Tucumán is the smallest province of the Argentine. Located at the North-West of the country and limited to north by the province of Salta, to the east by Santiago del Estero and to the west by Catamarca.

  • Capital: San Miguel de Tucumán

  • Surface: 22.524 km ²
  • Population: 1.338.523 (Census of 2001)
  • Population density: 59,4 hab/km ²
  • Rate of illiteracy: 5,2% (in 1995)

History

Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the Indian people Diaguita S and Calchaquí S lived on this territory and had reached a level of development raised in Agriculture, Poterie and Textile. Diego de Almagro came in 1533 to explore the areas of the Quebrada de Humahuaca and the Calchaquíes Valleys. The province was created in 1564 and was named “ Province of Tucumán, Juríes and Diaguitas ” and was controlled at this time by Francisco de Aguirre . With the creation of the government in 1566 and évêché in 1570, the area started to take importance.

Juríes or Xuríes was the transcription which Spanish made of the word quechua surí , which in this language means Nandou, scorning expression that the quechuas gave the people Lule and Toconoté during their invasion of the area. Lules lived the major part of the current province of Tucumán, while Toconotés were located at the west of the province of Santiago del Estero.
Until 1814, the word Tucumán or El Tucumán was given by Spanish to a wide territory which included/understood north in the south the territories and the current provinces of Tarija, Jujuy, Salta, Catamarca, the current province of Tucumán, Santiago del Estero, Rioja, San Juan, Córdoba, San Luis and Mendoza.

Did everything part of the Vice-royauté of Río of Plata starting from 1776. In the viceroyalty, this great area was divided into two intendances: that of Salta del Tucumán which included Salta, Tarija, Jujuy, current Tucumán, Catamarca and Santiago del Estero. And that of Córdoba del Tucumán which included Córdoba, San Luis, Mendoza, San Juan, Rioja and some small Western sectors of the current province of Santa Fe.

The province gave its support to Manuel Belgrano in 1812.

Administrative division

The province is divided into 17 departments. The provincial Constitution was sanctioned in 1990.

  1. Burruyacú (Burruyacú)
  2. Capital (San Miguel de Tucumán)
  3. Chicligasta (Concepción)
  4. Cruz Alta (Bandaged del Río Salí)
  5. Famaillá (Famaillá)
  6. Graneros (Graneros)
  7. Juan Bautista Alberdi (Juan Bautista Alberdi)
  8. Notched It (Notched It)
  9. Leales (Bella Vista)
  10. Lules (Lules)
  11. Monteros (Monteros)
  12. Río Chico ( Aguilares)
  13. Simoca (Simoca)
  14. Tafí del Valle (Tafí del Valle)
  15. Tafí Viejo (Tafí Viejo)
  16. Trancas (Trancas)
  17. Yerba Buena (Yerba Buena)

Geography

Tucuman is the smallest province of Argentina and is divided into two areas:

  1. In the east, of the plains which form part of the area of Chaco (not to be confused with the province of the same name).
  2. In the west, part of the assembly line of the Pampa. In these mountains, one finds the Valleys “Calchaquíes”.
The highest peaks of the province are the Mount “del Bolsón” which culminates with 5.550 meters and the Mount of the two Lagoons (or Mount of the Condors) to 5.450 meters.

Climate and vegetation

The mountainous cords retain and make rise the wet winds coming from the Atlantic. The condensation which is followed from there in this zone causes rains with accumulations of more than 1.000 mm per year on the Eastern sides. These abundant precipitations give rise to a zone of luxuriant vegetation which gave to the province of Tucumán the nickname of “Garden of the Republic”.

This zone of abundant vegetation is a nimboselve (forest with clouds) which belongs to the " Selva Tucumanotarijeña" " (forest of Tucumán with Tarija in Bolivia) or area of the Yungas Southerners.

