San Martín () is a department and 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 = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. Most of the department is located in the upper part of the Peruvian

Amazon rainforest The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...

. Its capital is

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 ...

and the largest city in the department is

Tarapoto Tarapoto is a commercial hub town in the San Martín Province of the Department of San Martín of northern Peru. It is an hour by plane from Lima, in the high jungle plateau to the east of what is known as the ''selva baja'' (low jungle). Althoug ...

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; it is also one of the most sparsely populated regions due to its remote location in the Ama ...

* South:

Huánuco Region Huánuco (; qu, Wanuku) is a city in central Peru. It had a population of 196,627 as of 2017 and in 2015 it had a population of 175,068. It is the capital of the Huánuco Region and the Huánuco District. It is the seat of the diocese of Huán ...

* West: La Libertad and Amazonas regions

Morphology

The territory of San Martín can be divided into four morphological zones: * the west, near the eastern side of the

Andean The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S l ...

Plateau, with a rough topography and many ravines; * the zone of the wide valleys, with stepped terraces formed by the

Huallaga River The Huallaga River is a tributary of the Marañón River, part of the Amazon Basin. Old names for this river include ''Guallaga'' and ''Rio de los Motilones''. The Huallaga is born on the slopes of the Andes in central Peru and joins the Marañón ...

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 jungle zone with areas easily flooded and with almost no accidents. 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 Topa Inca Yupanqui or Túpac Inca Yupanqui ( qu, 'Tupaq Inka Yupanki'), translated as "noble Inca accountant," (c. 1441–c. 1493) was the tenth Sapa Inca (1471–93) of the Inca Empire, fifth of the Hanan dynasty. His father was Pachacuti, and ...

entered and subdued the

Inca 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 admin ...

dominion, the province of

, known back then by its native name, Muyupampa. In 1539,

Spaniard Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex history, including a number of different languages, both ind ...

Alonso de Alvarado Alonso de Alvarado Montaya González de Cevallos y Miranda (1500–1556) was a Spanish conquistador and knight of the Order of Santiago. He was born at Secadura de Trasmiera.Leon, P., 1998, The Discovery and Conquest of Peru, Chronicles o ...

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

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 almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

( es, provincias, 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 o ...

(''distritos'', singular: ''distrito''). The provinces, with their capitals in parenthesis, are: * Bellavista ( Bellavista) * El Dorado (

San José de Sisa San José de Sisa is a town 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 se ...

) * Huallaga (

Saposoa Saposoa is a town 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 , nation ...

) *

Lamas Lamas may refer to: * the plural form of Lama, a title for a teacher of the Dharma in Tibetan Buddhism. Places *Lamas Province, Peru **Lamas District ** Lamas, Peru, the capital of Lamas Province and seat of Lamas District *Lamas (Braga), a paris ...

(

) * Mariscal Cáceres (

Juanjuí Juanjuí is a town in Northern Peru, capital of the province Mariscal Cáceres Province, Mariscal Cáceres in the San Martín Region and located in the left edge of Huallaga River.Juanjuí PeruBienvenido a Juanjuí - Perú, Retrieved February 18, ...

) *

(

) * Picota ( Picota) * Rioja ( Rioja) * San Martín (

) * Tocache ( Tocache)

Archaeology

Gran Pajáten Gran may refer to: People *Grandmother, affectionately known as "gran" *Gran (name) Places * Gran, the historical German name for Esztergom, a city and the primatial metropolitan see of Hungary * Gran, Norway, a municipality in Innlandet count ...

is a pre Inca complex of circular slate buildings decorated with figures of flying

condors Condor is the common name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. The name derives from the Quechua ''kuntur''. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere. They are: * The Andean condor (''Vult ...

situated on the border with La Libertad. Due to its difficult access,

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

is not yet possible at the site.

External links

*
Gobierno Regional San Martín
– San Martín Regional Government official website *
Proyecto Mono Tocon
– Conservation and study programme for the threatened and endemic titi monkey of San Martin (''Callicebus oenanthe''). El Tití de San Martín (''Callicebus oenanthe''), localmente conocido como Mono Tocón, es una de las especies de primates más amenazadas del Perú, recientemente considerada por l
UICN
como en peligro de extinción. {{DEFAULTSORT:San Martin Region Regions of Peru