Andalgalá is a city in the west-center of the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of Catamarca, Argentina, located in a valley near the Sierra de Aconquija, 260 km from the provincial capital

San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca () is the capital and largest city in Catamarca Province in northwestern Argentina, on the Río Valle River, at the feet of the Cerro Ambato. The city name is normally shortened as Catamarca and is also kno ...

. It has about 14,000 inhabitants as per the . It is the head town of the department of the same name. The Andalgalá River, which flows nearby, supports a

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

power plant. Andalgalá was founded as a

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

on 12 July 1658, and only became a city in 1952. Its name is of Quechua origin and means either "Lord of the Hare" or "Lord of the High Mountain".

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Andalgalá has a hot arid climate, abbreviated ''BWh'' on climate maps, although it is only hotter than the threshold that would categorize it as a

cool arid climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

, and only a little too dry to qualify as a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...

. Precipitation is mainly concentrated from November to March with 80% of the annual precipitation occurring in these months.

References

*
Provincia de Catamarca
— Official portal.

— Provincial portal. Details on the Andalgalá Department.
Catamarca Guía

Andalgala News
{{DEFAULTSORT:Andalgala Populated places in Catamarca Province Populated places established in 1658 Cities in Argentina 1658 establishments in the Spanish Empire