Cuyo, Argentina
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Cuyo is the wine-producing, mountainous region of central-west
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
. Historically it comprised the provinces of
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...
, San Luis and Mendoza. The modern New Cuyo includes both Cuyo proper and the province of
La Rioja La Rioja () is an autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community and provinces of Spain, province in Spain, in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. Its capital is Logroño. Other List of municipalities in La Rioja, cities and towns in the ...
. New Cuyo is a political and economic
macroregion A macroregion is a geopolitical subdivision that encompasses several traditionally or politically defined regions or countries. The meaning may vary, with the common denominator being cultural, economical, historical or social similarity within a ma ...
, but culturally La Rioja is part of the North-West rather than of Cuyo. Cuyo has some of the most popular tourist attractions in Argentina and the highest mountain massifs in the
Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...
, including
Aconcagua Aconcagua () is a mountain in the Principal Cordillera of the Andes mountain range, in Mendoza Province, Argentina. It is the highest mountain in the Americas, the highest outside Asia, and the highest in both the Western Hemisphere and the ...
itself, the highest peak outside
Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
, and the
Ischigualasto Provincial Park Ischigualasto Provincial Park (), also called ''Valle de la Luna'' ("Valley of the Moon" or "Moon Valley"), due to its moon-like appearance, is a provincial protected area in the north-east of San Juan Province (Argentina), San Juan Province, nor ...
. The soil is arid and reddish, crossed by few rivers. Most of the rivers are fed by the thawing of snow on the peaks, and their volume of water increases considerably in spring. The Desaguadero River is the main collector, receiving waters from the Bermejo, Vinchina and Salado before reaching the
Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...
.
Viticulture Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine ...
is one of the main activities of the area. The wine production of the region represents almost 80% of national production, and the wines are highly regarded throughout the world. Olives, potatoes, tomatoes and some fruits are also cultivated, and there is production of sweets and preserved foodstuffs. Quarrying and oil exploitation are other important industries. The cities and towns in the region are characterised by colonial low houses and churches, and narrow streets, contrasting in the principal cities with the modern parts. The Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, founded in 1939, is the most important within these provinces, and has its campus in Mendoza, but has faculties as far as Río Negro.


Cuyo province by GDP (nominal) and GDP per capita

This article includes a list of Cuyo Province sorted by their
Gross Domestic Product Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performanc ...
(nominal)
per capita ''Per capita'' is a Latin phrase literally meaning "by heads" or "for each head", and idiomatically used to mean "per person". Social statistics The term is used in a wide variety of social science, social sciences and statistical research conte ...
, the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation in a given year, divided by the average population for the same year. The table below includes data for the year 2013 for the 23 provinces Table of Cuyo provinces according to the .


