Corrientes Province

Corrientes is a province in northeast Argentina, in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by (from the North, clockwise): Paraguay, the province Misiones, Brazil, and the provinces of Entre Rios, Santa Fe and Chaco.

History

Before the arrival of the Spanish conquest, the Guaraníes lived in a big area that also covered most of the current province of Corrientes. The city of Corrientes was founded in 1589 by Juan Torres de Vera y Aragón as a mid-stop between Asunción and Buenos Aires; the city flourished thanks to the traffic of the route. Jesuits erected missions in the north of the province, where they thoroughly dedicated to the expansion of the faith.

In the wars of inexpediency from Spain, Corrientes joined Artigas' Liga de los Pueblos Libres (1814–1820). The attack of Paraguayan forces to the province in 1865 marked the start of the War of the Triple Alliance.

In 1819 the Universidad Nacional del Litoral was founded, to become in 1956 the Universidad Nacional del Nordeste.

Culture

Culture in Corrientes has been primarily informed and influenced by its European roots, also Corrientes boasts its own culture: chamamé music and dance, Guaraní traditions, and the only place in Argentina, other than Buenos Aires, to have a significant black culture, which in turn did much to shape the carnival celebrations, the most colorful in all of Argentina.

Famous correntinos were independence hero General José de San Martín (born in 1778 in Yapeyú), and Juan Bautista Cabral (born in Saladas), who (according to popular legend) gave his life for the General in the Battle of San Lorenzo.

Tourist destinations in the Corrientes Province include the Iberá Wetlands and the Mburucuyá National Park.

On 28 September 2004, provincial Law No. 5598 declared Guaraní to be like an official language of Corrientes, alongside Spanish.

Geography and climate

As part of the subtropical area of Mesopotamia, the province has heavy rains and high temperatures with little daily and seasonal variation specially in the North, and no dry season. The Southern part of the province presents some signs of the neighbouring more temperate weather of the Pampas.

Corrientes is surrounded by two rivers, the Uruguay River to the east, and the Paraná River to the northwest, that contour the shape of the province. The low shore of the Paraná produces frequent floodings. After the specially destructive one in 1982, a protective system has been started with the construction of barriers.

The province is for the most part a plain, with the highest points in the east. To the west, a series of descending platforms go down to the Paraná River. The Iberá Wetlands, an area of lagoons and swamps, is a vast depression from volcanic flow, covered later with fluvial and eolic sediments.

Economy

Agriculture is one of the main activities in the province, centred in citrus, tobacco, rice, yerba mate, tea and cotton. The timber industry uses 1,400 km² of pine and eucalyptus forests.

Bovine cattle has problems standing the heat and the low quality of the grass specially in the north of the province. For that reason, the Brangus breed is the most common in the area. In the south, different breeds can be found. 70,000 km² of the province's land are used for more than 4 million heads of cattle.

Of the province net production, tobacco represents 45% of the gross income, food and derivates 30% and textiles 16%.

On the Paraná River, near the city of Ituzaingó, the Yaciretá dam provides energy not only to the province, but to both Argentina and Paraguay.

Political division

The province is divided into 25 departments (departamentos):

Department (Capital)

Bella Vista (Bella Vista)
Berón de Astrada (Berón de Astrada)
Capital (Corrientes)
Concepción (Concepción)
Curuzú Cuatía (Curuzú Cuatiá)
Empedrado (Empedrado)
Esquina (Esquina)
General Alvear (Alvear)
General Paz (Nuestra Señora del Rosario de Caá Catí)
Goya (Goya)
Itatí (Itatí)
Ituzaingó (Ituzaingó)
Lavalle (Lavalle)
Mburucuyá (Mburucuyá)
Mercedes (Mercedes)
Monte Caseros (Monte Caseros)
Paso de los Libres (Paso de los Libres)
Saladas (Saladas)
San Cosme (San Cosme)
San Luis del Palmar (San Luis del Palmar)
San Martín (La Cruz)
San Miguel (San Miguel)
San Roque (San Roque)
Santo Tomé (Santo Tomé)
Sauce (Sauce)

External links

Provinces of Argentina | Corrientes Province