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San Martín

December 10, 2020

The department of San Martín, in northeastern Peru, was created in 1906 in honor of José de San Martín, liberator of Peru.

Index

Provinces of Saint Martin

This department comprises 10 provinces: Bellavista, El Dorado, Huallaga, Lamas, Mariscal Cáceres, Moyobamba, Picota, Rioja, San Martín and Tocache.

Provinces of the San Martin region in Peru (Map)
Source: AgainErick, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Its territorial extension is 51,253.31 km², it has a population of 813,381 inhabitants (2017 data) and its capital is Moyabamba.

Moyobamba, capital of the department of San Martin

This city was founded with the name of Santiago de los Ocho Valles de Moyobamba, on July 25, 1540, capital of the homonymous province and the department of San Martín, located at an altitude of 860 meters above sea level with a population for 2017 of 50,073 inhabitants. .

Moyobamba Cathedral Source: CanalCatolico, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Tarapoto, capital of the province of San Martin

For its part, Tarapoto was founded as Santa Cruz de los Motilones de Tarapoto, on August 20, 1782. It is the capital of the district of the same name, and at the same time of the province of San Martín in the homonymous department.

Tarapoto seen from a drone.
Source: Parleve89, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The city is located at an altitude of 250 meters above sea level on the banks of the Shilcayo River.

In 2017, the province of San Martín had a population of 180,073 inhabitants. This province is one of the main centers of commerce and tourism in thePeruvian Amazon(Municipalidad Provincial de San Martín, 2020).

Tourist places of Saint Martin

This department has several tourist attractions, among them stand out (Central Reserve Bank of Peru, 2017):

Ahuashiyacu Falls
  • Ahuashiyacu Falls: Falls of crystal clear waters of 40 meters that form a well that allows bathing; they are surrounded by Amazonian vegetation. They are located 14 km from Tarapoto.
  • Gera Falls: Crystal clear waters that flow from the Gera River, located in the high jungle, surrounded by vegetation typical of the area, with timber species, orchids and bromeliads.
  • Lago Lindo: Lagoon of crystalline waters surrounded by abundant vegetation, in which birds such as wild ducks, paucares and kingfishers can be observed.
  • Lago del Sauce: located in the municipality of the same name, it has a length of 450 ha. and is ideal for activities such as fishing, water skiing, among others.
  • Thermal Baths: located on the slopes of the San Mateo hill, 5 km from the city of Moyobamba, with good infrastructure such as a swimming pool, restaurant, among other services.
  • Archaeological Ensemble of the Gran Pajatén: formed mostly by circular buildings, dating from the time of the Chachapoyas culture 1,200 – 1,500 AD.
  • El Gran Saposoa: comprises a set of mausoleums with straight lines and staggered spirals, more than 400 circular buildings, with a rectangular plaza and a defensive wall.
  • Polish petroglyphs: set of five stones with low-relief engravings, representing figures of animals, plants and holes forming beads in two rows along with representations of snakes.
  • Lamas:Town located 22 km from Tarapoto, whose ethnological origin dates back to the Chancas peoples, preserving their pre-Hispanic customs and is also considered the folkloric capital of the Peruvian Amazon.

References

  • Banco Central de Reserva del Perú. (2027). Informe económico y social. Región de San Martín, recuperado de https://www.bcrp.gob.pe/docs/Proyeccion-Institucional/Encuentros-Regionales/2017/san-martin/ies-san-martin-2017.pdf.
  • Municipalidad Provincial de San Martín. (2020). Recuperado de https://www.mpsm.gob.pe/.

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