History
The lands were initially inhabited by the Toba and Wichí (Mataco) indigenous peoples. On April 8, 1879 Commander Luis Jorge Fontana founded the settlement that would become the capital of the National Territory of Chaco from 1884 to June 15, 1955, when it gained the status of province. The Formosa campus of the National University of the Northeast was established as the National University of Formosa in 1988. The name of the city (and the province) comes from the archaic Spanish word ''fermosa'' (currently ''hermosa'') meaning "beautiful". The name ''Vuelta Fermosa'' or ''Vuelta la Formosa'' was used by Spanish sailors in the 16th century to describe the area where the Paraguay River makes a turn, right in front of the actual city. These sailors were searching for the legendary Sierra de la Plata.Government and politics
The city of Formosa is governed by the Municipal Council, which has autonomous status. It consists of an Executive Department (led by the Mayor), a Legislative Department (the Deliberative Council), and a Judicial Department (headed by the Municipal Chamber of Appeals and the misdemeanor judges distributed in the two Misdemeanor Courts of the city). The Deliberative Council of Formosa has the highest number of members in the entire province, as it is the only municipality that currently has over 100,000 inhabitants in the province. There are a total of twelve councilors. The Council is headed by the President of the Council, followed by the 1st Vice President and the 2nd Vice President of the Council. The Executive Department is led by the Mayor of the city of Formosa, who determines the members of the municipal cabinet. Within the cabinet, the Secretaries are responsible for endorsing the acts of the Mayor within their competence. Each Municipal Secretary is in charge of a specific area of the Executive Department. These secretaries, in turn, have sub-secretariats under their authority, which handle more specific competencies. Generally, the Sub-secretariats, such as the Traffic and Transportation sub-secretariat, are further divided into General Directorates, which are composed of Directorates and Departments.Culture
The city, which is only a few hundred meters away from Paraguay across the river, has a culture closer to that of Paraguay than the " porteño" culture of Buenos Aires. Laid back and relaxed, its young people relax on the Costanera, the recently restored pathway along the Río Paraguay which serves as a venue for arts displays and features a fast-food restaurant, or at boliches, local clubs. The city's well-known cultural institutions include the Formosa Regional Historical Museum, the Juan Pablo Duffard Historical Museum (a National Historic Monument), the Qomp Toba Artisanal Museum, and the Oscar Albertazzi Arts Institute. The city has, since the 1970s, enjoyed increasing domestic tourism as a winter destination and, since the devaluation of the peso in 2002, growing international tourism, as well. Formosa is currently home to one five-star hotel (the International Tourist Hotel) and four four-star hotels. One other five-star establishment, the Howard Johnson Neo Formosa, was completed in July 2011 and features a casino and shopping gallery. 23,000-capacity Estadio Don Carlos Antonio Romero, used mainly for association football, is the main venue in Formosa.Festivals
Formosa celebrates Our Lady of Carmen (''Nuestra Señora del Carmen''), its patron saint, on July 16 in honor of its holy day. Celebrations, which occur in the main Plaza San Martín, include the traditional pericón dance and stalls selling everything from food to balloons. It also celebrates the Fiesta del Río in November, Carnaval on weekends in February and Día de la Fundación de Formosa in April.Transport
Geography
Climate
The city has a climate considered as humid subtropical or ''Cfa'' by Köppen classification. The city's climate is among the hottest and most humid in Argentina: Winters are generally mild, air frosts are very uncommon. Summers are hot and humid. During the most extreme heat waves, temperatures exceed . Temperatures have exceeded in every season. Summers are long, hot and sticky, with most days between ; temperatures up to are common, and nights are usually between . Cooler temperatures only arrive by late April, and winters are warm: highs average , lows average . However, these averages are reached through a pattern that switches from hot, northerly winds, to cold southerly winds, and so forth: with northerly winds, temperatures are often much hotter, between and nights are mild, around . Southerly winds often bring a period of drizzly, cold weather with temperatures that stay around for a day or two (which, combined with the high humidity and the winds can feel surprisingly cold), followed by clear skies, cold nights () and pleasant days at . Light frost is possible in Formosa, especially in the outskirts of the city further away from the river; however, air temperatures seldom fall below , every few years at most, with a record low of . The highest temperature recorded was on October 17, 2014 while the lowest temperature recorded was on July 29, 2021. Rainfall can be expected throughout the year though summer is usually the wettest season. Thunderstorms can be intense with frequentSister cities
*Sports
The Aborigen Rugby Club, an Argentine rugby union club from the city of Formosa, was established in 1993.Interview to Eduardo Rossi by Jorge Búsico at Gacemail.comImages
Notable people
* Martín Alarcón (1928–1988), footballer * Sergio Barreto (born 1999), footballer * Andrea Benítez (born 1986), tennis player * Jorge Berendt (born 1964), golfer * Raúl Bobadilla (born 1987), Paraguayan footballer * Floro Bogado (born 1939–2017), politician, lawyer, and diplomat * Cristian Campozano (born 1985), footballer * Raúl Chaparro (born 1953), footballer * Néstor Espínola (born 1985), footballer * Ramón Fernández (born 1984), Argentine-Chilean footballer * Gastón Giménez (born 1991), Paraguayan footballer * Manuel Insaurralde (born 1999), footballer * Mario Jara (born 1980), football manager * Hugo Jazmín (born 1979), footballer * Franco Llamas, footballer * Edgardo Massa (born 1981), tennis player * Emiliano Massa (born 1988), tennis player * Ricardo Mazacotte (born 1985), Argentine-Paraguayan footballer * Gervasio Núñez (born 1988), footballer * Lucas Ojeda (born 1986), footballer * Aldo Paredes (born 1972), footballer * Lucas Passerini (born 1994), footballer * Marcos Pinto (born 1994), footballer * Sebastián Silguero (born 1992), footballer * Francisco Solano Patiño (born 1990), Paraguayan footballer * Gabriel Tellas (born 1992), footballer * Abel Valdez (born 1987), footballer * Sergio Villamayor (born 1989), modern pentathleteReferences
External links
* (Spanish) *