Department of San Martín

San Martín (Spanish pronunciation: [sanmaɾˈtin]) is a department of Peru. Located in the country's north, most of the department is located in the upper part of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. It is administered by a regional government. Its capital is Moyobamba and the largest city in the department is Tarapoto.

The territory of San Martín can be divided into four morphological zones:

The Huallaga River is one of the most important rivers in the region. It forms, together with its tributaries a hydrographical system which drains all of the region's territory. The Pongo de Aguirre is an important canyon formed by the Huallaga going through the Andean hills.

In San Martín, Conservation International Peru lists an office in Rioja and leads the Alto Mayo Protected Forest Conservation Initiative in the Alto Mayo Protection Forest.

Tupac Yupanqui entered and subdued the Inca dominion, the province of Moyobamba, known back then by its native name, Muyupampa. In 1539, Spaniard Alonso de Alvarado reached the Mayo River and founded a city he named Santiago de los Valles de Moyobamba, which later became the capital of Maynas. Another important personality was Priest Manuel Sobreviela who, between 1787 and 1790, accomplished traveling across the Huallaga River and subsequently published a map named "Planning for the course of the Huallaga and Ucayali Rivers and for the Pampa del Sacramento".

On August 19, 1821, Moyobamba was the first Peruvian city in declaring its independence.

The construction of a highway in recent years has increased the exchange of different products, benefitting the economy of this region.

The region is divided into 10 provinces (Spanish: provincias, singular: provincia), which are composed of 78 districts (distritos, singular: distrito).