Carmen de Patagones

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Coordinates: 40°47′S 62°58′W / -40.783, -62.967
Carmen de Patagones
Carmen de Patagones Location in Argentina
Carmen de Patagones Location in Buenos Aires Province
Country	Argentina
Province	Buenos Aires
Partido	Patagones
Founded	1779
Elevation	15 m (49 ft)
Population (2001 census [INDEC])
- Total	18,189
CPA Base	B 8504
Area code(s)	+54 2920

Carmen de Patagones is the southernmost city in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

[edit] Geography

It is located 937 km from the city of Buenos Aires, on the north bank of the Negro River, near the Atlantic Ocean, opposite Viedma, capital of the province of Río Negro. The city is the capital of the Patagones Partido, the only administrative division of Buenos Aires Province that lies within Patagonia.

[edit] History

In the 19th century, Carmen de Patagones had a fort, and after the May Revolution, it became a prison for royalists (Spaniards and pro-Spanish locals against the independentist movement).

Later, during the Argentina-Brazil War (1825–1828), the town became a naval base, since the main Argentine safe harbour, the estuary of the Río de la Plata, had been blocked by Brazilian ships. The Brazilian troops attempted to take Carmen de Patagones, but they were repelled by the civilians on 7 March 1827; this date is still commemorated with a festival in the city.