city, north-central Peru. It has a natural harbour (Chimbote Bay) on Peru's coast, 9 mi (15 km) south of the mouth of the Santa River. Chimbote was a small fishing village (established in 1822, given town status in 1895) until the mid-20th century, when a steel mill and fish-meal factories were constructed. It then became one of the fastest-growing cities in Peru. Principal exports include fish meal, fish oil, bulk minerals, machine parts, and cast iron. Chimbote is also the shipping centre for sugarcane, cotton, and rice from the Santa valley. Coke, machinery, and iron ore (from Marcona) are imported. The city is on the Pan-American Highway and has an airport. Largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1970, Chimbote was reconstructed as a model city in the 1970s. Pop. (2005) 206,953.