Catamarca Province

Catamarca, is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. The province has a population of 334,568 as per the 2001 census INDEC, and covers an area of 102,602 km². Its literacy rate is 95.5%. Neighbouring provinces are (clockwise, from the north): Salta, Tucumán, Santiago del Estero, Córdoba, and La Rioja. To the west it borders Chile.

The capital is San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, usually shortened to Catamarca. Other important cities include Andalgalá, Tinogasta, and Belén.

Catamarca's economy is Argentina's smallest, though not its least developed. Its 2006 economy was estimated at US$1.7 billion, or, US$5,280 per capita, 40% below the national average. Less diversified than most in Argentina, agriculture has never played an important role in the Catamarca economy (contributing less than 5% to its output). The province's livestock includes around 200,000 bovine heads of cattle, 100,000 bovine, and 150,000 goats, with an annual production of 7,000 tonnes of beef, 5 tonnes of sheep meat, and 10 tonnes of pork, although outbreaks of foot and mouth disease has kept at times the production from reaching full potential.[citation needed]

Mining, however, has been unusually relevant in the past and, after becoming somewhat inactive in the early 1990s, grew to prominence again by the year 2000 (now accounting for over 20% of the economy). Catamarca is home to one of the largest copper gold mines in the world, Bajo de la Alumbrera which produces approximately 600,000 ounces of gold and 190,000 tonnes of copper annually. The mine directly employs over 1,000 people and contributes hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes and royalties to the federal and provincial governments.

Its agriculture focuses on wood (walnut), vineyards, olive, citrus, cotton and tobacco, to which the government gives tax cuts to facilitate economic growth[citation needed] so far with failing results and no oversight.

Buenos Aires Province

Province of Buenos Aires, is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880. The current capital of the province is the city of La Plata, founded in 1884.

The province limits to the north with Entre Ríos and Santa Fe; to the west, with Córdoba, La Pampa and Río Negro; to south and east, with the Atlantic Ocean. The entire province is part of the Pampas geographical region.

The province has a population of about 15.6 million people, or 39% of Argentina's total population. Nearly 10 million people live in Greater Buenos Aires, the metropolitan area surrounding the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. The area of the province, 307,571 km2 (118,754 sq mi), makes it the largest in Argentina with around 11% of the country's total area.

Tourists, mainly from Buenos Aires, visit the Atlantic coast. There are many cities and town along the coast line that starts some 250 kilometres from Buenos Aires after the Samborombón Bay. Among them, the biggest and most important is Mar del Plata, followed by the Coastal district, Pinamar, Villa Gesell, Miramar and Necochea. The most important summer-related event, the National Sea Festival, is held annually in the city of Mar del Plata. The city's Central Casino and Grand Provincial Hotel are among the nation's largest.

Other destinations include the Ventana Sierras, Tandil, Tigre, the Paraná Delta, Isla Martín García, the Chascomús and Gómez lagoons, and La Plata.

Agritourism in estancias has become increasingly popular for foreigners visiting the province in recent years. The province's wine district, centered around Médanos, has also become prominent for visitors touring the Argentina Wine Route.

Mendoza, Argentina

Mendoza (Spanish pronunciation: [menˈdosa]) is the capital city of Mendoza Province, in Argentina. It is located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, on the eastern side of the Andes. As of the 2001 census [INDEC], Mendoza's population was 110,993. The metropolitan population was 848,660 in 2001, making Greater Mendoza the fourth largest census metropolitan area in the country.

Ruta Nacional 7, the major road running between Buenos Aires and Santiago, runs through Mendoza. The city is a frequent stopover for climbers on their way to Aconcagua (the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere) and for adventure travelers interested in mountaineering, hiking, horseback riding, rafting, and other sports. In the winter, skiers come to the city for its easy access to the Andes.

Two of the main industries of Mendoza area are olive oil production and wine making. The region around Greater Mendoza is the largest wine producing area in Latin America. As such, Mendoza is one of nine cities worldwide in the network of Great Capitals of Wine, and the city is an emerging wine tourism destination and base for exploring the hundreds of wineries in the region.

Mendoza is 1,037 kilometres from Buenos Aires (13 hours by bus) and 380 kilometres from Santiago, Chile (6–7 hours by bus). Mendoza also has an International Airport (MDZ). It takes less than 2 hours to fly from Buenos Aires and less than 1 hour from Santiago.

The public transport system includes buses, trolleybuses and taxis. The trolleybuses are more comfortable than the city buses, but are slower, not as numerous nor is the system as extensive. In 2008, Translink of Vancouver, Canada sold their old trolleybus fleet to Mendoza.

A heritage railway, El Tren del Vino (The Wine Train) is being planned which will also provide local transportation, it will run through wine producing districts of Mendoza.

San Juan, Argentina

San Juan is the capital city of the Argentine province of San Juan in the Cuyo region, located in the Tulúm Valley, west of the San Juan River, at 650 m (2,133 ft) above mean sea level, with a population of around 112,000 as per the 2001 census [INDEC] (over 500,000 in the metropolitan area).

It is a modern city with wide streets and well drawn avenues with wide sidewalks and vegetation of different species of trees irrigated by canals, from which it derives its nickname oasis town.

It has an important accommodation infrastructure and transportation. It highlights modern buildings and the surroundings, the reservoir and Ullum dam, spas, museums, large plantations of vines, and various types of agriculture, with wine being the most important.

