| Salta | |||
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| — City — | |||
| (From top to bottom; from left to right) View of the city from top of San Bernardo Hill; Colonial Cabildo; Cathedral of Salta; Ninth of July Plaza and the Victoria Theatre. | |||
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Salta
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Argentina | ||
| Province | Salta | ||
| Department | Capital | ||
| Elevation | 1,152 m (3,780 ft) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • City | 535,060 | ||
| • Metro | 619,000 | ||
| Demonym | salteño | ||
| Time zone | ART (UTC−3) | ||
| CPA base | A4400 | ||
| Dialing code | +54 387 | ||
Salta is a city in northwestern Argentina and the capital city of the Salta Province. Along with its metropolitan area, it has a population of 464,678 inhabitants as of the 2001 census [INDEC], making it Argentina's eighth largest city.
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It is situated in the Lerma Valley, 1,152 meters (3780 feet) above sea level, at the foothills of the Andes mountains.
The weather is warm and dry, with annual averages of 756 mm of rainfall and an average temperature of 16.4 °C (20.4 °C in summer, 10.8 °C in winter). January and February are the months with greatest rainfall. During the spring, Salta is occasionally plagued by severe, week long dust storms.
Nicknamed Salta la Linda ("Salta the Fair"), it has become a major tourist destination due to its old, colonial architecture and the natural scenery of the valleys westward. Attractions in the city proper include the 18th century Cabildo, the neo-classical style Cathedral, and the July 9 central square. The city's museums exhibit a wide range of artifacts and art work from the native civilizations that flourished in the area (Salta is located in the Southernmost region of what was the Inca empire, belonging to the Collasuyu, one of the four areas the empire was divided until the Spanish conquest), as well as from the 16th century Spanish conquest and the colonial and post-colonial periods. Salta is also the starting point of the "Train to the Clouds" (Tren a las nubes), and on the way to red-soiled Cafayate, as well as to other nearby tourist destinations.
The Martín Miguel de Güemes Airport, 6 kilometres southeast of the city, has regular flights to Buenos Aires, Tucumán, Jujuy, Córdoba, Iguazu, Rio de Janeiro and Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia).
Salta was founded on April 16, 1582 by the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Lerma, who intended the settlement to be an outpost between Lima, Peru and Buenos Aires.
During the war of independence, the city became a commercial and military strategic point between Perú and the Argentine cities. Between 1816 and 1821, the city was led by local military leader General Martín Miguel de Güemes, who under the command of General José de San Martín, defended the city and surrounding area from Spanish forces coming from further north.
Salta emerged from the War of Independence politically in disarray and financially bankrupt, a condition that lingered throughout much of the 19th century. However, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the arrival of Italian, Spanish and Arab immigrants, particularly Syrians and Lebanese, revived trade and agriculture all over the area while further enhancing the city's multicultural flavor.
In 2008, a small town called "General Gumes" gained attetion from the media and parnormal investigation when sightings of "gnomes" were made. A gnome stalking the streets was caught on video by a group of terrfired youths.
The climate in Salta is highland subtropical (Cwb, according to the Köppen climate classification), and it is famous in Argentina for having a very pleasant weather. Located in the subtropical north, but at an altitude of 1,200 metres, Salta enjoys 4 distinct seasons: summers are warm with frequent thunderstorms, with daytime highs around 26ºC to 28ºC (79F to 82F) and pleasant, refreshing nights around 15ºC or 16ºC (59F to 61F). Fall brings dry weather, pleasant days at around 22ºC (71F) and cool nights at around 10ºC (50F). By winter, the dryness is extreme, with very few rain episodes. Nights are quite cold at 3ºC (37F) on average, but daytime heating allows for high temperatures of 19ºC (66F). Snow is rare but not unprecedented, and frost is quite common, with temperatures reaching down to -7ºC (19F) during the coldest nights. Spring brings sunny weather with warm days and cool nights: days range from 25ºC to 28ºC (77F to 82F) with nights between 10ºC and 14ºC (50F to 57F), and the first thunderstorms make the landscape become lush once again.
