RÃo Negro (, ''Black River'') is a
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 ...
of
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 ...
, located in northern
Patagonia
Patagonia () is a geographical region that includes parts of Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America. The region includes the southern section of the Andes mountain chain with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers ...
. Neighboring provinces are from the south clockwise
Chubut,
Neuquén
Neuquén (; ) is the capital city of the Argentine province of Neuquén and of the Confluencia Department, located in the east of the province. It occupies a strip of land west of the confluence of the Limay and Neuquén rivers which form t ...
,
Mendoza,
La Pampa and
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the RÃo de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
. To the east lies the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
.
Its capital is
Viedma near the Atlantic outlet of the
province's namesake river in the eastern extreme. The largest city is in the
Andean
The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long and wide (widest between 18°S ...
foothills
Bariloche in the far west. Other important cities include
General Roca and
Cipolletti.
History
Ferdinand Magellan was the first European explorer to visit the coasts of the provinces in 1520. Italian priest
Nicolás Mascardi founded the
Jesuit
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
mission ''Nuestra Señora de Nahuel Huapi'' in 1670 at the shore of the
Nahuel Huapi Lake, at the feet of the Andes range.
Originally part of the Argentine territory called Patagonia (in 1878 the ''Gobernación de la Patagonia''), in 1884 it was organised into the ''Territorio Nacional del RÃo Negro'' and General Lorenzo Vintter was appointed as the territory's first governor. It was only in 1957, that RÃo Negro acquired status of a province; its first provincial governor was
Edgardo Castello of the
Radical Civic Union
The Radical Civic Union (, UCR) is a major political party in Argentina. It has reached the national government on ten occasions, making it one of the most historically important parties in the country. Ideologically, the party has stood for r ...
(UCR).
Geography
RÃo Negro is one of the six provinces that make up Argentine Patagonia.
It is bounded to the north by 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 ...
which separates it from
La Pampa Province, to the east by the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
and to the west by 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 ...
and the
Limay River (serves as the natural border with
Neuquén Province
Neuquén () is a Provinces of Argentina, province of Argentina, located in the west of the country, at the northern end of Patagonia. It borders Mendoza Province to the north, Rio Negro Province to the southeast, and Chile to the west. It also me ...
).
[ The 42nd parallel south marks the southern limit of the province.][ With an area of , it is the 4th largest province by area.
]
Climate
The climate of the province is temperate at low elevations, and very cold in the higher Andean peaks.
Temperature
The mean annual temperatures in the province are relatively cold for its latitude owing to the marine currents to the east and higher altitude to the west. Mean annual temperatures in the province can vary, depending on altitude and distance from the sea. The northern parts of the province are the warmest, with a mean annual temperature of more than while the coldest areas are found in the Cordillera where the mean annual temperatures are less than . At the highest peaks, the mean annual temperature is less than freezing. Summer temperatures can exceed although the mean January temperatures range from . In contrast, the Andean region has milder summers with mean January temperatures of or less, depending on the altitude. In July, mean temperatures range from on the coast in the north to around in the central plateau.
Humidity and precipitation
Relative humidity is lower in the central plateau where they average 50%.[ Along the coastal regions, humidity is higher with a mean annual humidity of 60% while the Andean region has the highest humidity with an average annual humidity exceeding 65% due to the lower temperatures there.][ In all locations, humidity is lower in the summer and higher in the winter owing to the higher temperatures in the summer.][
The Andes block most of the moisture 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, causing it to release most of the precipitation on its western slopes and as such, most of the province is dry, with a mean annual precipitation around .[ Coastal areas and northern parts of the province receive a slightly higher precipitation, where it can average above a year.][ The Andean region receives the most precipitation with areas receiving a mean annual precipitation of in which the precipitation gradient is very strong and increases westwards.][ In some places, precipitation can exceed a year.][ Most of the Andean region has a rainfall pattern that is ]Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
like, similar to Central Chile in which most of the precipitation falls during the winter months and summers are dry.[
]
Wind and sunshine
One dominant characteristic of the climate is the strong winds that are observed throughout the province.[ Summers tend to be windier than winters.][ Winds coming from the west, southwest and northwest are common, occurring 50% of the time (60% if calm winds are not included).][ There is some tendency for the winds to come from the east, particularly on the coastal regions when sea breezes from the east can occur when westerly winds are weak, which can be felt up to from the coast.][ The mean wind speed throughout the province varies with the northern parts having the lowest wind speeds while the highest altitude areas being the windiest.][ Except for the northern parts of the province, mean annual wind speeds exceed .][
Cloud cover varies throughout the province, ranging from more than 60% in the Andean region to about 40% in the coastal areas.][ The central plateaus have intermediate amounts of cloud cover between these 2 regions.][ As such, the Andean region is cloudier than the rest of the province.][ Sunshine ranges from 10–11 hours of sunshine/day in January to about 5 hours of sunshine/day (less cloudier areas) to less than 3 hours of sunshine/day (more cloudier areas) in July.][
]
Demographics
According to the results from the , the province has a population of 638,645 with 316,774 males and 321,871 females.[ It constitutes 1.6% of the total population in Argentina.] This represented a 15.5% increase in the population compared to which had 552,822 inhabitants.[ Amongst of all the provinces in ]Patagonia
Patagonia () is a geographical region that includes parts of Argentina and Chile at the southern end of South America. The region includes the southern section of the Andes mountain chain with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and glaciers ...
