TUMBES

also spelled Tumbez, smallest and northernmost department (formed 1942) of Peru. It is bounded on the northwest by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east by Ecuador. The department is located near the northern end of the Peruvian coastal desert and occupies an area of 1,827 square miles (4,732 square km). Tumbes has been an area of strategic military importance in the nearly 150-year-old (intermittent) boundary conflict between Peru and Ecuador. Crops grown in irrigated areas, especially around the departmental capital of Tumbes (q.v.), include corn (maize), rice, and bananas. Some cattle and goats are raised, and there is a small fishing industry. In 1864 oil was discovered at Zorritos; the field is still productive, although it is less important than its southern extension in Piura department. Pop. (1990 est.) 144,000. also spelled Tumbez, city and capital, Tumbes department, northwestern Peru. It is located on the Pacific coastal plain and on high banks overlooking the Tumbes River, 20 miles (30 km) from the Ecuadorian border. In 1532 Francisco Pizarro landed at what is now Puerto Pizarro (the port for Tumbes, 12 miles north), to begin his conquest of Peru. The town, originally a minor Inca fortress on the road to Quito, Ecuador, did not flourish, however, until after local border conflicts with Ecuador were resolved in 1942, which made trade with border towns profitable. Tumbes also became a city in 1942. Nearby irrigated fields yield tobacco, cotton, rice, corn (maize), and bananas. Charcoal burning and rice milling are local activities, and fishing and tourism also provide income. Tumbes has an airfield and is 828 miles (1,332 km) northwest of Lima via the Pan-American Highway. Pop. (1990 est.) 64,800.