La Rioja () is the capital and largest city of

La Rioja Province, Argentina La Rioja () is a province of Argentina located in the west of the country. The landscape of the province consist of a series of arid to semi-arid mountain ranges and agricultural valleys in between. It is in one of these valleys that the capital ...

, located in the east of the province. La Rioja is located on the foot of the Velasco Sierras, 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 ...

, and from Córdoba.

History

It was founded in 1591 by the governor of

Tucumán Province Tucumán () is the most densely populated, and the second-smallest by land area, of the provinces of Argentina. Located in the northwest of the country, the province has the capital of San Miguel de Tucumán, often shortened to Tucumán. Neigh ...

Colonial Architecture - La Rioja - Argentina

Geography

Climate

La Rioja 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 ...

(''BSh'', according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

), with average temperatures of to in winter and to in summer, but with maximum temperatures of more than . The average annual rainfall is , falling almost exclusively during the summer when moist tropical air from the northeast enters the region. The highest recorded temperature was on 28 December 1971 while the lowest recorded temperature was on 5 August 1966.

Sights

The Museo Folklórico is set in a 17th-century building, and its displays include local chaya music and the Tinkunaco festival. The 35,000-capacity

Estadio Carlos Augusto Mercado Luna A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

is located in La Rioja.

Transportation

The city is served by

Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport ( es, Aeropuerto de La Rioja - Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid), is the main airport in La Rioja Province, Argentina serving the city of La Rioja. The airport is on the northeast side of the city. ...

, with flights on Aerolíneas Argentinas.

References

External links

Official page
(Spanish) *

(English)
Universidad Nacional de La Rioja
(Spanish) {{Authority control Populated places established in 1591 Populated places in La Rioja Province, Argentina Capitals of Argentine provinces Cities in Argentina