Loreto is a city located in central Argentina in the southwest of the

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 ou ...

of Santiago del Estero, Argentina. It has 9,854 inhabitants as per the , and is the head town of the

Loreto Department Loreto Department is a department of Argentina in Santiago del Estero Province Santiago del Estero (), also known simply as Santiago, is a province in the north of Argentina. Neighboring provinces, clockwise from the north, are Salta, Cha ...

. It is located 59 km south from the provincial capital Santiago del Estero, on National Route 9.

Population

Loreto had 9854 inhabitants (INDEC, 2001), representing an increase of 33.4% compared to the 7386 inhabitants (INDEC, 1991) of the previous census. This figure makes it the 8th largest urban area in the province.

Economy

Its main economic activities are livestock raring, agriculture and forestry.

Geography

*Altitude: 140 meters. *Latitude: 28° 18′ 00″ S *Longitude: 64° 12′ 00″ O

Culture

Loreto is basically characterized by its ancient traditions, such as celebrations of the Virgin of Loreto, patroness of Argentine aviation and for edible craft products such as the Rosquete (a sweet dough in the form of a doughnut topped with meringue) which has a delicious flavor. Loreto features different sports institutions like the Union Workers Club, Sportivo Loreto, El Remanso, San Martin and Alberdi.

Celebrations

* On December 10, the popular patron saint festivities are celebrated in commemoration of its patron saint the Virgin of Loreto. * It is the National Capital of Rosquete and home to the Rosquete Festival in February.

References

* Populated places in Santiago del Estero Province {{SantiagodelEstero-geo-stub