SAN MARTN

departmento (formed 1906) of northeastern Peru, located in the Ro Huallaga Basin. Named for the liberator Jos de San Martn, it occupies an area of 20,197 sq mi (52,309 sq km). The chief centre of settlement is around the departmental capital of Moyobamba (q.v.). Most of the inhabitants are farmers, whose products include coffee (flown to Lima), rice, cotton, beans, corn (maize), and bananas. San Martn contains such little-developed mineral resources as petroleum, clay, and salt. The warm, rainy climate supports dense forests, which are a source of rubber, balata, vanilla, and cabinet woods. San Martn is connected by the Marginal Highway to Amazonas departamento to the northwest and Hunuco departamento to the south. Pop. (1990 est.) 460,000.