Mendoza, Argentina
Encyclopedia
Mendoza is the capital city of Mendoza Province
, in Argentina
. It is located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, on the eastern side of the Andes
. As of the , Mendoza's population was 110,993. The metropolitan population was 848,660 in 2001, making Greater Mendoza
the fourth largest census metropolitan area in the country.
Ruta Nacional 7
, the major road running between Buenos Aires
and Santiago
, runs through Mendoza. The city is a frequent stopover for climbers on their way to Aconcagua
(the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere) and for adventure travelers interested in mountaineering
, hiking
, horseback riding, rafting
, and other sports. In the winter, ski
ers come to the city for its easy access to the Andes
.
Two of the main industries of Mendoza area are olive oil
production and wine
making. The region around Greater Mendoza is the largest wine producing area in Latin America
. As such, Mendoza is one of nine cities worldwide in the network of Great Capitals of Wine, and the city is an emerging wine tourism
destination and base for exploring the hundreds of wineries in the region.
On March 2, 1561, Pedro del Castillo founded the city and named it Ciudad de Mendoza del Nuevo Valle de La Rioja after the governor of Chile
, Don García Hurtado de Mendoza. Before the 1560s the area was populated by three tribes, the Huarpes, the Puelche
s, and the Incas. The Huarpes devised a system of irrigation that was later developed by the Spanish. This allowed for an increase in population that might not have otherwise occurred. The system is still evident today in the wide trenches (acequía
s, popularly known as 'yanqi traps'), which run along all city streets, watering the app. 100,000 trees, which line every street in Mendoza. The Spanish founded the city at the bank of river (present name) Río Mendoza, only later realizing that the "river" was a wide irrigation canal dug by the indigenous Huarpes people.
It is estimated that fewer than 80 Spanish settlers lived in the area before 1600, but later prosperity increased due to the use of indigenous and slave labor, and the Jesuit presence in the region. When nearby rivers were tapped as a source of irrigation in 1788 agricultural production increased. The extra revenues generated from this, and the ensuing additional trade with Buenos Aires
, no doubt led to the creation of the state of Cuyo
in 1813 with José de San Martín
as governor. It was from Mendoza that San Martin, others Argentinian patriots and Chilean patriots organized the army with which they won the independence of Chile
and Peru.
Mendoza suffered a severe earthquake
in 1861 that killed at least 5,000 people. The city was rebuilt, incorporating innovative urban designs that would better tolerate such seismic activity. Mendoza was rebuilt with large squares and wider streets and sidewalks than any other city in Argentina. Avenue Bartolomé Mitre
and additional small squares are examples of that design. Tourism, wine
production, and more recently the exploitation of hard commodities such as oil and uranium ensure Mendoza's status as a key regional center.
The city's suburbs, the most important of which are Godoy Cruz
, Guaymallén
, Las Heras
, Luján de Cuyo
, and Maipú
, have in recent decades far outpaced the city proper in population. Comprising half the metro area population of 212,000 in 1947, these suburbs grew to nearly 7/8 of the total metro area of 894,000 by 2009, making Mendoza the most dispersed metro area in Argentina.
Mendoza has several museums, including the Museo Cornelio Moyano, a natural history museum, and the Museo del Área Fundacional (Historical Regional Foundation Museum) on Pedro del Castillo Square. The Museo Nacional del Vino (National Wine Museum), focusing on the history of winemaking in the area, is 17 km southeast of Mendoza in Maipú
. The Casa de Fader, a historic house museum, is an 1890 mansion once home to artist Fernando Fader
in nearby Mayor Drummond, 14 km south of Mendoza. The mansion is home to many of the artist's paintings.
The Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia
(The National Grape Harvest Festival) occurs in early March each year. Part of the festivities include a beauty pageant
, where 17 beauty queens from each department
of Mendoza Province
compete, and one winner is selected by a panel of about 50 judges. The queen of Mendoza city's department does not compete and acts as host for the other queens.
In 2008 National Geographic
listed Mendoza as one of the top 10 historic destinations in the world.
, the branch of University of Congreso|Universidad Congresso, Aconcagua University, and Champagnat University.
Mendoza is a popular place to learn Spanish, and there are number of Spanish language schools, including Intercultural, Green Fields and SIMA.
running through its center east-west, with the east side pedestrianized (peatonal). Other major streets, running perpendicular to Sarmiento, include Bartolomé Mitre, San Martín, and 9 de Julio (July 9th
), those running parallel include Colón
, and Las Heras. Four smaller plazas, San Martín, Chile, Italia, and España, are located 2 blocks off each corner of Independence Plaza. Unique to Mendoza are the exposed stone ditches, essentially small canals, which run alongside many of the roads supplying water to the thousands of trees that provide welcome shade.