In the province of Tucumán this phytogeographical formation spreads out in stages of altitude. The stages low are made of hot and subtropical rain forest including/understanding a great quantity of species: among the trees, let us quote the Tipa , tarco or Jacaranda, Cebil , soft, Horco , Celtis Catholic student, chorisia or '' yuchán '', Guayacán , Caspi, erythrina crista-galli or '' ceibo '', geoffroea decorticans or '' chañar '', tabebuia or '' lapacho '', Laurier, arborescent Fougère S etc

Among the abundant floral shrubby species which gave place so that the province is called El Jardín of República , it is necessary to mention Jasmin S, Chèvrefeuille S, estrellas federal , will passiflora or '' pasionarias '', tacos of reina , Orchidée S, campanillas , malvones etc.

In the intermediate stages, at altitudes which go from 1  000 with close to 4  000 meters, one meets fresh wood of altitude, among which prevail wood autochtones of alders or '' aliso '', of pines '' pino LED cerro '' and of walnut trees.

Beyond the 3  500 with 4  000 m one find meadows cold of mountains, then the eternal snow.

Water resources

The Valleys “Calchaquíes” are traversed by the río Santa María. In south-east the lake of reserve of Río Hondo is. More in north the tanks of “El Cadillal are found”, on the río Dulce or río Salí, of “Angostura”, on the río of los Sosa and the reserve of Escaba almost to the sources of the río Marapa.

For its part the nimbosilva (forest with clouds), of the Eastern mountainous slopes, is a fundamental hydrous tank, because the dense vegetation of which they are covered acts as a sponge which maintains fixed and condensed the humidity of the clouds or layers quasi constant of clouds called baritú . We are here in full field of the Yungas Southerners.

Eternal snow heights higher than 3  500  m exerts also a very important function of fresh water tank of montagne.
Practically the totality of rainwater resulting on the Eastern side of the tops Calchaquí S and the Sierra del Aconquija bring their water to the río Dulce or río Salí, one of the two more important rivers of the Argentinian North-western or NOA. This river is indeed the axis structuring of the province of Tucumán since old times. In extreme cases between the provinces of Tucumán and Santiago del Estero is the rather wide storage reservoir of Río Hondo which contains water that the río Salí and its abundant principal affluents bring to him, like Gastona, Marapa, Río Chico, San Francisco, Mixta, etc

Economy

The base of the provincial economy is the Agriculture: cane with sugar, culture of Citron, strawberry S, kiwi, beans dry, fresh beans, Piment S, and French beans (chauchas). There are also cultures of Maïs, Sorgho, Luzerne and Soja. Since years 95, one sees bilberry plantations more and more there (arandanos).

Cattle: the breeding prevalent of creole races of bovines, sheep and caprine is intended for local consumption.

Processing industries: sugar factories, of metals, textiles and paper.

Mining industries: exploitation with small scales of salt, Mica, Clay, mud, Gypsum, chalk and rock.

Culture

The National university of Tucuman is one of the most famous houses of higher education of Argentina and account more than 55.000 students. It is divided into twelve faculties, dependant schools and institutes. The National Technological University (anc. Working university) has a regional faculty in province (FRT).

Tourism

  • National park “Campo of los Alisos”

  • Tank “Cadillal”
  • Ruins Jesuits
  • Ruins of Quilmes
  • Menhirs of El Mollar
  • Valley of Tafí and Tafí del Valle
  • Quebrada de Los Sosa
  • Assembly line of Aconquija
  • Amaicha del Valle
  • Siambón
  • San Pedro de Colalao

See also: Tafí del Valle

Principal cities

Other cities

External bonds

  • Chart of the province of Tucuman

  • Diaporama of the province of Tucuman

Beats-smg: Tukumana provincėjė Simple: Tucumán Province

Random links:Gladiolus murielae | Moyenneville (Pas-de-Calais) | Sporting Clube of Portugal | Chaudeyrolles | Claude Javeau

© 2007-2008 speedlook.com; article text available under the terms of GFDL, from fr.wikipedia.org