Lambayeque

Department on the northwest coast of Peru; area 16,585 sq km/6,403 sq mi; population (1991) 935,300. Lambayeque consists mainly of desert, but some irrigated valleys stretch up into the foothills of the Andes. The departmental capital is Chiclayo, which is served by the main ports of Eten and Pimentel. The principal rivers are the Chancey, Zana, La Leche, and Reque, which provide water for intensive sugar cane, rice, maize, cotton, and fruit cultivation.

Almost half of Peru's sugar production comes from here.

There is a university in the town of Lambayeque. Monsefu, south of Chiclayo, is famous for straw hats. Major irrigation projects are sited at the Tinajones dam, near Chongoyape, and at Olmos.