AREQUIPA is located in the southwestern part of the country and is the second biggest
city of Peru, with a population of almost one million. It is the largest
city in the Peruvian Andes. It is also the capital of the department of
AREQUIPA, 663.8 miles (1,068 km) from Lima. The
city sits at an altitude of 2,325 metres above sea level in a mountainous desert in the western Andes, at the foot of El Misti volcano. El Misti is currently inactive, but had strong eruptions between the years 1438 and 1471. It is located between two small volcanoes, Chachani and Picchu Picchu.
http://www.arequipaperu.org/