Tucumán

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Cities and towns
in Argentina
San Miguel de Tucumán
Province Tucumán
Department Capital
Location 26°49′ S 65°13′ W
Elevation 450 m AMSL
Area 90 km²
Population 525,853
Demonym tucumano
CPA base T4000
Phone code +54 381
Mayor Domingo Amaya
Party Justicialist Party

San Miguel de Tucumán (usually referred to as simply Tucumán) is the largest city in northern Argentina, with a population of 525,853 per the 2001 census [INDEC]. The metropolitan area totals 806,000, making it the fifth-largest in the country. It is the capital of the province of Tucumán. It was founded in 1565 by Spanish Diego de Villarroel travelling south from Peru and was moved to the present site in 1685.

The city is bordered on the north by Las Talitas (Tafí Viejo), on the east by Banda del Río Salí and Alderetes (Cruz Alta), on the west by the city of Yerba Buena, and on the south by Lules.

The city sits on the slopes of the Aconquija mountains, the easternmost mountain range before the large Chaco-Pampean flats. It is the commercial center of an irrigated area that produces large quantities of sugarcane, rice, tobacco, and fruit, and provides the province with its nickname, the Garden of the Republic. The National University of Tucumán (1914) and the Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North (1965) are in the city.

On July 9, 1816 a congress gathered in Tucumán declared the independence from Spain, which did not officially recognize it until 1862. The meeting place of the congress, the House of Tucumán, has been reconstructed as a national monument.

Contents

[edit] Tourist attractions

Government house
Government house
  • Independence Square
  • Government House
  • Cathedral
  • San Francisco Basilica
  • Federación Económica Building
  • Padilla House
  • Independence House
  • La Merced Church
  • Museum of Sacred Art
  • Timoteo Navarro Museum
  • President Avellaneda's House
  • Museum of Northern Folklore
  • 9 de Julio Park

[edit] Cultural Life and Education

Night view of the metropolitan area
Night view of the metropolitan area
The Cathedral at Sunset
The Cathedral at Sunset
Tucumán: Colonial-Style door
Tucumán: Colonial-Style door
Tucumán: La Merced Church
Tucumán: La Merced Church
Tucumán: 9 de Julio Park
Tucumán: 9 de Julio Park

For decades, San Miguel de Tucumán has been one of the most outstanding cultural spots in the country, in part, due to the influence of the prestigious National University of Tucumán. It has been the birthplace and/or the home of well-known personalities such as folk singer Mercedes Sosa, writer Tomas Eloy Martínez, musician Miguel Ángel Estrella, botanist Miguel Lillo, painter Luis Lobo de la Vega, and many others.

Two large theaters (San Martín and Alberdi) and several smaller and independent theaters offer a wide array of events, including plays, concerts, operas, and ballet, all year round. The Septiembre Musical is by far the most important cultural event during the year. This music festival, generally held at the Independencia Square, brings together several local and national artists who perform different musical styles ranging from folk music to rock.

There are two public universities in the city, the National University of Tucumán and the National Technological University, and a private one, the Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North.

[edit] Transportation

The city is served by several bus lines that have routes within the city limits and some others that connect it to the neighboring cities of Yerba Buena, El Manantial, Tafi Viejo, Las Talitas, Banda del Rio Salí and Alderetes.

The Benjamín Matienzo International Airport is the city's airport (though located 12 km east of the city, in the neighboring department of Cruz Alta) serving over 300,000 passengers a year. There are daily flights to Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Santiago del Estero.

There is a weekly railway service to the Retiro station in Buenos Aires departing from the Bartolomé Mitre station located near downtown.

San Miguel de Tucumán boasts one of the largest bus stations in Argentina. The 30,000 m² "Terminal del Tucumán" (opened in 1994) is the point from where hundreds of bus services arrive from and depart to almost all of the largest and mid-size cities throughout the country.

[edit] Media

San Miguel de Tucumán is home to two free-to-air television stations (Channel 8 and Channel 10), five newspapers (La Gaceta, El Siglo, El Periódico, El Tribuno and La Ciudad), three cable television companies (CCC, ATS, and TCC) and several radio stations.

[edit] Natives of Tucumán

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 26°49′S, 65°13′W

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