Regions of Peru Regions of Peru The regions () of Peru are the first-level administrative subdivisions of Peru. Since its 1821 independence, Peru had been divided into departments () but faced the problem of an increasing centralization of political and economic power in its capital, Lima. After several unsuccessful decentralization attempts, the legal figure of "region" became official and regional governments were elected to manage the departments on November 20, 2002, until their planned fusion into real regions. Under the new arrangement, the former 24 departments plus the Callao Province have become regional circumscriptions. The province of Lima has been excluded from this
Rioja, Peru boats, canoes and rafts use the Mayo, Tonchima and Negro rivers for small cargo. Rioja, Peru Rioja is the capital of Rioja Province in the San Martín Region in northern Peru. It is situated to the west of Moyobamba. There are 24,263 inhabitants according to the 2007 census. The town is 848 metres above sea level and has a semi-humid subtropical climate. During the period of the Incas, the Rioja Province was inhabited by two tribes, the Uquihuas and the Chepenes. At the end of the 16th century, one of the first Catholic missionaries arrived at Uquihua. Rioja was founded