacks, such as the one carried out by Francis Drake in 1579 and the blockade established by Jacques l'Hermite in 1624.

After the Battle of Ayacucho, 9 December 1824, that sealed the independence of Peru and South America, Spain made futile attempts to retain its former colonies, such as at the second siege of Callao.

Its prison held Abimael Guzmán, the leader of the Shining Path Communist Party of Peru, and holds Vladimiro Montesinos, the ex-director of internal security during the Fujimori regime.

The rest of Callao Region is composed of the islands of San Lorenzo, El Frontón, Cavinzas and Palomino, which all together have an area of 17.63 square kilometres (6.81 sq mi).

[8] The main port city in Peru is known as one of the largest exit points of cocaine and is rife with organized crime that results with violence.

[8][9] In December 2015, the government declared Callao in a state of emergency that extended until April 2016, with more than 30 people being killed at the time.

[8] Despite government and cultural initiatives, crime has continued to increase in Callao, with some public events in the area ending in gunfire.

For many years it was the hub for now defunct Aeroperú and Compañía de Aviación Faucett, one of the oldest airlines in Latin America.