Paraná, Argentina
Paraná is the capital city of the
Argentine province of
Entre Ríos, located on the eastern shore of the
Paraná River, opposite the city of
Santa Fe, capital of the neighbouring
Santa Fe Province. The city has a population of 237,968 ().
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View of the cathedral from Primero de Mayo Square |
Paraná is not only the head of the provincial government, but also an important
river port for the
transshipment of
cereals,
cattle,
fish, and
lumber from the surrounding region. The principal industries installed are the manufacture of
cement, furniture, and
ceramics.
The centre of the city gathers colonial churches,
European styles such as that of the
3 de Febrero Theatre or the Government House, the mixed styles of the city's Cathedral, and modern towers like those near the
Parque Urquiza park.
The city is connected to the city of
Santa Fe on the other side of the
Entre Ríos by the
Hernandarias Subfluvial Tunnel finished in 1969.The
General Justo José de Urquiza Airport (
IATA PRA) at coordinates is 7.5 kilometres from the city, and services regular flights to
Buenos Aires.
During the 16th century, inhabitants of the city of
Santa Fe settled also at the other side of the
Paraná River. Known as
de la otra Banda del Paraná ("from the other side of the Paraná") and
Baxada del Paraná ("Ford of the Paraná"), the settlement was never had an official foundation, and it slowly grew as a satellite town of Santa Fe.
On
October 23 1730 the local chapel was granted by the clerical authorities in
Buenos Aires the status of
parish church; that date was adopted as the beginning of the official history of the town.
In 1813 it achieved status of village, and in 1822 it was named capital of the territory of the present province. Between 1854 and 1861 it was the capital of the
Confederación Argentina ("
Argentine Confederation") during the rule of the local
caudillo Justo José de Urquiza, that gave the city a rapid growth. In 1883 it regained its title of capital of the province.
In
1994 Paraná hosted the
Convención Reformadora de la Constitución Nacional Argentina ("Convention for the reform of the
National Constitution").
*
Official website (Spanish)
*
Paraná City Portal (Spanish)
*
Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos (Spanish)
