Neuquén (; arn, Nehuenken) is the capital city 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
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
Limay, officially the Municipality of Limay ( tl, Bayan ng Limay), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bataan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 78,272 people.
Limay is accessible via the Bataan Provin ...
and
Neuquén rivers which form the
Río Negro, making it part of the
ecoregion
An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of ...
of
Alto Valle del Río Negro. The city and surrounding area have a population of more than 340,000, making it the largest city in
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 ...
. Along with the cities of
Plottier and
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 ...
, it is part of the
Neuquén – Plottier – Cipolletti conurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of metropolises, cities, large towns, and other urban areas which through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban or industrially developed area. In most cas ...
.
Founded in 1904, it is the newest provincial capital city in Argentina.
Etymology
The name of the city comes from the
Neuquén River
The Neuquén River () is the second most important river of the province of Neuquén in the Argentine Patagonia, after the Limay River. Rocks of the Neuquén Basin are fossiliferous, and the basin hosts what may become important fields of ti ...
, which in
Mapuche language
Mapuche (, Mapuche & Spanish: , or Mapudungun; from ' 'land' and ' 'speak, speech') is an Araucanian language related to Huilliche spoken in south-central Chile and west-central Argentina by the Mapuche people (from ''mapu'' 'land' and ''che ...
means "water that has strength". This name was already used since 1884 for the
federal territory
A federal territory is an administrative division under the direct and usually exclusive jurisdiction of a federation's national government. A federal territory is a part of a federation, but not a part of any federated state. The states constit ...
. Since 1902, it was used for the railway station of the town, which at that time was a hamlet called Confluencia. The name of the town was officially chosen in 1904, when it was declared the capital of the territory. It is the only Argentine city that has a
palindrome
A palindrome is a word, number, phrase, or other sequence of symbols that reads the same backwards as forwards, such as the words ''madam'' or ''racecar'', the date and time ''11/11/11 11:11,'' and the sentence: "A man, a plan, a canal – Pana ...
name, that is a word which reads the same backward as forward.
Economy
Neuquén is both an important agricultural center, surrounded by fertile lands
irrigated
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 develo ...
by the waters of the Limay and Neuquén rivers in an otherwise arid province, and a petrochemical industrial center that receives oil extracted from different points of the province. It belongs economically and geographically to the
Alto Valle region that produces apples, pears, and other fruits.
With the discovery of the Vaca Muerta oil fields west of the city (the third largest shale gas and oil reserves in the world), it has begun to experience a boom in real estate and construction. It is expected that over the next few years the city will experience unprecedented growth as it is the only significant city in the region. It has an airport, shopping centers, office space and institutions to become the center of the operations not only of the oil and gas companies, but also their suppliers.
Transport
National Route 22 divides the city into two halves.
The
Presidente Perón Airport is away from the city and serves regular flights to
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 ...
,
San Carlos de 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 ...
,
Comodoro Rivadavia
Comodoro Rivadavia () is a city in the Patagonian province of Chubut in southern Argentina, located on the San Jorge Gulf, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, at the foot of the Chenque Hill. Comodoro Rivadavia is the most important city of the S ...
,
Río Gallegos
Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for " river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil.
Rio or Río may also refer to:
Geography Brazil
* Rio de Janeiro
* Rio do Sul, ...
,
Río Grande
The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico.
The length of the Rio G ...
,
Ushuaia
Ushuaia ( , ) is the capital of Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur Province, Argentina. With a population of nearly 75,000 and a location below the 54th parallel south latitude, Ushuaia claims the title of world's souther ...
, and
San Martín de los Andes
San Martín de los Andes is a city in the south-west of the , serving as the administration centre of the Lácar Department. Lying at the foot of the Andes, on the Lácar lake, it is considered one of the main tourism destinations in the province. ...
.
The
Tren del Valle commuter rail
Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...
service links Neuquén with neighbouring
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 ...
.
