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| Capital | Santiago del Estero |
| Area | 136,351 km² |
| Population | 804,457 (2001) |
| Density | 5.9/km² |
| Governor | Dr. Gerardo Zamora |
| Demonym | Santiagueño |
| ISO 3166-2 | AR-G |
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Santiago del Estero is a province of Argentina, located in the north of the country. Neighbouring provinces are from the north clockwise Salta, Chaco, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Catamarca and Tucumán.
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History
The autochthonous inhabitants of these lands were the Juríes-Tonocotés, Sanavirones and other tribes. Intriguingly, Santiago del Estero is still home to about 100,000 speakers of the local variety of Quechua, making this the southernmost outpost of the language of the Incas. Quite when the language reached the area, and how, remains unclear, however - it may even have arrived only with the native troops that accompanied the first Spanish expeditions. Diego de Rojas first reached this lands in 1542. Francisco de Aguirre founded the city of Santiago del Estero in 1553 as the most northerly city founded by Spanish conquistadores coming from the Pacific Ocean. Santiago then belonged to different governments, passing from the intendency of Tucumán to the Audiencia de Charcas, then again to Tucumán, of which it was later to be named capital. However, the bishop moved to Córdoba in 1699 and the government moved to Salta two years later. Furthermore, the silver route between Buenos Aires and the Viceroyalty of Peru passed through Tucumán rather than through Santiago. The combination of these circumstances drastically reduced the importance of the city and the territory. By the beginning of the 19th century the city had barely 5,000 inhabitants. With the creation of the intendency of Salta, Santiago del Estero was transferred to the new intendency of Tucumán. In the middle of the national conflict, Santiago del Estero separated from Tucumán in 1820. In 1856 the provincial constitution was formulated. At the beginning of the 20th century Santiago del Estero acquired part of the lands that were the subject of a dispute with Chaco Province. By then the province had four cities and 35,000 inhabitants, most of whom lived in precarious conditions. The construction of the Los Quiroga dam in 1950 enabled the productivity of the otherwise arid land to be increased by irrigation.
Geography and climate
The province is located almost completely in the flat lands of the Gran Chaco, with some depressions. In these depressions lagoons have formed, mainly at Bañado de Figueroa, Bañado de Añatuya, and those near the basin of the Salado and Dulce Rivers. The Sumampa and Ambargasta sierras are the result of the influence of the Pampas at the southwest. The soil, rich in lime and salt, is arid and characterised by semi-deserts and steppes. The predominant weather is sub-tropical with a dry season and high temperatures during the entire year; the annual average is 21.5°C,incrased to 24° in the latest years, with maxima of up to 50°C, with visible increases in temperature since 1970. Surprisingly, the maximum was of 38°C before 1910; and minima of -5°C, which has increased to -2°C. The dry season, during the winter, receives an average of 120 mm of precipitation, but the annual average is 700 mm.
Economy
The economy of the province is based on primary production, specially in agriculture, which is centred on the basins of the Salado and Dulce Rivers. The main crops include cotton (20% of the national production), soybean, maize and onion. Cattle farming is also important, mainly in the east, where weather conditions make it possible, but goats, with 15% of the national production, adapt better to the rest of the province. The wood industry of quebracho and algarrobo has also added implanted species totaling an annual average of over 300 thousand tons, of which around 100 thousand tons are used for timber and the rest for firewood and vegetal coal. There is little mining and only small industrial enterprises centred mainly on food, textiles and leather. Tourism is somewhat developed, but only around the main tourist attractions. Tourists visit Santiago del Estero (the oldest city in Argentina) and its historical buildings and museums, Termas de Río Hondo and the Río Hondo hot springs with its 200 hotels, and the Frontal dam where water sports are practiced. The province is home to the Copo National Park, and four protected areas: Bañados de Figueroa, Sierras de Ambargasta, Sierra de Guasayan and Sierras de Sumampa.
Political division
The province is divided into 27 departments (Spanish: departamentos). Department (Capital)
- Aguirre (Villa General Mitre)
- Alberdi (Campo Gallo)
- Atamisqui (Villa Atamisqui)
- Avellaneda (Herrera)
- Banda (La Banda)
- Belgrano (Bandera)
- Capital (Santiago del Estero)
- Choya (Frías)
- Copo (Monte Quemado)
- Figueroa (La Cañada)
- General Taboada (Añatuya)
- Guasayán (San Pedro de Guasayán)
- Jiménez (Pozo Hondo)
- Juan Felipe Ibarra (Suncho Corral)
- Loreto (Loreto)
- Mitre (Villa Unión)
- Moreno (Quimilí)
- Ojo de Agua (Villa Ojo de Agua)
- Pellegrini (La Fragua)
- Quebrachos (Sumampa)
- Río Hondo (Termas de Río Hondo)
- Rivadavia (Selva)
- Robles (Fernández)
- Salavina (Los Telares)
- San Martín (Brea Pozo)
- Sarmiento (Garza)
- Silípica (Arraga)
Culture
Important figures connected to the history of Santiago del Estero include colonel Juan Francisco Borges, leader of the Independence War (and ancestor of writer Jorge Luis Borges), as well as the revolutionary leaders Mario Roberto and Francisco René Santucho, founders of the Partido Revolucionario de los Trabajadores and the Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo. In the field of the arts we can name the 19th century painter Felipe Taboada, Ramon Gómez Cornet, Carlos Sánchez Gramajo, Alfredo Gogna, Ricardo and Rafael Touriño in plastic arts, and Jorge Washington Ábalos, Bernardo Canal Feijóo, Clementina Rosa Quenel and Julio Carreras (h) in Literature. Santiago's musical heritage is one of the most important cultural aspects of the city, with typical folklore chacarera and zamba. Renowned artists and groups include the Manseros Santiagueños, Alfredo Ábalos, Leo Dan, Jacinto Piedra and Raly Barrionuevo.
External links
- Historia de Santiago del Estero
- Official site: Santiago del Estero Province (in Spanish)
- Santiago del Estero Culture, art, myths: in Spanish.
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