Piura Region
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Piura is a region in northwestern Peru. It is bordered by the Tumbes Region and Ecuador on the north, the Lambayeque Region on the south, the Cajamarca Region on the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Its capital is the city of Piura and its main port is located in Paita.
Mancora_Beach_(Peru).jpg
Geography
The territory of the Piura Region has a smooth topography in the coast and a rough one in the Sierra. Thre are many desertic plains in the region. The Sechura Desert, located south of the Piura River, is Peru's largest desert. The Bayóvar depression, which is the lowest point in the country, is located in this desert. The morphological forms most common in the coast are the dry ravines that suddenly become copious when there are heavy rains. Other features are half-moon shaped dunes, the marine terraces such as those of Máncora, Talara and Lobitos; fluvial terraces formed by the Chira and Piura Rivers.
To the east, the territory is rougher. Valleys more or less deep have been eroded by fluvial waters. The major peak surpasses 3000 m. The Paso de Porculla, to the southwest of the territory is only 2,138 meters deep and is the lowest of the Peruvian Andes.
The rivers crossing its territory belong to the Pacific watershed and to the Amazonas Hydrographic System. The Chira River is the most important and flows its waters into the Pacific Ocean. The Piura River, whose banks hold the city of the same name, only flows its waters into the sea during summer, which is the rainy season.
The climate is desertic and semi-desertic in the coast and western Andean watersheds, subtropical in the easthern watersheds. The rain is scarce, but when the El Niño phenomenon arises, the rain is copious and makes the dry ravines become alive giving rise to floodings and great morphological movements.
Punta Pariñas, the westernmost point in the South American mainland, is located in the Piura Region.
Piura is the land of carob trees. Its development has been favoured by the petroleum exploitation and for the fishing boom.
History
The most important culture that developed in the Piura region was Vicus, which stood out for its ceramics and delicate work in gold. The Tallanes or Yungas, however, were the first settlers, who migrated from the Sierra. During a period that is still vague, they lived in Behetrias, which were primitive settlements without a head or an organization.
Later on, they were conquered by the Mochicas, and centuries later, by the Incas during the rule of Tupac Inca Yupanqui.
In 1532, Francisco Pizarro founded the first Spanish city in South America, on the banks of the Chira River in the Tangarará Valley. He named it San Miguel de Piura. The founding date is still subject of controversy. However, during the 450th anniversary celebrations, July 15 was adopted as the official date.
In 1534, due to a lack of sanitary conditions, the capital was moved to Monte de los Padres (Morropón); in 1578, and for the same reason, it was moved again, this time to San Francisco de la Buena Esperanza (Paita). In 1588, the permanent attacks of the English pirates and corsairs forced a final relocation of the capital to Piura.
During Colonial times, life went by peacefully. Yet, the raids against the Spanish authorities led by Admirals Borran and Cochrane, members of the libertarian expedition of José de San Martín, woke the longing for liberty in the minds of the local people.
Political division
The region is divided into 8 provinces (Spanish: provincias, singular: provincia), which are composed of 64 districts (distritos, singular: distrito). The provinces, with their capitals in parenthesis, are: