Department of Tumbes

Tumbes

Departamento de Tumbes (Spanish)
Tumbes Departamento de Tumbes (Spanish)
Department
	Manglares de Tumbes National Sanctuary
	Flag Coat of arms
	Location of the Tumbes Region in Peru
	Coordinates: 3°53′S 80°35′W / 3.88°S 80.59°W
Country	Peru
Subdivisions	3 provinces and 12 districts
Capital	Tumbes
Government
• Governor	Wilmer Dios Benites; (2019–2022)
Area
• Total	4,045.86 km2 (1,562.12 sq mi)
Elevation (Capital)	7 m (23 ft)
Highest elevation	134 m (440 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population (2017)
• Total	224,863
• Density	56/km2 (140/sq mi)
UBIGEO	24
Dialing code	072
ISO 3166 code	PE-TUM
Principal resources	Petroleum, tobacco, bananas and fishing.
Poverty rate	46.8%
Percentage of Peru's GDP	0.49%
Website	www.regiontumbes.gob.pe

Tumbes (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈtumbes]) is a coastal department and region in northwestern Peru bordering Ecuador. Due to the region's location near the Equator it has a warm climate, with beaches that are considered among the finest in Peru. ^{[citation needed]} Despite its small area, the region contains a wide variety of ecosystems. It is the smallest department in Peru and its third least populous department after Moquegua and Madre de Dios, but it is also its third most densely populated department, after La Libertad and Lambayeque.

The name "Tumbes" originates from either Tumpis, a group of native peoples from the area, the word tumbos, a species of Passiflora that used to abound in the area, or the name of the Tumba cacique, whose son founded and populated the area.

Geography

The Tumbes Region is bordered by the

Piura Region on the south; and by the Pacific Ocean

on the north and west.

Morphologically, four zones can be defined in the region: the delta of the Tumbes and Zarumilla rivers; an alluvial plain north of the Tumbes River, with dry, low-depth ravines; ancient terraces that have been strongly eroded in the Máncora area; and the Amotape mountain range in the east and south, ending at El Barco Mountain. The delta of the Tumbes river is shallow, and when the tide is low, little sandy keys show up, which get covered by mangrove vegetation. Despite its small area— it is the second-smallest region in Peru— Tumbes has a great variety of

Tumbes Reserved Zone

.

Demographics

Basically composed of a large

zambos, and a small Chinese community of mostly Cantonese ancestry.^{[citation needed}

]

Population

According to the

1993 Census

, the Tumbes Region has a population of 155,521 inhabitants, 53% of which (82,426) are male and 47% (73,095) are female.

As of 2005 [update], the Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática estimates the region's population to be 215,634.

Languages

The majority of the region's residents (98.3%) speak

Quechua (0.4%), foreign languages (0.1%), Aymara (60 speakers, 0.0%), and other indigenous

languages (0.1%).

Immigration

Immigrants from other regions make up 29.4% of the population; 0.2% of residents were born in a foreign country. The largest immigrant groups are from the regions of

Lima Region (2.8%).^{[citation needed}

]

Age

The population is spread out, with 49.4% under the age of 20, 10.7% from 20 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 9.7% from 45 to 64, and 3.5% who are 65 years of age or older.

Education

The literacy rate in the region is 90.4%.

Secondary education has been completed by 31.8% of the population and 4.5% also have graduated from non-university higher education, while 2.3% have complete university studies. 45.9% only have attended primary education and 5.9% have not had any education.^{[citation needed]}

Political division

The region is divided into three provinces (Spanish: provincias, singular: provincia), which are composed of twelve districts (distritos, singular: distrito).

The provinces, with their capitals in parentheses, are:

History

Tumbes was a populated region well before the

hunters. Most recent cultures that lived there have left evidence of the refinement in their ceramics, and huacas or ruins that still stand today.^{[citation needed}

]

Tumbes was integrated into the

Tupac Inca Yupanqui's and Huayna Capac's reigns.^[1]

^: 123 He made it a key departure point for his campaign to conquer the Cañaris.

The adventure of the Spanish Conquistadores had its beginning in Tumbes: at Puerto Pizarro Francisco Pizarro and his men landed in search of gold. The conquerors set off to the rest of the empire, founding cities and overpowering their people.^[1]^: 123

During colonial times, Tumbes was no more than a crossing point where

Loreto Region of Peru, Tumbes's closeness to the border exposed it as a resistance point in some episodes of the Ecuadorian–Peruvian War

.

As part of the

Lambayeque to create the new Northern Region (Spanish: Región Norte). However, voters in the region voted against the merge.^{[citation needed}

]

Attractions

Touristic sites

The fact that Tumbes lies so close to the

scallops, which are served up in Tumbes' most famous dish, the black scallop ceviche

.

South of Tumbes lies Zorritos, the town which received its name from workers involved in drilling the first oilwell in the area, back in 1863. Not far from Zorritos lies the Bocapán beach, where visitors can swim in Hervideros, natural

iodized salts

.

Typical dishes and beverages

The typical dishes of the Tumbesino cuisine are based on seafood—

peppers, eggs, olives, raisins, flour, coriander and other herbs

.

Other specialties include the shrimp omelette, chupe de cangrejos, and crabmeat omelette.

A typical beverage in the region is the chinguirito, which is obtained by combining pipa (the milk of a soft coconut) with the famous grape brandy called pisco.

References

^
ISBN 9781420941142

External links

(in Spanish) Portal del Gobierno Regional de Tumbes – Tumbes Regional Government official portal
Peru Information by Regions: Tumbes
The Tumbesian Region, climate and endemism
Endemic Birds of the Tumbesian Region

[Prescott-1] 
ISBN 9781420941142

[1]