San MartÃn () is a
department and
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
in northern
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
. Most of the department is located in the upper part of the Peruvian
Amazon rainforest
The Amazon rainforest, also called the Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin ...
. Its capital is
Moyobamba
Moyobamba () or Muyupampa ( Quechua ''muyu'' circle, ''pampa'' large plain, "circle plain") is the capital city of the San MartÃn Region in northern Peru. Called "Santiago of eight valleys of Moyobamba" or "Maynas capital". There are 50,073 inh ...
and the largest city in the department is
Tarapoto.
Geography
Boundaries
* North and East:
Loreto Region
Loreto () is Peru's northernmost department and region. Covering almost one-third of Peru's territory, Loreto is by far the nation's largest department, slightly smaller than Japan; it is also one of the most sparsely populated regions due to ...
* South:
Huánuco Region
* West:
La Libertad and
Amazonas regions
Morphology
The territory of San MartÃn can be divided into four morphological zones:
* the west, near the eastern side of the
Andean
The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long and wide (widest between 18°S ...
Plateau, with a rough topography and many ravines;
* the zone of the wide valleys, with stepped terraces formed by the
Huallaga River and its affluents, where population is engaged mainly in cattle and agriculture;
* the southwest zone, with a relief coming down from the Cordillera Azul, with low elevation, where is an impressive canyon known as Cajón de Sión, which finishes in the Cayumba rapids;
* a small lower-lying jungle zone with areas easily flooded and with almost no hills.
The Huallaga River is one of the most important rivers in the region. It forms, together with its tributaries a hydrographical system which drains all of the region's territory. The Pongo de Aguirre is an important canyon formed by the Huallaga going through the Andean hills.
History
Tupac Yupanqui entered and subdued the
Inca
The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...
dominion, the province of
Moyobamba
Moyobamba () or Muyupampa ( Quechua ''muyu'' circle, ''pampa'' large plain, "circle plain") is the capital city of the San MartÃn Region in northern Peru. Called "Santiago of eight valleys of Moyobamba" or "Maynas capital". There are 50,073 inh ...
, known back then by its native name, Muyupampa. In 1539,
Spaniard
Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking Ethnicity, ethnic group native to the Iberian Peninsula, primarily associated with the modern Nation state, nation-state of Spain. Genetics, Genetically and Ethnolinguisti ...
Alonso de Alvarado reached the
Mayo River and founded a city he named ''Santiago de los Valles de Moyobamba'', which later became the capital of
Maynas. Another important personality was Priest Manuel Sobreviela who, between 1787 and 1790, accomplished traveling across the
Huallaga River and subsequently published a map named "Planning for the course of the Huallaga and Ucayali Rivers and for the Pampa del Sacramento".
On August 19, 1821, Moyobamba was the first Peruvian city in declaring its independence.
The construction of a highway in recent years has increased the exchange of different products, benefitting the economy of this region.
Political division
The region is divided into 10
provinces
A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...
(, singular: ), which are composed of 78
districts
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...
(''distritos'', singular: ''distrito'').
The provinces, with their capitals in parentheses, are:
*
Bellavista (
Bellavista)
*
El Dorado
El Dorado () is a mythical city of gold supposedly located somewhere in South America. The king of this city was said to be so rich that he would cover himself from head to foot in gold dust – either daily or on certain ceremonial occasions â ...
(
San José de Sisa)
*
Huallaga (
Saposoa)
*
Lamas (
Lamas)
*
Mariscal Cáceres (
JuanjuÃ)
*
Moyobamba
Moyobamba () or Muyupampa ( Quechua ''muyu'' circle, ''pampa'' large plain, "circle plain") is the capital city of the San MartÃn Region in northern Peru. Called "Santiago of eight valleys of Moyobamba" or "Maynas capital". There are 50,073 inh ...
(
Moyobamba
Moyobamba () or Muyupampa ( Quechua ''muyu'' circle, ''pampa'' large plain, "circle plain") is the capital city of the San MartÃn Region in northern Peru. Called "Santiago of eight valleys of Moyobamba" or "Maynas capital". There are 50,073 inh ...
)
*
Picota (
Picota)
*
Rioja (
Rioja)
*
San MartÃn (
Tarapoto)
*
Tocache (
Tocache)
Archaeology
Gran Pajáten is a
pre Inca complex of circular slate buildings decorated with figures of flying
condors situated on the border with
La Libertad. Due to its difficult access,
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...
is not yet possible at the site.
See also
*
Rio Abiseo National Park
*
Regional Museum of the National University of San Martin (Museo Regional de la Universidad Nacional de San MartÃn)
External links
*
Gobierno Regional San MartÃn– San MartÃn Regional Government official website
*
Proyecto Mono Tocon– Conservation and study programme for the threatened and endemic titi monkey of San Martin (''Callicebus oenanthe''). El Tità de San MartÃn (''Callicebus oenanthe''), localmente conocido como Mono Tocón, es una de las especies de primates más amenazadas del Perú, recientemente considerada por l
UICNcomo en peligro de extinción.
{{DEFAULTSORT:San Martin Region
San MartÃn
San MartÃn