La Quiaca is a small city in the north of the , on the southern bank of the La Quiaca River, opposite the town of Villazón, Bolivia

Bolivia

Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...

. It lies at the end of National Route 9

National Route 9 (Argentina)

National Route 9 is a major road in Argentina, which runs from the center-east to the northwest of the country, crossing the provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Santiago del Estero, Tucumán, Salta and Jujuy...

, 289 km (180 mi) from San Salvador de Jujuy

San Salvador de Jujuy

San Salvador de Jujuy , commonly known as Jujuy and locally often referred to as San Salvador, is the capital city of Jujuy Province in northwest Argentina. It lies near the southern end of the Humahuaca Canyon where wooded hills meet the lowlands....

 (the provincial capital), and at an altitude of 3442 m (11,293 ft) above mean sea level

Sea level

Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...

.

La Quiaca has 14,751 inhabitants as per the . It is the head town of the Yaví Department, which includes also the towns of Barrios, Cangrejillos, El Cóndor, Pumahuasi, and Yaví. The area is serviced by an airport

Airport

An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...

 located at 22°09′02"S 65°34′39"W.

In Argentina, this city is the classic reference to the northern end of the country, though in reality this distinction is held by the town of Salvador Mazza

Salvador Mazza, Salta

Salvador Mazza or Profesor Salvador Mazza is a city in northern Argentina, in Salta Province, north of the capital city of Salta, and from the city of Tartagal on National Route 34 in General José de San Martín Department, on the international border with Bolivia.National Route 34 and an...

, or Pocitos, in the province of Salta. In 1985, after a three-year national tour, the renowned composer León Gieco

León Gieco

Raúl Alberto Antonio Gieco, better known as León Gieco is a pop-folk music composer and interpreter. He is known for mixing popular folkloric genres with Argentine rock, and for lyrics with social and political connotations...

 released a folk album called De Ushuaia a La Quiaca ("From Ushuaia

Ushuaia

Ushuaia may refer to the following:*Ushuaia, a city in Argentina.**Ushuaia Department, an administrative division**Ushuaia River**Ushuaia International Airport**Colegio Nacional de Ushuaia, National School of Ushuaia....

 to La Quiaca").

Climate

La Quiaca has a cold semi-arid climate (BSk, according to the Köppen climate classification

Köppen climate classification

The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...

), with an annual precipitation of 334.6 mm (13 in). During winter months, the nights can get very cold, with temperatures dropping well below 0 °C.