, it is the most populous, containing 30.4% of the total population in Patagonia.
The province is home to four indigenous groups: The Tehuelches, the Puelches, the Pehuenche
Pehuenche (or Pewenche) are an Indigenous people of South America. They live in the Andes, primarily in present-day south central Chile and adjacent Argentina. Their name derives from their dependence for food on the seeds of the ''Araucaria ar ...
s, and the Mapuche
The Mapuche ( , ) also known as Araucanians are a group of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging e ...
s. Almost all of the indigenous population in the province are the Mapuches with the rest being small in number where their few descendants live in the neighbouring provinces.[ The Mapuches along with some of the Pehuenches originally lived in the western parts of the province although today, they mainly live in the southern parts of the province.][ The Tehuelches were nomadic people that hunted on the steppes in the province.][ The Puelches, being also nomadic, lived on the northern margins of Nahuel Huapi Lake and the surrounding forests in the Andean mountains, living off hunting and fishing.][ It is estimated that Mapuches started coming to the region before 1880 from Chile, leading to the imposition of their culture onto the other indigenous groups.][ Originally agricultural people, the Mapuches became nomadic upon arrival to the province due to the utilization of horses.][
The province received immigrants mostly from ]Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
, Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
, Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
and the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
during the last years of the 19th century and the first years of the 20th century.
Government
The provincial government is divided into the usual three branches: the executive, headed by a popularly elected governor, who appoints the cabinet; the legislative; and the judiciary, headed by the Supreme Court.
As of December 2019, Arabela Carreras became governor of the province, following the retirement of Alberto Weretilneck due to term-limit. She is the first woman elected governor of the province.
The Constitution of RÃo Negro Province forms the formal law of the province.
In Argentina, the most important law enforcement organization is the Argentine Federal Police but the additional work is carried out by the RÃo Negro Provincial Police.
Political division
The province is divided into 13 departments
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
* Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
:
Department (Capital)
* Adolfo Alsina Department ( Viedma)
* Avellaneda Department ( Choele Choel)
* Bariloche Department ( San Carlos de Bariloche)
* Conesa Department ( General Conesa)
* El Cuy Department ( El Cuy)
* General Roca Department ( General Roca)
* 9 de Julio Department ( Sierra Colorada)
* Ñorquinco Department ( Ñorquincó)
* Pichi Mahuida Department ( RÃo Colorado)
* Pilcaniyeu Department ( Pilcaniyeu)
* San Antonio Department ( San Antonio Oeste)
* Valcheta Department ( Valcheta)
* 25 de Mayo Department ( Maquinchao)
Source for department names:
Economy
Argentina's ninth-largest, Rio Negro's economy is a diversified service-based one with vigorous agricultural and light manufacturing sectors. Its 2006 output was an estimated US$5.420 billion, or a per capita income of US$9,805. In 2013, its output increased to $43.349 billion Pesos (about US$7.939 billion) at current market prices.
There is a gold mine located at Calcatreu, near Ingeniero Jacobacci, owned by Pan American Silver. in December 2011 the provincial government repealed a law banning the use of cyanide
In chemistry, cyanide () is an inorganic chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom.
Ionic cyanides contain the cyanide anion . This a ...
in mineral processing, and the mine's owners regarded this as a positive development which is likely to bring increased investment.
Tourism
There are two main areas of tourism in the province; 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 ...
and the Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
coast.
:The Andean Area
The most visited area is that of the lake district near San Carlos de Bariloche
inside the Nahuel Huapi National Park, and neighbouring Neuquén Province
Neuquén () is a Provinces of Argentina, province of Argentina, located in the west of the country, at the northern end of Patagonia. It borders Mendoza Province to the north, Rio Negro Province to the southeast, and Chile to the west. It also me ...
. This includes the Isla Victoria, ''Camino de los Siete Lagos'', Los Arrayanes National Park, and many trekking paths among lakes.
:The Atlantic Coast
Returns of southern right whales are possibly the biggest of tourism attractions. They swim and rest very close to shore, and the San MatÃas Gulf is the only place in the world where swimming with this kind is commercially permitted.
Villages
References
Notes
External links
*
*
*�
Official RÃo Negro Province website
Pictures of RÃo Negro Province
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rio Negro Province
Provinces of Argentina
Patagonia
Wine regions of Argentina
States and territories established in 1957
1957 establishments in Argentina