Districts of Peru

Districts of Peru

The districts of Peru (Spanish: distritos) are the third-level country subdivisions of Peru. They are subdivisions of the provinces, which in turn are subdivisions of the larger regions or departments. There are 1,838 districts in total.[1]

Overview

A 1982 law requires a minimum of residents in an area for a new district to be legally established: 3,500 if it is located in the rainforest, 4,000 in the Andes highlands and 10,000 in the coastal area.

In the dry Andean area, many districts have less than 3,500 inhabitants due to low population density in the area. In some cases, their populations have decreased in comparison to the days when they were founded. Districts that are located at very high altitudes tend to be scarcely populated. These districts usually are large in area, have few available land for use. Many basic government services do not reach all residents of these districts due to their difficult geography. Many lack financial means to govern their whole jurisdictions and they often have high emigration rates.

A similar pattern can be observed in many districts located in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. Once important settlements created during the era of colonization, they nowadays do not offer much space for agriculture. Deeper into the jungle, the districts of the 'selva alta' (lower jungle) have higher populations living on geographically large districts. Districts located outside the colonized area have very low populations that are entirely composed of Native Amazonian tribes.

All over the country, many districts have higher populations than the minimum required by law. This is true of the colonized areas of the rainforest, the northern Andes as well as in the southern Andes from Huancayo to the shores of Lake Titicaca, which is the historical heartland of the Peruvian highlands. These districts are old and tend to be smaller in area with high population densities since prehispanic times.

Districts in the Chala (coastal area) tend to be mid-sized except in low-density areas such as the Sechura Desert and part of the Southern coast, but all of them feature large populations due to emigration from other regions of the country that turned the Peruvian coast into the country's main economic powerhouse.

Districts with a population of more than 10 000 inhabitants should ideally be subdivided, particularly if they are also large in area, as is the case in part of the Amazon rainforest. Colonization happens quickly and boundaries of districts are often not modified, except in large urban areas. This is less of a problem in the coast where communication is easier. However, reaching to large populations remain a problem in this area.[2]

Most populous districts

This is a list of the top twenty Peruvian districts by population, population density, area and elevation (of the district's capital).[2] http://iinei.inei.gob.pe/iinei/perumapas/

By population

# District Province Region UBIGEO Population
1 San Juan de Lurigancho Lima Lima 150132 812,656
2 San Martín de Porres Lima Lima 150135 525,155
3 Comas Lima Lima 150110 464,745
4 Ate Lima Lima 150103 419,663
5 Callao Callao Callao 070101 389,579
6 Villa El Salvador Lima Lima 150142 367,436
7 Villa María del Triunfo Lima Lima 150143 355,761
8 San Juan de Miraflores Lima Lima 150133 335,237
9 Lima Lima Lima 150101 289,855
10 Los Olivos Lima Lima 150117 286,549
11 Trujillo Trujillo La Libertad 130101 276,921
12 Santiago de Surco Lima Lima 150140 272,690
13 Chorrillos Lima Lima 150108 262,595
14 Chiclayo Chiclayo Lambayeque 140101 251,407
15 Piura Piura Piura 200101 247,943
16 Ventanilla Callao Callao 070106 243,526
17 Juliaca San Román Puno 211101 218,485
18 Chimbote Santa Ancash 021801 217,303
19 Callería Coronel Portillo Ucayali 250101 208,292
20 Puente Piedra Lima Lima 150125 203,473

Source: INEI[2]

By population density

# District Province Region UBIGEO Population
density
(/km²)
1 Breña Lima Lima 150105 24,492
2 Surquillo Lima Lima 150141 24,336
3 La Victoria Lima Lima 150115 21,764
4 La Perla Callao Callao 070104 21,674
5 Arequipa Arequipa Arequipa 040101 21,431
6 Carmen de la Legua Reynoso Callao Callao 070103 19,075
7 Florencia de Mora Trujillo La Libertad 130103 18,803
8 Lince Lima Lima 150116 17,202
9 Pueblo Libre Lima Lima 150121 16,414
10 Bellavista Callao Callao 070102 15,956
11 Los Olivos Lima Lima 150117 15,701
12 Santa Anita Lima Lima 150137 15,040
13 Rímac Lima Lima 150128 14,810
14 San Martín de Porres Lima Lima 150135 14,228
15 San Juan de Miraflores Lima Lima 150133 13,980
16 Independencia Lima Lima 150112 13,551
17 Magdalena del Mar Lima Lima 150120 13,420
18 San Luis Lima Lima 150134 13,254
19 El Agustino Lima Lima 150111 13,192
20 Lima Lima Lima 150101 13,187

Source: INEI[2]

By area

# District Province Region UBIGEO Area
(km²)
1 Putumayo Maynas Loreto 160109 34,942.9
2 Napo Maynas Loreto 160107 24,298.1
3 Tambopata Tambopata Madre de Dios 170101 22,218.6
4 Tigre Loreto Loreto 160303 19,785.7
5 Echarate La Convención Cusco 080902 19,135.5
6 Purús Purús Ucayali 250401 17,847.8
7 Urarinas Loreto Loreto 160305 15,778.4
8 Iñapari Tahuamanu Madre de Dios 170301 14,853.7
9 Raimondi Atalaya Ucayali 250201 14,508.5
10 Alto Nanay Maynas Loreto 160102 14,290.8
11 Masisea Coronel Portillo Ucayali 250104 14,102.2
12 Yavarí Mariscal Ramón Castilla Loreto 160403 13,807.5
13 Parinari Loreto Loreto 160302 12,951.7
14 Trompeteros Loreto Loreto 160304 12,246.0
15 Andoas Datem del Marañón Loreto 160706 11,549.8
16 Pebas Mariscal Ramón Castilla Loreto 160402 11,437.0
17 Puerto Bermúdez Oxapampa Pasco 190306 10,988.1
18 Fitzcarrald Manú Madre de Dios 170202 10,955.3
19 Yaquerana Requena Loreto 160511 10,947.2
20 Morona Datem del Marañón Loreto 160208 10,777.0

Source: INEI[2]

By elevation

# District Province Region UBIGEO Elevation
(m)
1 Suykutambo Espinar Cusco 080807 4801
2 Condoroma Espinar Cusco 080802 4737
3 San Antonio Puno Puno 210113 4700
4 Ananea San Antonio de Putina Puno 211002 4660
5 Morococha Yauli Junín 120805 4550
6 San Antonio de Chuca Caylloma Arequipa 040514 4525
7 Santa Ana Castrovirreyna Huancavelica 090411 4473
8 Marcapomacocha Yauli Junín 120804 4415
9 Capazo El Collao Puno 210502 4400
10 Paratia Lampa Puno 210707 4390
11 Cojata Huancané Puno 210602 4355
12 Yanacancha Pasco Pasco 190113 4350
13 Chaupimarca Pasco Pasco 190101 4338
14 Macusani Carabaya Puno 210301 4315
15 Huayllay Pasco Pasco 190104 4310
16 Caylloma Caylloma Arequipa 040505 4310
17 Vilavila Lampa Puno 210710 4300
18 Tanta Yauyos Lima 151028 4278
19 Tinyahuarco Pasco Pasco 190111 4275
20 Suitucancha Yauli Junín 120809 4255

Source: INEI[2]

Districts table

District Province Region Capital UBIGEO

See also

References

  1. ↑ Sistema Nacional de Estadística
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 (Spanish) Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática. Perú en Mapas. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
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