Department of Huánuco
Departamento de Huánuco (Spanish)
Wanuku suyu (Quechua)
Region
The Huayhuash mountain range with Yerupajá, one of the highest peaks of Peru
The Huayhuash mountain range with Yerupajá, one of the highest peaks of Peru
Flag of Department of Huánuco
Flag
Official seal of Department of Huánuco
Seal
Location of the Department of Huánuco in Peru
Location of the Department of Huánuco in Peru
CountryPeru
Subdivisions11 provinces and 76 districts
Largest cityHuánuco
CapitalHuánuco
Government
 • GovernorRubén Alva Ochoa
(2015–2018)
Area
 • Total36,848.85 km2 (14,227.42 sq mi)
Highest elevation
3,839 m (12,595 ft)
Lowest elevation
167 m (548 ft)
Population
 (2005 Census)
 • Total730,871
 • Density20/km2 (51/sq mi)
UBIGEO
10
Dialing code062
ISO 3166 codePE-HUC
Principal resources–
Poverty rate78.9%
Percentage of Peru's GDP1%
Websitewww.regionhuanuco.gob.pe
Kotosh-Huanúco

Huánuco (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈwanuko]) is a department and region in central Peru.[1] It is bordered by the La Libertad, San Martín, Loreto and Ucayali regions in the north, the Ucayali Region in the east, the Pasco Region in the south and the Lima and Ancash regions in the west. Its capital is the city Huánuco.

Huánuco has a rough topography comprising parts of the Sierra and the High Jungle (mountain rim) regions. Being equidistant from the north and the south of the country, it has the privilege of having a mild weather with an average annual temperature of 20 °C (68 °F).

This region is important for its geographical location, history, and for the richness of its land, where the presence of man goes back to ancient times. El Hombre de Lauricocha (Man of Lauricocha) is among the most distinctive examples, dating from 10,000 BC, as well as Kotosh, where vestiges of the oldest settlement in the Americas (4200 BC) took place.

Several ethnic groups inhabited this region. However, after a severe resistance, they started to incorporate as part of the Inca empire. Huánuco then became part of the Cusco-Cajamarca-Cusco route.

In the beginning of the 19th century, during the emancipation process, Huánuco was one of the first cities to promote Peru's independence. Moreover, a first oath took place in this city on December 15, 1820, after several uprisings in Huamalíes, Huallanca and Ambo.

Political division

Map of the Huánuco region showing its provinces

The region is divided into 11 provinces (Spanish: provincias, singular: provincia), which are composed of 75 districts (distritos, singular: distrito).

The provinces, with their capitals in parentheses, are:

Demographics

Languages

According to the 2007 Peru Census, the language learned first by most of the residents was Spanish (70.92%) followed by Quechua (28.56%). The Quechua variety spoken in Huánuco is Huánuco Quechua. The following table shows the results concerning the language learnt first in the Huánuco Region by province:[2]

Province Quechua Aymara Asháninka Another native language Spanish Foreign language Deaf or mute Total
Ambo 13,141 30 9 5 38,840 2 86 52,113
Dos de Mayo 17,399 20 5 11 26,102 6 91 43,634
Huacaybamba 14,920 19 2 2 3,869 1 106 18,919
Huamalies 32,873 44 6 6 28,511 4 226 61,670
Huanuco 60,281 177 73 62 192,886 54 369 253,902
Leoncio Prado 8,990 78 30 82 99,915 19 178 109,292
Marañon 6,073 8 4 7 18,367 - 82 24,541
Pachitea 26,229 56 9 14 29,415 - 107 55,830
Puerto Inca 1,582 81 545 731 25,541 2 59 28,541
Lauricocha 3,415 17 4 8 29,481 - 23 32,948
Yarowilca 18,308 30 6 2 11,633 - 49 30,028
Total 203,211 560 693 930 504,560 88 1,376 711,418
% 28.56 0.08 0.10 0.13 70.92 0.01 0.19 100.00

Places of interest

References

  1. ↑ Official website of INEI
  2. ↑ inei.gob.pe Archived 2013-01-27 at the Wayback Machine INEI, Peru, Censos Nacionales 2007
Huanuco, the capital of the department, was founded on August 15, 1539.

8°21′47″S 76°18′56″W / 8.36306°S 76.31556°W / -8.36306; -76.31556

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