Embalse is a city in the center-west of the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Córdoba Córdoba most commonly refers to: * Córdoba, Spain, a major city in southern Spain and formerly the imperial capital of Islamic Spain * Córdoba, Argentina, the second largest city in Argentina and the capital of Córdoba Province Córdoba or Cord ...

, Argentina, located within the Calamuchita Valley, 119 km south-southwest from Córdoba City. The municipality has 15,000 inhabitants as per the , though unofficial counts including the neighboring areas give a population of over 30,000, which grows by several thousands during the tourist high season. The word ''embalse'' means "

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

" (i. e. artificial lake) in Spanish. Embalse is located along the eastern shore of a large reservoir produced by the

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

ming of the Río Tercero. The dam was inaugurated in 1930; it is 58 m high and 125 m long, with a maximum capacity of 730 million m³. The reservoir has an area of 58 km² and is employed for

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) 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 bee ...

and the production of

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

, as well as

water sports Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms ...

. On the southern shore lies the Embalse nuclear power plant, one of the two operational nuclear plants of Argentina (the other is Atucha I). The area is of major touristic importance. Accordingly, Embalse has 7 hotels and many smaller accommodation facilities, and a

casino A casino is a facility for gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shops, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos also host live entertainment, such as stand-up comedy, conce ...

(opened in 1984).

References

*
Portal de Embalse, Valle de Calamuchita
* Fernanda Gariela Biolé, Adriana Olmedo, Fernando Julio Biolé. (2002). Historia de la construcción del Embalse de Río Tercero, Córdoba, Argentina
Libro completo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Embalse, Cordoba Populated places in Córdoba Province, Argentina Populated places established in 1911