Catamarca (province)

See also: Catamarca

The province of Catamarca is located at the North-West of the Argentine. It is surrounded of the provinces of Salta in north, Tucumán and Santiago del Estero in the east, Córdoba in south-east, and Rioja in the south. In the west, it is contiguous with the Chile. Its capital is the town of San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca.

A little history

In the beginning, this territory was populated various Amerindian ethnos groups Diaguita S whose famous Indiens Calchaquí S. In 1558, Juan Pérez de Zurita founded the town of London close to the site of the current city of Belén. It had to be rebuilt in 1607 and 1633, having been shaven by twice by the Indians. The town of San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca was later founded, the July 5th 1683, by certain Fernando de Mendoza there Mate of Luna.

After the declaration of independence of the Argentinian , the July 9th 1816, the territory of the current province is lived limed in civil wars, until it obtains its autonomy the August 25th 1821. It finished its unification in 1853, when the Constitution of the Argentinian Nation was finally adopted.

In 1888 one inaugurated the first railway line, which consolidated the economic stability of the province.

Geography

The province has an increasingly high extremely mountainous relief towards the west at the Chilean border. One can subdivide it in three zones different from the geological point of view:

  • the puna : occupy the north-western portion of the province, at an average altitude of 3.800 Mr. It is dissected by high chains of volcanic origin and north-eastern orientation towards south-west, like that of Calalaste. These chains split Puna in several basins occupied by large salars, like the Salar de Antofalla, and dominated by imposing volcanos, like the Antofalla (6  409 m) or the volcano called Cerro El Cóndor (6  373 m). It should be noted that the Eastern Andean cordillera which borders Puna Argentina since the Bolivian border far in north, curves here towards the west, then passes to the south basins of Puna and melts with the Western cordillera on the level of the Nevado Incahuasi (6  610 m) to form the central cordillera which will be prolonged in the south until in Patagonie.
  • will cordillera It central : occupy the south-west of the province. It presents very high volcanic tops, among highest of the continent, as the Monte Pissis (of 6  882 m), the Nevados Ojos del Salado (of 6  864 m), and the Nevado Very Cruces (of 6  749 m).
  • the Sierras pampéennes : occupy the remainder, i.e. the center and is, of the province. It is a whole of old less low assembly lines which form directed cords North-South and thus isolating from the salars, such that of Pipanaco, or the basins irrigated like that of the town of Catamarca.

Following the example several other provinces of Argentinian, the Volcan ism is very active in province of Catamarca and large the Volcan S is numerous.

See also: Department of Antofagasta of the Sierra

See also: Salina of Laguna Verde

Administrative division

The province is divided into 16 departments, which form 36 municipes. The provincial constitution recognizes the municipal autonomíe.

The 16 departments of the province are:

Population

  • In 1991: 264.234 inhabitants, of which urban population 184.483 and rural 79.751.

  • In 2001: 333.661 inhabitants, of which urban population 247.001 and rural 86.660.

Vegetation

The vegetation corresponds to the desert and the semi-desert, according to the area. In the surroundings of ríos and of the streams, one can observe a change of flora. The province is thus marked out of Oasis.

Water resources

Among the not very many rivers, it is necessary to quote the Río Belén and the Río Andalgalá which feed the Salar de Pipanaco, Río Saladillo, Río Colorado, the Río Santa María important affluent of the Río Salado del Norte, the Río Abaucán and a series of small rivers or streams. The latter bring primarily water coming from the cast iron of the glaciers of mountain.

Still let us announce Río Punilla which created in Puna Andean the oasis of Antofagasta of the Sierra and its beautiful small lake.

Economy

Being given the aridity of the area, the construction of dams and irrigation canals were fundamental. Among the traditional cultures, it there with the Olive whose province is largest producing country, the Vigne, the Tabac, the Noix, the alfalfa and the Maïs. Among the cultures introduced more recently, let us quote the Jojoba, the Prickly peartree and the Figue S. the production of the breeding is reduced, but one finds some establishments dairy of bovines in the central Valle and to Tinogasta. The production of milk of Chèvre exists too. The breeding of the Vicuna and the Ovin S is more traditional. With that is added the production of artisanal products related to the weaving of clothing and Poncho S of quality.

Mining comprises the Or, the Cuivre, the Argent, lithium. A méga-project extremely criticized exists in the area of Andalgalá (gold, money, copper and Molybdène)

See also: Andalgalá

It is also necessary to underline the exploitation of the Gypse and the annual extraction of almost a million tons of calcareous stone. In the west of the province, on the volcanic high plateaus of Puna, the layers the non-ferrous one abound, but one only starts to consider their exploitation. It should be said that to go there, it exists currently neither railroad nor tarred road. Since 1997, one began the exploitation from the Lithium contained in the Salar del Hombre Muerto in the north of the town of Antofagasta of the Sierra.

See also: Salar del Hombre Muerto

Tourism

Tourism is, in the province, an incipient economic activity, with close to 4  000 beds in hotels and other types of lodging.

The town of Catamarca constitutes a tourist center right now good equipped and strong attracting, with its colonial architecture.

The high mountains and the many volcanos and other geological formations should become principal attraction, giving place to tourism of adventure. Ecological tourism profits from the Réserve of biosphere Laguna Blanca strong extent and protecting from the rare species or in danger. The small town of Antofagasta of the Sierra with its lake and its volcano, Balcones del Valle, snow-covered tops of the Sierra of Aconquija, and the collar of the Paso of San Francisco constitute goals of excursion of choice.

Cultural attractions include the towns of San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca and of Andalgalá inter alia, the archaeological park Las Huellas LED INCA (traces of the INCA), the ruins of the INCA city of the Shincal de Quimivil, the prehistoric sites with Pétroglyphe S, the folklore and the local music, as well as the gastronomy and in particular the famous Argentinian wines.

There exists also religious tourism with the pilgrimages with the Virgen del Valle or Vierge of the valley in Catamarca.

Main cities

External bonds

  • detailed Chart of the province of Catamarca

  • administrative Chart of the departments of the province

Beats-smg: Katamarkas provincėjė

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