Neuquén

Territory

The province of Neuquén is located in the North-western end of the Patagonie Argentina, on a surface of 94.378 km ². It is the smallest province of the southern areas of the country. Its geography is damaged on the imposing Andes cordillera.

History

The primitive inhabitants were grouped in three ethnos groups, the Pehuenche S, of the family Huarpes, the Tehuelche S and the Mapuches. It was a territory of unexplored Patagonie for a long time because Europeans were interested only in the coasts of these areas. In second half of the XVIIe century the father Diego Rosales traversed banks of the Lac Nahuel Huapi and arrived to the Lanín volcano. In 1670 the father Jesuit Mascardi founded the reduction of Nuestra Señora de Nahuel Huapi . Quelelques fruits introduced by the missionaries thrived so that at the end of XVIIIe century and during the major part of the XIXe century the basin of the Río Limay was known like the country of the Apples .

The toponym " Neuquén" comes from the Mapudungun. In this language the word Nehuenken refers to the river Río Neuquén and means " torrentueux".

In 1879, was held sad the Conquête of the Desert directed by Julio Argentino Roca. The natives who populated the province were 60.000 surroundings. Roca broke their resistance. In 1884 law 1.532 restructured the space of Patagonie and gave to the territory of Neuquén its current limits. The first capital, provisional was Ñorquín. Then, between 1885 and 1888 it was Campana Mahuida (current Loncopué). At the end of 1888 seat emigrated in Chos Malal, for finally being transferred to Confluencia , name original of the current town of Neuquén in 1904.

Climate and Flora

In general, the climate of Neuquén is of continental type, fresh, with one moderate season the summer. The Biome of the major part of the east of the province is the semi-desert, although the valleys of the principal rivers offer very fertile zones (dedicated to the culture: apples, vines, etc). The Andean Western sector of the province contrasts extremely with the Eastern sector: a longitudinal fringe, bordering on the tops of the Andes cordillera is covered with a very wet cold forest antiboréale; it is cold the forest known as " Valdivienne" name of the area of Valdivia in Chile: let us note before all the trees with perennial sheets - especially conifers like the pehuén (or Araucaria araucana , emblem of the province), the lipain or " cypress of the cordillère" and the lahuán or Fitzroya or " cypress of Patagonie". One can thus distinguish, in the province, four climatic areas which determine different landscapes:

Cold and wet of the Andes Patagoniques
Semi-arid of cordillera
Cold nival
Arid of steppe

Principal cities

Geography

Principal mountainous tops:

  • Cerro Saihueque (2.193  meters)
  • Cerro Quimtriqueu (1.574  m)
  • Viola Mahuida (2.052  m)
  • Peak Traful (2.040  m)
  • Cerro Chapelco (2.394  m)
  • Cerro Azul (2.437  m)
  • Cerro Colorado (1.778  m)
  • Cerro Aseret (2.108  m)
  • Volcán Huanquihue (2.260  m)
  • Cerro Los Ángeles (2.098  m)
  • Cerro Curruhué (2.130  m)
  • Volcano Lanín (3.776  m)
  • Volcano Tromen (4.114  m)
  • Volcano Domuyo (4.709  m)

Water resources

In the southern zone of the Andes are transverse lakes, old glaciers.

The principal catchment area of the province is that of the río Negro, with its affluents the Río Limay and the Río Neuquén. Its medium flow is about 1.000 cubic meters a second.

The other important basin is that of the río Colorado, whose medium flow is about 150 cubic meters a second.

All the rivers of Neuquén have a mode with double rising, spring and in summer, because of the cast iron of snows and the rains.

Subdivisions

In 1915, the territory was divided into 16 departments, while meeting purely administrative and territorial needs. In their turn the departments are divided into municipes.

For a complete listing of the municipes to see the List of the municipes of Neuquén.

Economy

The principal productive activity is the exploitation of hydrocarbons. The basin of the Neuquén, which is divided with the provinces of Río Negro, the Pampa and Mendoza, is the most important zone, as well oil as gas-bearing of Argentina. The province produces moreover 52% of the hydroelectric production of the country with the power stations of Piedra del Águila, Pichi Picún, El Chocón, Planicie Banderita, Alicurá and Cerros Colorados.

Agriculture is another flourishing sector and especially the fruticulture, with important productions of Pomme S, Poire S, fishing S, Reine-claude S and Cerise S, especially in the zone of the high valley of Río Negro.

But the activity in maximum growth these last years is tourism, especially in the area of the Andes cordillera and that as much in summer period that winter. One built international tourist centres, like San Martín de Los the Andes and Villa Angostura, of great centers of ski (Chapelco, Cerro Bayo and Caviahue), like two parks of snow (Cerro Wayle and Cerro Batéa Mahuida this last, with Villa Pehuenia in the Département of Aluminated, being managed by an Amerindian community near to the Mapuches, the Puel S).

Tourism

Like the other provinces of Patagonie Argentina, the tourist potential is enormous and develops quickly. It is based especially on the presence of the Andes cordillera, equipped with many lakes, of multiple sumptuous forest and volcano, rivers.

It should be stressed that the many lakes and rivers of the province make a true paradise for fishermen of them, including/understanding several centers of sporting fishing of international repute. One can fish there trouts fario of more than five kilos.

Principal tourist attractions of the province are:

With what the principal lakes are added:

References

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