Climate

The region of Cuyo 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 desert ...
or 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 ...
with an average annual precipitation of about that is generally unreliable from year to year. The region, which encompasses a wide range of latitudes combined with elevations ranging from 500 m to nearly 7,000 m means that it has a diverse range of different climates. In general, most of the region has a
temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...
climate with higher elevation valleys having a more milder climate. At the highest elevations (over 4,000 m), icy conditions persist year round. The diurnal range is very large with very hot temperatures during the day followed by cold nights. Amongst all locations in Argentina, the region has the largest diurnal range in the country with areas in San Juan Province having a diurnal range exceeding . The
Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...
prevent rain–bearing clouds from the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
from coming in, while its latitude puts it in a band of the sub-tropical high pressure belt keeping this region dry. With very low humidity, abundant sunshine throughout the year, and a temperate climate, the region is suitable for wine production. Droughts are often frequent and prolonged. The Cuyo region is influenced by the subtropical, semi–permanent South Atlantic anticyclone to the east in the Atlantic, the semi-permanent South Pacific anticyclone to the west of the Andes, the development of a low pressure system ("Chaco low") over northern Argentina and westerlies in the southern parts of the region. Most of the precipitation falls during the summer, when hot temperatures and high
insolation Solar irradiance is the power per unit area ( surface power density) received from the Sun in the form of electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range of the measuring instrument. Solar irradiance is measured in watts per square metre ...
lead to the development of a low pressure system ("Chaco low") situated over northern Argentina that interacts with the South Atlantic anticyclone to generate a pressure gradient that brings moist easterly winds to the region, favouring precipitation, which mostly occurs in the form of convective thunderstorms. More than 85% of the annual rainfall occurs from October to March, which represents the warm season. In contrast, the winter months are dry due to these systems weakening, and the lower insolation that weakens the Chaco low over northern Argentina. Eastern and southeastern areas of the region receive more precipitation than the western areas since they receive more summer rainfall. As such, most of Mendoza province and San Juan province receive the lowest annual precipitation with mean summer precipitation averaging less than and in rare cases, no summer rainfall. Further eastwards in San Luis province, mean summer rainfall averages around and can exceed in some areas. Higher elevation locations receive precipitation in the form of snow during the winter months. In the Cuyo region, annual precipitation is highly variable from year to year and appears to follow a cycle between dry and wet years in periods of about 2, 4–5, 6–8, and 16–22 years. In wet years, easterly winds caused by the subtropical South Atlantic anticyclone are stronger, which causes more moisture towards this region while during the dry years, these winds are weaker. Summers in the region are hot and generally very sunny, averaging as much as 10 hours per day. In contrast, winters are dry and cold and average around 7–8 hours of sunshine per day. Since this region has a wide range of elevations, ranging from 500 m to nearly 7,000 m, temperatures can vary widely with elevation. In the lowlands of Mendoza province, which lie at an elevation of around 440 m to 530 m, mean annual temperatures range from in the northern parts to in the south. At higher elevation locations and in the western parts of Mendoza province, the mean annual temperatures range from in Cristo Redentor to with a larger difference in temperatures between winter and summer months. In San Juan Province, the mean annual temperature ranges from in the provincial capital to . In San Luis province, mean annual temperatures range from in
Villa Reynolds Villa Reynolds is a town of the General Pedernera department on the San Luis Province, Argentina. It has an airport that served the city and is also a military airbase home of the V Air Brigade of Argentine Air Force. In March 1973 two Skyla ...
to in the provincial capital. The
Sierras Pampeanas The Sierras Pampeanas (also called Central Sierras or Pampas Sierras) (English: Pampas Mountains) is a geographical region of Argentina. The Sierras Pampeanas are a chain of mountains that rise sharply from the surrounding pampa region of N ...
, which cross into both San Juan province and San Luis province have a milder climate with mean annual temperatures ranging from . In all locations, at elevations over 3,800 m, permafrost is present while icy conditions persist year round at elevations over 4,000 m. The Zonda, a
Foehn wind A Foehn, or Föhn (, , , ), is a type of dry, relatively warm downslope wind in the lee of a mountain range. It is a rain shadow wind that results from the subsequent adiabatic warming of air that has dropped most of its moisture on windw ...
characterized by warm, dry air can cause temperatures to exceed in some cases while in summer, temperatures can exceed such as in 2003. This wind often precedes following a cold front passage across Argentina and tends to occur when a low pressure system brings heavy rain to the Chilean side, and when an upper-level trough allows the winds to pass over the Andes to descend downwards. As such, when a zonda wind event occurs, the temperature may raise as much as in a few hours with humidity approaching 0%. In contrast, cold waves are also common, owing to the Andes channeling cold air from the south, allowing cold fronts to frequently come during the winter months, causing cool to cold temperatures with temperatures that can fall below freezing. Temperatures can dip below at the higher elevations.


Tourism

As in other parts of Argentina, nature tourism is an important source of income. Amongst sites that receive a large number of visitors, the following are its main attractions: * ''
Aconcagua Aconcagua () is a mountain in the Principal Cordillera of the Andes mountain range, in Mendoza Province, Argentina. It is the highest mountain in the Americas, the highest outside Asia, and the highest in both the Western Hemisphere and the ...
'' * '' Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia'' * ''
Las Leñas Las Leñas is a ski resort in Argentina, located in the western part of Mendoza Province. It has reliable powder snow and climate for extreme and off-piste skiing. Construction of the ski center began January 1983, and by July 1983, it opened wit ...
'' * '' Biosphere Reserve of Ñacuñán'' * '' San Rafael'' * '' Barreal'' * '' Difunta Correa'' * ''
Ischigualasto Ischigualasto Provincial Park (), also called ''Valle de la Luna'' ("Valley of the Moon" or "Moon Valley"), due to its moon-like appearance, is a provincial protected area in the north-east of San Juan Province, north-western Argentina, limiting ...
'' * '' El Trapiche'' * '' Merlo''


References


External links


Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino

INDEC


- Article about a famous religious statue in Cuyo
Audio slideshow: Cuyo- Argentina- Argentina's vineyard.
Travel writer Christabelle Dilks explains the history of wine in Cuyo and reveals the secret to Mendoza's viticultural success. '' Royal Geographical Society's Hidden Journeys project'' {{Coord, 32.9073, S, 68.0603, W, source:wikidata, display=title Regions of Argentina Wine regions of Argentina