Chanchamayo Province

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**Provincia de Chanchamayo**
Coat of arms
Location in the Junín Region
Country Region	Peru Junín
Founded
Capital	La Merced
Area	4,723.4 km²
Population - Total - Density	142,127 (2002 estimate) 30.1/km²
Subdivisions	6 districts

Chanchamayo is a province in northern Junín Region, in central Peru.

The province's name derives from the Chanchamayo River, whose source is in the Andean Sierra and flows northwards becoming the Perené River.

The province has an estimated population of 142,127, half of which live in the provincial capital, La Merced. Another important town in the province is San Ramón.

The Chanchamayo province is famous for citrus production and quality coffee growing.

[edit] History

The first inhabitants of this territory were the Yaneshas and Ashaninkas. The first reported European presence in the area dates back to 1635, when Franciscan Fray Juan Jerónimo Jiménez founded the settlement of San Buena Ventura de Quimiri, which was 3 km away from present-day La Merced.

[edit] Political division

The province is divided into six districts (Spanish: distritos, singular: distrito), each of which is headed by a mayor (alcalde). The districts, with their capitals in parenthesis, are: