Catamarca Province
Catamarca is a
province of
Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. The capital is
San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, usually shortened to Catamarca. The province has a population of 334,568 as per the , and covers an area of 102,602
km². Its literacy rate is 95.5%. Neighbouring provinces are (clockwise, from the north):
Salta,
Tucumán,
Santiago del Estero,
Córdoba, and
La Rioja. To the west it borders
Chile.
Before the arrival of the
Spanish conquest, most of today's Catamarca was inhabited by the
Diaguitas indigenous people, including the fierce
Calchaquí tribe. In 1558
Juan Pérez de Zurita founded
San Juan de la Ribera de Londres, but since it was constantly under attack of the indigenous people it was not very populated, it was re-founded, changed its locating, and renamed several times. For its 6th foundation, on
July 5 1683,
Fernando de Mendoza Mate de Luna founded the city of
San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca.
When the
Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata was created in
1776, Catamarca obtained the title of
Subintendencia under the
Salta intendency. In
1821 the province claims its autonomy, and
Nicolás Avellaneda y Tula (grandfather of
Nicolás Avellaneda) is elected as the first governor of the province.
There are two versions of the origin of the name. The
quichua version form words
"cata" ("slope") and
"marca" ("fortress") forming
"Fortress on the slope", and the
aymara version from words
"Catán" ("small") and
"marca" ("town") resulting in
"Small town".
Mining and
cattle are the main activities of the province. The province's livestock includes around 200,000 heads of cattle, 100,000
ovine, and 150,000
goats, with an annual production of 7,000
tonnes of beef, 5 tonnes of sheep meat, and 10 tonnes of pork.
Mining production includes (approximate annual figures) 500
kg of gold, 5 tonnes of silver, 20,000 tonnes of
gypsum, and 750,000 tonnes of
limestone.
The agriculture of the province focuses on wood (
walnut), vineyards, olive, citrics, cotton and tobacco.
Tourism is a surging economy in Catamarca, with more than 3.465 beds in hotels and other types of accommodation. Mountains and geological formation are the main attraction, with sights such as
Antofagasta de la Sierra, Balcones del Valle, the Snow-Covered Summits of Aconquija, and the Pass of San Francisco. Cultural attractions include the city of Catamarca, the archaeological park
Las Huellas del Inca, prehistoric
petroglyphs, local music, handcrafts and wines.
The province is divided into sixteen
departments (
Spanish:
departamentos).
Department (Capital)
#
Ambato (
La Puerta)# Ancasti (
Ancasti)# Andalgalá (
Andalgalá)# Antofagasta de la Sierra (
Antofagasta de la Sierra)#
Belén Department (
Belén)# Capayán (
Chumbicha)# Capital (
San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca)#
El Alto Department (
El Alto)# Fray Mamerto Esquiú (
San José, Catamarca)#
La Paz Department, Catamarca (
San Antonio)# Paclín (
La Merced)# Pomán (
Pomán)#
Santa María (
Santa María)#
Santa Rosa (Bañado de Ovanta)# Tinogasta (
Tinogasta)#
Valle Viejo (
San Isidro)
*
Official site (Spanish)
*
History (Spanish)
*
CatamarcaWeb Portal*
Guide to Catamarca (Spanish)
*
Hospital Interzonal de Niños Eva Peron (Spanish)
Highest point: Nevada Ojos del Salado (Salt Springs Peak) 6908 m?Transport: Major highways include Ruta 33 from Catamarca 98 km south to San Martin, 38 from Catamarca north via San Pedro 228 km to Tucuman, 60 north-west from Cordoba province 577 km from La Guardia north-west (partly through La Rioja) to Chile by the Passa de San Francisco (4722 m), 64 west from Santiago del Estero to join 38 and 157 north from La Guardia 103 km to Frias where it connects with 89 west from Villa San Martin (Santiago del Estero), and north to Tucuman province at San Pedro, connecting with 64 near Las Cañas. There is an airport at Catamarca.
