The districts of Peru () 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. Districts can be divided into neighbourhoods or populated centres. There are 1,838 districts in total.Sistema Nacional de Estadística
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. Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática. Perú en Mapas . Retrieved November 1, 2009.
Top 20 district rankings This is a list of the top twenty Peruvian districts by population, population density, area and elevation (of the district's capital). Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática. Banco de Información Distrital . Retrieved May 5, 2008.
By population # District Province Region Population 1 San Juan de Lurigancho Lima Lima 2 San Martín de Porres Lima Lima 3 Ate Lima Lima 4 Comas Lima Lima 5 Callao Callao Callao 6 Villa María del Triunfo Lima Lima 7 Villa El Salvador Lima Lima 8 San Juan de Miraflores Lima Lima 9 Puente Piedra Lima Lima 10 Santiago de Surco Lima Lima 11 Los Olivos Lima Lima 12 Ventanilla Callao Callao 13 Trujillo Trujillo La Libertad 14 Chorrillos Lima Lima 15 Chiclayo Chiclayo Lambayeque 16 Lima Lima Lima 17 Juliaca San Román Puno 18 Chimbote Santa Ancash 19 Piura Piura Piura 20 Callería Coronel Portillo Ucayali Source: INEI
By population density # District Province Region Populationdensity(/km2) 1 Breña Lima Lima 2 Surquillo Lima Lima 3 La Victoria Lima Lima 4 La Perla Callao Callao 5 Arequipa Arequipa Arequipa 6 Carmen de la Legua Reynoso Callao Callao 7 Florencia de Mora Trujillo La Libertad 8 Lince Lima Lima 9 Pueblo Libre Lima Lima 10 Bellavista Callao Callao 11 Los Olivos Lima Lima 12 Santa Anita Lima Lima 13 Rímac Lima Lima 14 San Martín de Porres Lima Lima 15 San Juan de Miraflores Lima Lima 16 Independencia Lima Lima 17 Magdalena del Mar Lima Lima 18 San Luis Lima Lima 19 El Agustino Lima Lima 20 Lima Lima Lima Source: INEI
By area # District Province Region Area(km2) 1 Putumayo Maynas Loreto 2 Napo Maynas Loreto 3 Tambopata Tambopata Madre de Dios 4 Tigre Loreto Loreto 5 Echarate La Convención Cusco 6 Purús Purús Ucayali 7 Urarinas Loreto Loreto 8 Iñapari Tahuamanu Madre de Dios 9 Raimondi Atalaya Ucayali 10 Alto Nanay Maynas Loreto 11 Masisea Coronel Portillo Ucayali 12 Yavarí Mariscal Ramón Castilla Loreto 13 Parinari Loreto Loreto 14 Trompeteros Loreto Loreto 15 Andoas Datem del Marañón Loreto 16 Pebas Mariscal Ramón Castilla Loreto 17 Puerto Bermúdez Oxapampa Pasco 18 Fitzcarrald Manú Madre de Dios 19 Yaquerana Requena Loreto 20 Morona Datem del Marañón Loreto Source: INEI
By elevation # District Province Region Elevation(m) 1 Suykutambo Espinar Cusco4801 2 Condoroma Espinar Cusco4737 3 San Antonio Puno Puno4700 4 Ananea San Antonio de Putina Puno4660 5 Morococha Yauli Junín4550 6 San Antonio de Chuca Caylloma Arequipa4525 7 Santa Ana Castrovirreyna Huancavelica4473 8 Marcapomacocha Yauli Junín4415 9 Capazo El Collao Puno4400 10 Paratia Lampa Puno4390 11 Cojata Huancané Puno4355 12 Yanacancha Pasco Pasco4350 13 Chaupimarca Pasco Pasco4338 14 Macusani Carabaya Puno4315 15 Huayllay Pasco Pasco4310 16 Caylloma Caylloma Arequipa4310 17 Vilavila Lampa Puno4300 18 Tanta Yauyos Lima4278 19 Tinyahuarco Pasco Pasco4275 20 Suitucancha Yauli Junín4255Source: INEI
See also Regions of Peru Provinces of Peru Administrative divisions of Peru
References