Maynas is one of the eight

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 ...

in the

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 ...

in northeastern

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 ...

. Its capital,

Iquitos Iquitos (; ) is the capital city of Peru's Maynas Province, Peru, Maynas Province and Loreto Region. It is the largest metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon, east of the Andes, as well as the List of cities in Peru, ninth-most populous city in Peru ...

, is also Loreto's regional capital and the largest city in 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 ...

History

A decree signed on 26 April 1822 signed by the Marquis of Torre Tagle, transformed what once was the General Command of Maynas into the Quijos Department, allowing it to also choose deputies. In 1925, Maynas was integrated into the Department of La Oroya. In 1822, Joaquín Mosquera travelled on behalf of

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

to request the restitution of the province. On July 25, 1824, the Congress of Gran Colombia issued a law of territorial division intending to include the Canton of Quijos in the Pichincha Province of the Department of Quito, according to the limits it had at the time of creation as the

Viceroyalty of New Granada The Viceroyalty of the New Kingdom of Granada ( ), also called Viceroyalty of New Granada or Viceroyalty of Santa Fe, was the name given on 27 May 1717 to the jurisdiction of the Spanish Empire in northern South America, corresponding to modern ...

. It also intended to incorporate the Provinces of Jaén, Matamoros and Maynas into the Department of Azuay. The Peruvian refusal to give up the territories escalated tensions between the two countries, culminating in the Gran Colombia–Peru War. Due to a law made effective on November 21, 1832, Maynas was integrated into the territory of the new Peruvian department of Amazonas, from which it separated in 1853, when a political government was created in the

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 ...

Geography

Boundaries

The Maynas Province is bordered by

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

on the northwest,

on the north, northeast and east, the Mariscal Ramón Castilla and Requena provinces on the south, and the Loreto Province on the southwest.

Demographics

Population

According to the 1993 Census, the Maynas Province has a population of 393,496 inhabitants, 50.6% of which (199,209) are male and 49.4% (194,287) are female. As of 2005, the

Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática The Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática (INEI) ("National Institute of Statistics and Informatics") is a semi-autonomous Peruvian government agency which coordinates, compiles, and evaluates statistical information for the country. ...

estimates the province's population to be 536,423.

Languages

The majority of the province's residents (96%) speak

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

at home; other languages spoken are

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several Indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, an Indigenous South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language ...

(2%), Aymara (150 speakers, 0.0%), other indigenous languages (0.8%) and foreign languages (0.2%).

Immigration

Persons originating from other regions of the country make up 8.4% of the population and 0.3% of residents were born abroad. The largest immigrant groups are from the San Martín Region (2.9% of the total population), the Lima Province/

Lima Region The Department of Lima (), known as the Department of the Capital () until 1823, is a department and region located in the central coast of Peru; the seat of the regional government is Huacho. Lima Province, which contains the city of Lima, ...

(1.8%), and

Ucayali Region Ucayali () is an inland department and region of Peru. Located in the Amazon rainforest, its name is derived from the Ucayali River. Its capital is the city of Pucallpa. It is the second largest department in Peru, after Loreto, and it is s ...

(1.3%).

Age

The population age distribution is *54.1% under the age of 20, *8.9% from 20 to 24, *24.6% from 25 to 44, *9.5% from 45 to 64, and *3% who are 65 years of age or older.

Education

Secondary education Secondary education is the education level following primary education and preceding tertiary education. Level 2 or ''lower secondary education'' (less commonly ''junior secondary education'') is considered the second and final phase of basic e ...

has been attended by 28.8% of the population and 2.5% also have graduated from non-

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

higher education, while 2.6% have complete university studies. 46.7% only have attended

primary education Primary education is the first stage of Education, formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary education. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first schools and middle s ...

and 8.5% have not had any education. The

illiteracy Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

rate in the province is 13.1%.

Political division

The province is divided into eleven

district 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 county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

s (, singular: ), each of which is headed by a mayor (''alcalde''). The districts, with their capitals in parentheses, are:

Districts

(

) (seat) # Alto Nanay (

Santa María de Nanay Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Christma ...

) # Belén ( Belén) # Fernando Lores ( Tamshiyacu) #

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

(

) # Las Amazonas (

Francisco de Orellana Francisco de Orellana (; 1511 – November 1546) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. In one of the most improbably successful voyages in known history, Orellana managed to sail the length of the Amazon, arriving at the river's mouth on 24 A ...

) # Mazán ( Mazán) # Napo ( Santa Clotilde) # Punchana ( Punchana) # San Juan Bautista ( San Juan Bautista) # Torres Causana ( Pantoja)

Local authorities

Mayors

* 2019-2022: Francisco Sanjurjo Dávila. * 2015-2018: Fernando Meléndez Celis (Movimiento Integración Loretana). * 2013-2014: Adela Esmeralda Jiménez Mera (Movimiento Integración Loretana). * 2011-2012: Charles Mayer Zevallos Eyzaguirre (Movimiento Integración Loretana).

Places of interest

* Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve * Sunkaruqucha

References

External links

*
Municipalidad Provincial de Maynas
- Maynas provincial municipality {{Coord, 3.755148, S, 73.249111, W, type:adm2nd_source:itwiki, display=title Provinces of the Department of Loreto