San Luis Province
| San Luis | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Province | |||
| |||
.svg.png) | |||
| Country | Argentina | ||
| Capital | San Luis | ||
| Divisions | 9 departments | ||
| Government | |||
| • Governor | Claudio Poggi | ||
| • Senators | Liliana Negre de Alonso, Adolfo Rodríguez Saá, Daniel Pérsico | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 76,748 km2 (29,633 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2010[1]) | |||
| • Total | 432,310 | ||
| • Rank | 19th | ||
| • Density | 5.6/km2 (15/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym | Puntano | ||
| Time zone | ART (UTC−3) | ||
| ISO 3166 code | AR-D | ||
| Website |
sanluis | ||
San Luis (Spanish pronunciation: [san ˈlwis]) is a province of Argentina located near the geographical center of the country (on the 32° South parallel). Neighboring provinces are, from the north clockwise, La Rioja, Córdoba, La Pampa, Mendoza and San Juan.
History
The present area of the San Luis Province was inhabited by different aboriginal tribes: Michilingües, Calchaquíes, Ranqueles, Puelches, and Pehuenches.
The city of San Luis was founded in 1594 by Luis Jufré de Loaysa y Meneses, but was subsequently abandoned. It was refounded by Martín García Óñez de Loyola in 1596 under the name San Luis de Loyola.[2]
Shortly after the creation of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata in 1776, the province was taken under the intendency of Córdoba and, in 1813, to the intendency of Cuyo. The province declared its autonomy in March 1820. Its first elected governor, Justo Daract, spurred modernization during his term in office from 1854 to 1859, and enacted the province's constitution in 1855.
The railway system reached San Luis in the year 1875, which led to the founding of small towns on its path, such as Villa Mercedes and Santa Rosa.
Politics in San Luis have long been influenced by the descendants of the noted mid-19th century advocate for San Luis's integration into the rest of Argentina, Juan Saá. Since the return of Argentina to democratic rule in 1983, in particular, the Rodríguez Saá family (of Peronist affiliation) has occupied the governor's seat. This situation is, as in many smaller provinces in Argentina (and, indeed, elsewhere), partly explained by the customary use of a combination of nepotism, propaganda and generous social welfare legislation. This includes substantial allegations of illegal pressure, including the violent 1991 harassment of a local journalist and his neighbors.[3] Since 1983, however, Governor (now Senator) Adolfo Rodríguez Saá has also overseen record investment by light manufacturers (mostly food-processors and bottling plants) and advances like the construction of Argentina's most extensive expressway network.[4]
During the last week of 2001, Adolfo Rodríguez Saá was interim president of Argentina for 7 days, unsuccessfully presiding over the social instability inherited from the December 2001. His brief turn at the presidency is memorable for his having declared a cease in payments on US$93 billion of Argentina's public foreign debt, making it (then) the largest sovereign financial default in world history. Rodríguez Saá was succeeded by his brother, Alberto Rodríguez Saá, who continued investments in the province's infrastructure. Giving the latter a majority during his 2007 and 2011 bids for the presidency, San Luis became the only province President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner did not win during the 2011 presidential election.
Geography and climate
The province has low sierras in the north along the Dry Pampas, and another such system on the west with the Guayaguas, Cantanal, Quijadas and Alto Pencoso Sierras, typical of the Cuyo region.
On the central and southern part of the province predominate flatlands, and the Pampa de las Salinas great salt lake at the centre depression.
Even though the weather of the province is temperate-arid, there are numerous areas with milder microclimates, such as Villa de Merlo, where the land is fertile and the air less dry as the eastern slope retains the humidity of the Atlantic Ocean.
Generally speaking, the southeast of the province around Villa Mercedes is the most suited for agriculture, with a temperate Pampas climate that brings hot summers (highs of 30°C or 86F, lows of 16°C or 61F) with frequent thunderstorms, and extremely dry winters with a large thermal amplitude (highs are 17°C, or 63F, and average lows are 1°C, or 34F). Temperatures have reached values below -14°C (7F) and snow falls sporadically, but in small quantities. Precipitation is about 700 mm (27 in) in the wettest spots and drought is possible. The southern end of the province is markedly dryer, and rainfall is unpredictable, falling often in the form of severe thunderstorms with hail. Rainfall ranges from 350 mm to 550 mm (14 in to 21 in). The northwest has significantly hotter summer days because of intense solar radiation, with average highs of 33°C (91F) or more. A special micro-climate exists around the sierras, with mild summer days with very comfortable nights (28°C during the day, 14°C at night, or 82F and 57F), and very sunny winters with highs around 15°C (59F) and lows around 3°C (37F). At higher elevations, snow falls frequently but usually in small quantities due to the winter drought. In the rest of the province, snow falls only on occasion.
The main rivers of the provinces are the Conlara and Quinto, and the border rivers of Desaguadero River and Salado River.
Economy
San Luis' economy has, over the past generation, been among the most improved in Argentina. Its 2006 output, estimated at US$3.4 billion, yielded a per capita income of US$9,200 (somewhat above the national average).[5]
Manufacturing contributes nearly half of San Luis' output, a higher proportion than in any other Argentine province. Of the industries installed in San Luis after the tax reform, mainly in the city of San Luis and in Villa Mercedes, it is worth mentioning the production of home appliances, textiles, ceramics, plastics, and paper/cardboard articles.
Mining is concentrated on construction materials such as limestone and marble, but also extracted are tungsten, uranium and salt.
World Chess Championship
The FIDE World Chess Championship 2005 took place in the Hotel Potrero de los Funes from 27 September to 16 October 2005.
Political division
The province is divided into nine departments (departamentos).
%2C_departments_and_capital.png)
| Department | Capital |
|---|---|
| Ayacucho | San Francisco del Monte de Oro |
| Belgrano | Villa General Roca |
| La Capital | San Luis |
| Chacabuco | Concarán |
| Coronel Pringles | La Toma |
| General Pedernera | Villa Mercedes |
| Gobernador Dupuy | Buena Esperanza |
| Junín | Santa Rosa |
| Libertador General San Martín | Libertador General San Martín |
Source for department names:[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Argentina: San Luis". City Population. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ↑ "PROVINCIA DE SAN LUIS" (in Spanish). El Vigía. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
- ↑ Noticias. 6 September 1991.
- ↑ Grupo Payne
- ↑ I.A.D.E.R
External links
- Provincia de San Luis - Official website (in Spanish)
- Argentour: San Luis Province
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Landscape near Merlo.
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Expressway south of the city of San Luis. The province's highway network is among the most developed in Argentina.
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Lake Potrero de los Funes
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Canyon in the Sierra de las Quijadas.
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