The city enjoys a modern transport infrastructure and is accessible via a ring road, and the South Access Freeway, among others. The city's outward growth has made a second ring road necessary, and the project is under construction. The motorway will reduce communting times from Greater San Juan to downtown, and will also facilitate large freight truck traffic (diverting it from the city proper). It also calls for a complementary project for another motorway called South Corridor, connecting downtown San Juan with Rawson and other southern suburbs.

The urban public transport passengers from the City of San Juan consists of bus lines marked with numbers and letters (19 or 26A), linking the city centre with the various neighbourhoods and the rest of the Great San Juan. In December 2010, the minimum cost of the ticket is $ 1.75. The city also has taxi service and remises.

The rapid growth of the city has necessitated new means of transportation, and a feasibility study was recently commissioned on the development of a trolley service between downtown and Greater San Juan. The propode routes would unite Chimbas-San Juan (Center)-Villa Krause and Rivadavia-San Juan (Center)-Santa Lucia, as well as one circulating downtown.

Long distance public transport is provided by the modern Bus Terminal, with more than 6,000 sq metres (64,000 Sq ft) of area in platforms. The terminal also includes administration offices, ticketing, information, a police precinct, a first-aid room, telephone booths, shops, a restaurant, and other facilities.
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Airport is located 15 kilometers from the city in 9 de Julio Department, more precisely in the village of Las Chacritas. It is located at coordinates [display in an interactive map] 31 ° 34'18 .70 "S, 68 ° 25'23 .00" O. IATA Code: UAQ. This airport serves routes from San Juan to Buenos Aires.
The city is situated on National Route 40, connecting it with Mendoza (168 km) to the south and La Rioja (449 km) to the north; National Route 20 connects San Juan to San Luis (323 km to the east). Distances to other important cities are as follows: Córdoba (585 km), Catamarca (623 km) and Buenos Aires (1110 km).

Santa Fe, Argentina

Santa Fe is the capital city of province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It sits in northeastern Argentina, near the junction of the Paraná and Salado rivers. It lies opposite the city of Paraná, to which it is linked by the Hernandarias Subfluvial Tunnel. The city is also connected by canal with the port of Colastiné on the Paraná River. Santa Fe has about 369,000 inhabitants as per the 2001 census [INDEC]. The metropolitan area has a population of 454,238, making it the ninth largest in Argentina.

Santa Fe is linked to Rosario (170 km to the south), the largest city in the province, by the Brigadier Estanislao López Highway and by National Route 11, which continues south towards Buenos Aires.

Santa Fe has a lot of important commercial centres, busy cultural life, interesting options in sports and tourism, numerous artistic and musical events, and an exciting nightlife.

There is an important infrastructure for tourism developed due to the building of highways and a subfluvial tunnel and, together with the beauty of the landscape and the various attractions that tourists can enjoy make them feel pleased to choose this region to spend their holidays. Hunting, fishing, excursions, walks by the river, practising water sports on the River Paraná (18 km away via Nº168 National Road), visiting the Space Observation Centre or the Zoo- Experimental Station of "La Esmeralda" Farm, make the tourist feel amazed and eager to know more about the region.

In a nutshell, Santa Fe offers a complete and varied shade of attractions that make one dive into history when visiting monuments, museums or find oneself in the beautiful parks, rivers and streams surrounded by wild flora and fauna.

Formosa Province

Formosa Province, is in northeastern Argentina, part of the Gran Chaco Region. Its northeast end touches Asunción, Paraguay, and borders the provinces of Chaco and Salta to its south and west, respectively. The capital is Formosa.

Remote and saddled by its inhospitable geography and climate, Formosa's economy has long been one of Argentina's poorest. Its economy in 2006 was estimated at US$2.1 billion, or, US$4,280 per capita. Its economy is the third smallest and second least developed in Argentina yet has shared in Argentina's recovery since 2002 very well.

Poorly industrialized, Formosa's economy is based on cattle and agricultural activities like cotton and fuit cultivation, these mostly centered in the Patino, Pilagás and Pilcomayo departments.

Cattle in Formosa exceed 1.5 million head and ranching has long been the agricultural mainstay of the province. Like elsewhere in Argentina, agriculture has long since been overtaken by other activities and amounts to about 10% of Formosa's output (somewhat more than average).

Cotton cultivation passed from over 100,000 tons at the end of the 1970s to 10,000 at the end of the 1990s because of the drop of the international price, and the fixed exchange rate. After the 2001 crisis production slightly revived to 50,000 tons a year in 2004. More than 70% of area sown with cotton belongs to small family-run farms of less than 10 hectares.

Eight dead, 15,000 evacuated in Argentina, Uruguay

Severe flooding claimed at least eight lives in Argentina and Uruguay, authorities said Thursday.

About 15,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes in the northern portions of both neighbouring South American countries.


In Argentina, two young men drowned in an overflowing river Wednesday, while a child was killed by a mudslide at his home. On Thursday, a rescue worker and another young man were killed when they tried to swim across a swollen river.


Three people drowned in Uruguay.


The Argentine provinces of Chaco, Corrientes and Entre Rios and the Uruguayan provinces of Artigas, Salto and Paysandu on the Brazilian border were the hardest hit.


The heavy rain of recent days followed months of drought in northeastern Argentina. Environmental experts have long warned that deforestation in the country's warmest areas would make the climate more extreme, with more droughts and more flooding.


Forests have been cut in large areas that are now devoted to agriculture, growing mostly soybeans, reducing the soil's water-carrying capacity.

Source:sify.com