As the small plane took off we got a good view of the town of Nazca. The Nazca lines and figures cover a total area of 520 square kilometres. They are situated 400 kilometres south of Lima on the Pampa Colorada -- a desolate plain between the Peruvian coast and the Andes Mountains. It is a rocky desert, rather than a sandy one. Its surface is covered in small stones that are dark red because they contain ferrous oxide. These have been cleared away to expose the lighter-colored soil underneath, creating a multitude of lines.