Rioja is the
capital of
Rioja Province in the
San Martín Region in northern
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
. It is situated to the west of
Moyobamba
Moyobamba () or Muyupampa ( Quechua ''muyu'' circle, ''pampa'' large plain, "circle plain") is the capital city of the San Martín Region in northern Peru. Called "Santiago of eight valleys of Moyobamba" or "Maynas capital". There are 50,073 inha ...
. There are 24,263 inhabitants according to the 2007 census.
The town is 848 metres above
sea level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...
and has a semi-
humid subtropical climate.
History
During the period of the
Incas
The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The adm ...
, the Rioja Province was inhabited by two tribes, the
Uquihuas and the
Chepenes.
At the end of the
16th century, one of the first
Catholic missionaries
Missionary work of the Catholic Church has often been undertaken outside the geographically defined parishes and dioceses by religious orders who have people and material resources to spare, and some of which specialized in missions. Eventually, p ...
arrived at
Uquihua.
Rioja was founded in September, 1782 and was originally named ''Santo Toribio de la Nueva Rioja''.
Geography
Rioja is situated in the valley of the upper
Mayo River in the north of the
San Martín Region. Its coordinates are longitude 77°08’30” and latitude 06º03’00”.
The peaks surrounding Rioja exceed 1,000 metres above sea level.
The average temperature is 22.5 °C. with actual temperatures varying between 16.5 °C and 28.4 °C.
Communications and Transport
Rioja is connected to the rest of the country by land, air, and water.
Land
Connections via the "Carretera Marginal" (the main jungle highway). There are daily bus services as well as
minibuses
A minibus, microbus, minicoach, or commuter (in Zimbabwe) is a passenger-carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, t ...
,
collective taxis and lorries.
Air
The
Rioja Airport accommodates small and medium sized airplanes, both for passengers and cargo.
River
Motor boats, canoes and rafts use the Mayo,
Tonchima and
Negro
In the English language, ''negro'' is a term historically used to denote persons considered to be of Black African heritage. The word ''negro'' means the color black in both Spanish and in Portuguese, where English took it from. The term can be ...
rivers for small cargo.
References
Populated places in the San Martín Region
{{SanMartin-geo-stub