Department of Loreto

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Loreto (Spanish pronunciation: [loˈɾeto] ) is a department of Peru. Covering almost one-third of Peru's territory, it is Peru's largest and northernmost department, occupying a large part of the country's portion of the Amazon rainforest. Slightly smaller than Japan or Germany, it is also one of the most sparsely populated regions due to its remote location in the region. Its capital is Iquitos. Its territory was once part of the General Command of Maynas, a subdivision of the Spanish Empire created in 1802. The overlapping claims over the region following the Spanish American wars of independence was the genesis for two different territorial disputes between Peru and its neighbours. The dispute with Colombia lasted until 1934, while the dispute with Ecuador only ended in 1999. Both disputes led to armed conflict in a number of occasions. The territory of Maynas was first incorporated into Peru as part of the Department of La Libertad until 1825. On November 21, 1832, the Department of...

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