History
The first inhabitants of the area were very mobile and moved according to the seasons of the year, climatic conditions, and the abundance of food and game. Around the 16th century the people living in different areas of the province began to be
assimilated by the
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.
[''Historia del Neuquén'', Pangera Editora, 2001, page 27.] One of the most important
trails
A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. ...
used by the Mapuches passed through the area of the confluence of the Limay and Neuquén rivers.
In the 17th century European explorers arrived in the area of the confluence.
In 1604,
Hernando Arias de Saavedra decided to explore the trails to Patagonia. With the support of the ranchers of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, and Corrientes, he departed from Buenos Aires and passed through the mountains of the
Sierra de la Ventana. He reached what is now the city of Neuquén and continued on, possibly passing through what is today
Auca Mahuida Auca or AUCA may refer to :
* Auca (titular diocese), the former Catholic bishopric of (Villafranca Montes de) Oca in Spain, now a Latin titular see
* A pejorative name for the native Huaorani people in Ecuador
** Operation Auca, an endeavor to ev ...
.
In 1782, departing from
Carmen de Patagones
Carmen de Patagones is the southernmost city in the .
Geography
It is located 937 km southwest from the city of Buenos Aires, on the north bank of the Río Negro ("Black River"), near the Atlantic Ocean, and opposite Viedma, capital of ...
,
Basilio Villarino traveled upstream on the
Río Negro. On 23 January 1783, he arrived at the confluence of the Limay and Neuquén Rivers, camping on an island.
[''Neuquén: Historia y leyendas'', InterPatagonia.] He then followed the Limay to the confluence of the
Collón Curá, then from there to the
Chimehuin River.
[''Naves y navegantes por Choele Choel'', Rio Negro Online, H. Pérez Morando.]
Neuquén as an Argentine Province
In 1885, the lands of what was at that time called Confluencia (i.e., "confluence," referring to the two rivers) were auctioned to a few people. Shortly after 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 ...
campaign conducted by the military over Patagonia, the
Tehuelche and
Pehuenche
Pehuenche (or ''Pewenche'', people of the "pehuen" or "pewen" in Mapudungun) are an indigenous people of South America. They live in the Andes, primarily in present-day south central Chile and adjacent Argentina. Their name derives from their de ...
tribes that inhabited the province of Neuquén were either killed or pushed out of these lands.
Since there was no defined border with
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...
, the Argentine government reached an agreement with the British-owned
Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway
The Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway (BAGS) ( es, Ferrocarril del Sud) was one of the ''Big Four'' broad gauge, , British-owned companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina. The company was founded by Edward Lumb in 1862 ...
company that was constructing a railway network, mainly in
Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires (), officially the Buenos Aires Province (''Provincia de Buenos Aires'' ), is the largest and most populous Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of th ...
, to build an extension to the town in exchange for lands, in order to populate it. In 1899, the railroad reached
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 ...
in
Río Negro province
Río Negro (, ''Black River'') is a province of Argentina, located in northern Patagonia. Neighboring provinces are from the south clockwise Chubut, Neuquén, Mendoza, La Pampa and Buenos Aires. To the east lies the Atlantic Ocean.
Its capi ...
, and three years later, after the
construction of the bridge, arrived at Neuquén.
Neuquén was officially founded on 12 September 1904, and the capital of the territory was transferred from
Chos Malal
Chos Malal is the capital city of the Chos Malal Department in Neuquén Province, Argentina.
History
Chos Malal was founded on 4 August 1887 by Colonel José Olascoaga. It developed as a control point for policing the movement of cattle with ...
to the young town. The name "Neuquén" derives from the
Mapudungun
Mapuche (, Mapuche & Spanish: , or Mapudungun; from ' 'land' and ' 'speak, speech') is an Araucanian language related to Huilliche spoken in south-central Chile and west-central Argentina by the Mapuche people (from ''mapu'' 'land' and ''che ...
word ''nehuenken'', meaning drafty, which the native people used in reference to this river.
