General Roca is a city in the northeast of the
Argentine
Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, ...
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...
of
Río Negro, northern
Patagonia
Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...
. It was founded on September 1, 1879, by Colonel
Lorenzo Vintter
Lorenzo Vintter (11 October 1842 – 5 July 1915) was an Argentine military officer, who participated in the War of the Triple Alliance and the Conquest of the Desert. He was governor of the Patagonia and Río Negro. He also served as governor ...
, on the order of
War Minister
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in so ...
Julio A. Roca,
during the
Conquest of the Desert
The Conquest of the Desert ( es, Conquista del desierto) was an Argentine military campaign directed mainly by General Julio Argentino Roca in the 1870s with the intention of establishing dominance over the Patagonian Desert, inhabited primar ...
. The place of the first settlement was known by native
mapuche
The Mapuche ( (Mapuche & Spanish: )) are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who s ...
people as Fiske Menuco, which means "deep water".
It was destroyed in 1899 by a flooding of the
Río Negro, and had to be rebuilt northwest in higher lands.
Its present population is approximately 86,000 (according to ), making it the second most populated city in the province after
Bariloche
San Carlos de Bariloche, usually known as Bariloche (), is a city in the province of Río Negro, Argentina, situated in the foothills of the Andes on the southern shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake. It is located within the Nahuel Huapi National Park. ...
, and the second most important in the
Alto Valle after
Neuquén
Neuquén (; arn, Nehuenken) is the capital city of the Argentine province of Neuquén and of the Confluencia Department, located in the east of the province. It occupies a strip of land west of the confluence of the Limay and Neuquén river ...
. The main activity around the city is the intensive agriculture under
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been devel ...
, which made possible an intense agro-industrial activity. The main crops are
pear
Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the Family (biology), family Rosacea ...
s and
apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancest ...
s. The city hosts the annual National Festival of the Apple, which is held in early February.
General Roca, named after
Julio A. Roca, is located from
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
, from
Bahía Blanca
Bahía Blanca (; English: White Bay) is a city in the southwest of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, by the Atlantic Ocean, and is the seat of government of the Bahía Blanca Partido. It had 301,572 inhabitants according to the . It is th ...
, from
Viedma and from the deepwater port of
San Antonio Este. The city is connected to the east by
Argentine National Route 22, and is also crossed by provincial routes 6 and 65, which connect it to other cities in the Alto Valle, with the south of the province, and with the
La Pampa Province
La Pampa () is a sparsely populated province of Argentina, located in the Pampas in the center of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise San Luis, Córdoba, Buenos Aires, Río Negro, Neuquén and Mendoza.
History
I ...
. Through the centre of the city drives the wide rail train lane that joins
Zapala with Bahía Blanca and Buenos Aires. The local airport connects General Roca with other points of the country, mainly with Buenos Aires and
Mendoza. Nonetheless, due to lack of maintenance, the airport has not been used since the year 2000.
Together with
Villa Regina,
Allen Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to:
Buildings
* Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee
* Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas
* Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Univer ...
,
Cinco Saltos
Cinco Saltos is a city in the provinces of Argentina, province of Río Negro Province, Río Negro, Argentina, located on the eastern side of the valley of the Neuquén River, near the Pellegrini Lake, about from northwest of Neuquén and from All ...
,
Cipolletti
Cipolletti ( or ) is a city in north of the Patagonian . With a population of 87,492 inhabitants at the , Cipolletti is the third-most populated settlement in the province, after San Carlos de Bariloche and General Roca. Geography
The city is ...
,
Neuquén
Neuquén (; arn, Nehuenken) is the capital city of the Argentine province of Neuquén and of the Confluencia Department, located in the east of the province. It occupies a strip of land west of the confluence of the Limay and Neuquén river ...
and many other smaller towns, they constitute the ''lineal'' urbanization of the ''Alto Valle'' of the
Negro River Río Negro (Spanish and Portuguese, 'Black River') may refer to:
Rivers
Brazil
* Rio Negro (Amazon), tributary of the Amazon River
* Rio Negro (Mato Grosso do Sul)
* Rio Negro (Paraná)
* Rio Negro (Rio de Janeiro)
* Rio Negro (Rondônia)
* ...
. The city is surrounded by a patchwork of
irrigated land
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been develop ...
totaling . Besides apple and pear
orchard
An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of ...
s, there are vineyards and other establishments producing peaches and a variety of other fruits and vegetables. Within the industrial sector, the fruit-refrigerating storehouses, fruit and vegetable packaging, and other agriculture-related industries stand out.
Tourist attractions
"Old Town"
The place of the first settlement where General Roca was founded, near Río Negro shoreline, is known as "Old Town". Several buildings dating back to the time before the flooding and subsequent move of the town can be still visited:
* San Miguel School
* María Auxiliadora Sanctuary
* Old María Auxiliadora School
* Villegas Square
* Stefenelli Train Station
2016 meteor event
In the afternoon of 20 June 2016, a series of loud blasts could be heard in General Roca, causing buildings to shake and windows to rattle, but police, firefighters and emergency workers could not find any evidence of an explosion or natural calamity. No damage was reported. The
astronomical
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxi ...
observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. ...
in nearby
Neuquén
Neuquén (; arn, Nehuenken) is the capital city of the Argentine province of Neuquén and of the Confluencia Department, located in the east of the province. It occupies a strip of land west of the confluence of the Limay and Neuquén river ...
later revealed that the cause had been a
meteor
A meteoroid () is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space.
Meteoroids are defined as objects significantly smaller than asteroids, ranging in size from grains to objects up to a meter wide. Objects smaller than this are classified as mi ...
that burst in the atmosphere over the city, at an estimated speed of . Astronomer Roberto Figueroa estimated that the meteor measured approximately across and probably broke on atmospheric entry, falling mostly as ash, but some larger fragments could have reached the lower atmosphere and caused an audible boom.
Climate
General Roca has 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 semi ...
with warm to hot summers, combined with cool winters. Rainfall is sparse year round, resulting in a relative arid influence of the climate, being located in the
Andean
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S l ...
rain shadow
A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side.
Evaporated moisture from water bodies (such as oceans and large lakes) is ca ...
.
References
External links
Municipality of General Roca(Spanish)
General Rocaat RocaPortal
{{DEFAULTSORT:General Roca, Rio Negro
Populated places in Río Negro Province
Populated places established in 1879
Cities in Argentina