Of the over 800 mm of rain that Salta receives yearly, over 80% falls between December and March, when thunderstorms occur almost daily. During the rest of the year, blue skies dominate the region.
| Climate data for Salta, Argentina | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 27.4 (81.3) |
26.1 (79.0) |
24.8 (76.6) |
22.6 (72.7) |
21 (70) |
19.1 (66.4) |
20.2 (68.4) |
22.3 (72.1) |
23.5 (74.3) |
26.4 (79.5) |
27.4 (81.3) |
27.8 (82.0) |
24.05 (75.29) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 16.1 (61.0) |
15.6 (60.1) |
14.7 (58.5) |
11.6 (52.9) |
7.7 (45.9) |
3.8 (38.8) |
2.9 (37.2) |
4.5 (40.1) |
7.4 (45.3) |
11.3 (52.3) |
13.9 (57.0) |
15.5 (59.9) |
10.42 (50.75) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 182 (7.17) |
162.9 (6.413) |
118.3 (4.657) |
36.6 (1.441) |
8.6 (0.339) |
2.6 (0.102) |
3.5 (0.138) |
4.2 (0.165) |
6.6 (0.26) |
26.1 (1.028) |
65.3 (2.571) |
138 (5.43) |
754.7 (29.713) |
| Source: Climate Charts.[1] | |||||||||||||
The city center features a number of impressive buildings dating back to the 18th and 19th and early 20th centuries. Clockwise around the Ninth of July Square are the neoclassical Cathedral, the French style Museum of Contemporary Art, the Cabildo (in former times, the city's town hall, nowadays a historical museum) and the neoclassical Museum of High Mountain Archeology, which houses artifacts from the Inca civilization, including the magnifically preserved mummies of three Inca children. The Plaza is almost completely surrounded by a gallery, and its beauty inspired a Chivas Regal TV ad, aired in 2004.[2]
Within walking distance of the 9th July Square are the impressive Saint Francis Church and the city's three pedestrian streets: Alberdi, Florida and "Caseros". The three blocks in Balcarce street closest to the train station are now the center of night life in Salta, with restaurants, pubs and cafés on both sidewalks and concerts every night.
Rising imposingly in the east is San Bernardo Hill. Its summit, from which visitors can get an awe-inspiring view of the city and the entire valley, can be reached by car, cable car or stairway.
Salta is probably the most Spanish city in Argentina by physical appearance: so much so that tourists visiting from Spain often find a strong resemblance between Salta and Andalucian cities. The local culture, however, is a blend of Spanish and gaucho (mestizo, criollo, both indigenous and non indigenous) traditions, lending the city a distinctive identity, somewhat different from the more Europeanlike metropolises to the south.
The city boasts three theaters, several museums (one of which exhibits the perfectly preserved bodies of c.500 year old inca children sacrificed in the Andes to Inca gods[3]), and a busy calendar of art exhibitions, shows, music festivals, and other cultural events.
One of the main activities in Salta is the April Culture Festival, which lasts the entire month and offers a wide variety of activities such as cultural performances, a handcraft exposition, and live orchestral performances.
Salta residents, as most Argentines, are very enthusiastic about soccer. The most important local clubs are Juventud Antoniana, Gimnasia y Tiro de Salta, and Central Norte; many faithful fans follow each. Juventud Antoniana and Central Norte currently play in the third national division, while Gimnasia y Tiro plays in the fourth.
Other locally popular sports include baseball (a game in which Salta players excel nationally), basketball, volleyball, rugby, and mountaineering.
The main sporting venue in Salta is the Padre Ernesto Martearena Stadium; the Gimnasia y Tiro and Juventud Antoniana stadiums also see many athletic matches. The largest roofed facility in the city is the Ciudad de Salta Stadium, chiefly used for basketball, volleyball, and boxing.
Over the last twenty years, Salta has played host to such high-profile international sporting events as the 1990 Basketball World Cup, the 1994 Camel Trophy, the 2002 Volleyball World Cup, and the 2009 Hockey Champions Challenge. The Argentina national rugby union team, the "Pumas", have played in Salta against the Italian (2005)[4] and English (2009)[5] Top football clubs, including Boca Juniors, River Plate and Racing, have played friendly games in Salta in summer, off-season matches.
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