By 1930, the town had only 5,000 inhabitants. In the 1960s, it acquired a new importance when oil deposits were found in the province by the state company
YPF. The 1970s and 1980s saw massive demographic growth, accompanied by improvements such as the creation of the
National University of Comahue
The National University of Comahue ( es, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, UNCNavarro, Fernando A. ''. Tremédica, Asociación Internacional de Traductores y Redactores de Medicina y Ciencias Afines/UNCoPortal de Prensa de la Uncoma, Universida ...
in 1971.
Climate
Neuquén has an
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 deser ...
(
Köppen ''BWk'').
Precipitation is low, averaging per year, which is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year.
The mean annual temperature is between .
[ During December and January, the mean temperature in these months is about while in July, it reaches below .][ Being located far away from any major bodies of water, the thermal amplitude is high along with a large diurnal range, which indicates continental characteristics of the climate of the city.][
Winds are moderately strong throughout the year, which favors ]evapotranspiration
Evapotranspiration (ET) is the combined processes by which water moves from the earth’s surface into the atmosphere. It covers both water evaporation (movement of water to the air directly from soil, canopies, and water bodies) and transp ...
.[ Most of the wind comes from the west and the southwest, both of which occur 40–50% of the time.][ Summers tend to be windier than winters with average wind speeds ranging from a low of in July to a high of in December.][ Mean daily sunshine hours range from a high of 11 hours/day in January to a low of 3 hours/day in June.][
The highest temperature recorded was on 21 January 1980 while the lowest temperature recorded was on 13 June 1961.]
Museums and historical landmarks
There are cultural spaces housed in former railroad buildings from the early 20th century, such as the Gregorio Álvarez and the Paraje Confluencia museums and the Emilio Saraco Art Gallery. The more recently-built Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, designed by Mario Roberto Alvarez, opened in 2004. The museum showcases both national and international artists. The building consists of four halls which include both the temporary and the permanent collection, as well as an auditorium and theater.
A variety of historical monuments dating from the 20th century, such as the Fotheringham Crossing Pyramid in the Sapere neighborhood, can be found throughout the city.
Sport
Neuquén hosted the 2001 FIBA Americas Championship
The 2001 COPABA Tournament of the Americas, later known as the FIBA Americas Championship and the FIBA AmeriCup (also as the Championship of the Americas for Men), was hosted by Argentina, from 16 August, to 26 August 2001. The games were played at ...
, where the city's basketball fans supported Argentina's national basketball team
The Argentina men's national basketball team (Spanish: ''Selección de baloncesto de Argentina'') represents Argentina in men's international basketball officially nicknamed ''The Argentine Soul'' (Spanish: ''El Alma Argentina''), and it is co ...
to win the gold medal. All games were played in the 8,000 seat Estadio Ruca Che. At the 1995 FIBA Americas Championship, Neuquén acted as co-host.
Since 2015 Neuquén has hosted the FIM Motocross World Championship
FIM Motocross World Championship is the premier championship of motocross racing, organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), divided into two distinct classes: MXGP and MX2. Race duration is 30 minutes plus two laps per ...
: its race track at Villa La Angostura was voted the best of the season in the two following seasons.
Sister cities
Neuquén is sister city
A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there are early examples of inter ...
, as designated by Sister Cities International
Sister Cities International (SCI) is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between communities in the United States and those in other countries, particularly through the establishment of " sister citie ...
with:
*Knoxville
Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...
, Tennessee, United States
*Treviso
Treviso ( , ; vec, Trevixo) is a city and '' comune'' in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 84,669 inhabitants (as of September 2017). Some 3,000 live within the Vene ...
, Veneto, Italy
*Valdivia
Valdivia (; Mapuche: Ainil) is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder Pedro de Valdivia and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and Cau-Ca ...
, Chile
References
External links
*
Municipality of Neuquén
– Official website.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neuquen
Capitals of Argentine provinces
Populated places in Neuquén Province
Populated places established in 1904
Cities in Argentina
1904 establishments in Argentina