the onion.
True lilies grow wild in Asia, Europe,
and North America. They are also very
popular in gardens.
Most true lily plants are about 1 to 4
feet (30 to 120 centimeters) tall. They
have narrow leaves and flowers that grow
alone or in clusters. The flowers can be
shaped like trumpets, funnels, tubes, or
bowls. They can be any of a variety of
colors. The largest flowers can be 10
inches (25 centimeters) wide. One plant
can produce many flowers.
Many plants that are called lilies are not
true lilies. Daylilies and the lily of the
valley are not true lilies, but they
belong to the lily family. Daylilies have
yellow to red flowers that last for just
one day. The lily of the valley has small
white flowers that droop down from a
stalk. Water lilies are not part of the lily
family.
..More to explore
Flower • Plant • Tulip •Water Lily
Lima
Population
(2007
estimate), urban
area,
8,472,930
Lima is the capital of the South
American country of Peru. It is the
largest city in Peru by far. It is also
Peru’s center of culture, business, and
manufacturing.
One of Lima’s nicknames is The Octopus.
This is because the greater city area
spreads out very far, like the arms of an
octopus.Within this area is Callao, a
port on the Pacific Ocean. It is Peru’s
busiest port. The historic center of Lima
features the Presidential Palace and a
Roman Catholic cathedral.
Lima is the most important economic
center in Peru. It has Peru’s largest number
of government and business offices,
banks, and industries. Factories in Lima
Lilies come in many colors, including pink. process oil and make electronics, medi-
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Lima 151
cines, food products, plastics, clothes,
and other goods.
People have lived in the Lima area for
thousands of years. Some 1,500 years
ago it was a center of worship for a local
god named Pachacamac. The Inca took
over the area in the 1400s.
The Spanish conqueror Francisco
Pizarro founded Lima in 1535. Nearby
Callao soon became Spain’s main port
in the region. For about 200 years Lima
was the capital of nearly all of Spain’s
colonies in South America.
A powerful earthquake nearly destroyed
Lima in 1746. The city was later
rebuilt.
In 1821 Peru became an independent
country with Lima as its capital. Lima
grew greatly in the 1900s.
#More to explore
Peru
Lime
The lime is a tart, green fruit that grows
on a tree. It is the smallest member of
the citrus family. Other citrus fruits
include lemons, oranges, and grapefruit.
The lime’s scientific name is Citrus
aurantifolia.
Lime trees grow in many warm regions,
including Southeast Asia, theWest
Indies, the region around the Mediterranean
Sea, South America, and Central
America. Brazil produces most of the
world’s limes. Mexico and the United
States also grow limes.
Lime trees are short and shrublike. They
have small leaves and sharp thorns. The
fruits develop from white, sweetsmelling
flowers. Most lime fruits are
round or oval in shape. They are about
1.5 inches (4 centimeters) across. They
have a thin, green skin, or rind, that
lightens to almost yellow as the fruit
ripens. The pulp inside is pale green and
juicy.
Miraflores is a popular and busy area of
Lima, Peru.
Limes are a yellowish green color when ripe.
152 Lime BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Limes have a sour taste because their
juice contains a lot of acid. Even so,
limes are a popular ingredient in many
kinds of drinks, sweet desserts, and
other foods. Limes are also a good
source of vitamin C.
#More to explore
Citrus Fruit • Grapefruit • Lemon
• Orange
Limestone
Limestone is a type of rock that is made
up of bits of animal shells. Over millions
of years these shells collected on the
ocean floor. As layers of shells and mud
built up, the lower layers slowly hardened
into limestone.
Limestone is found all over the world.
Dover, England, is famous for its white
cliffs made of chalk, a soft form of limestone.
Not all limestone is soft, however.
Marble is a type of hard limestone that
was formed by great pressure and heat in
Earth’s crust.
Large deposits of limestone often contain
caves.Water flowing underground
carves out these caves. The water dissolves,
or breaks down, limestone more
easily than other types of rock.
Limestone is used to make cement,
roads, and fertilizer. In addition, many
forms of limestone are strong enough to
be used as building materials. People use
limestone for making floors, for covering
the walls of buildings, and for making
monuments. Limestone is useful for
building because it does not easily wear
away and it is not difficult to shape.
Over time, limestone buildings and
monuments turn from white to gray.
Many limestone deposits contain fossils,
or imprints of ancient plants and animals.
Scientists who study Earth have
learned about the planet’s development
from the fossils found in limestone.
#More to explore
Chalk • Rock • Shell
Cliffs of limestone rise from a beach in
Portugal.
Machines cut blocks of limestone from large
holes in the ground called quarries.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Limestone 153
Lincoln
Population
(2000 census)
225,581;
(2007 estimate)
248,744