The Parque General San Martín (General San Martín Park
) was designed by Carlos Thays
. Its grounds include a zoo, a football stadium and is also home of the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. A view of the city is available from the top of Cerro de la Gloria (Mt. Glory).
Mendoza is 1,037 kilometres from Buenos Aires
(13 hours by bus) and 380 kilometres from Santiago, Chile
(6–7 hours by bus). Mendoza also has an International Airport
(MDZ). It takes less than 2 hours to fly from Buenos Aires and less than 1 hour from Santiago.
The public transport system includes buses, the Mendoza trolleybus system
, and taxis. The trolleybuses are more comfortable than the city buses, but are slower, not as numerous nor is the system as extensive. In 2008, Translink
of Vancouver, Canada sold part of its old trolleybus fleet to Mendoza.
A heritage railway
, El Tren del Vino (The Wine Train) is being planned which will also provide local transportation; it will run through wine producing districts of Mendoza.
in Chile. The only railway operable between Argentina and Chile, after many years of inactivity, is currently under restoration and testing for its revival as a freight line by Belgrano Cargas.
The Transandine Railway is a metre gauge
line, with sections of Abt rack, whilst the railways it links with are both broad gauge
. A journey from Buenos Aires to Chile involved two breaks-of-gauge
, and therefore two changes of train, one at Mendoza, and the other at Santa Rosa de Los Andes.
way line, the Metrotranvía de Mendoza
, which will have a route of 12.5 km and will link five areas of the Greater Mendoza
conurbation. The opening of the system is scheduled for 2011.
shot his 1997 film, Seven Years In Tibet
, in Mendoza and built dozens of sets ranging from a 220 yards (201.2 m) long recreation of the Tibet
an capital city of Lhasa
(built in the foothills of the Andes), to a 9000 square feet (836.1 m²) recreation of the Hall of Good Deeds in the Potala, the ancient palace of the Dalai Lama
(built in an abandoned garlic warehouse outside the city).
BWh or BWk depending on the isotherm
used); however, with extensive irrigation the surrounding landscape sustains cultivation with
Mediterranean
characteristics. Most precipitation in Mendoza falls in the summer months (November–March). Average temperatures for January (summer) are 32 °C (90 °F) during daytime, and 18.4 °C (65 °F) at night. July (winter) the average temperatures are 14.7 °C (58 °F) and 2.4 °C (36 °F), day and night respectively. Despite the intensity of agriculture, made possible due to irrigation from major rivers, Mendoza's annual rainfall is only 223.2 mm.
São Paulo
, Brazil Sertãozinho
, Brazil Ramat Gan, Israel Monterrey
, Mexico Tacna
, Peru Miami-Dade County
, USA Nashville
, USA
Mendoza Province
The Province of Mendoza is a province of Argentina, located in the western central part of the country in the Cuyo region. It borders to the north with San Juan, the south with La Pampa and Neuquén, the east with San Luis, and to the west with the republic of Chile; the international limit is...
, in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. It is located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, on the eastern side of the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
. As of the , Mendoza's population was 110,993. The metropolitan population was 848,660 in 2001, making Greater Mendoza
Greater Mendoza
Gran Mendoza is the name given to the large urban conurbation around the city of Mendoza in Argentina. The 2001 Census estimated the population of Gran Mendoza as 848,660 making it the 4th largest urban conurbation in Argentina....
the fourth largest census metropolitan area in the country.
Ruta Nacional 7
National Route 7 (Argentina)
National Route 7 is a road in Argentina. It crosses the country from east to west, from the capital to the border with Chile, thus linking the Atlantic coast with the Andes, crossing the provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, Córdoba, San Luis and Mendoza...
, the major road running between Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
and Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
, runs through Mendoza. The city is a frequent stopover for climbers on their way to Aconcagua
Aconcagua
Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas at . It is located in the Andes mountain range, in the Argentine province of Mendoza and it lies west by north of its capital, the city of Mendoza. The summit is also located about 5 kilometres from San Juan Province and 15 kilometres from the...
(the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere) and for adventure travelers interested in mountaineering
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
, hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, horseback riding, rafting
Rafting
Rafting or white water rafting is a challenging recreational outdoor activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on white water or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this...
, and other sports. In the winter, ski
Ski
A ski is a long, flat device worn on the foot, usually attached through a boot, designed to help the wearer slide smoothly over snow. Originally intended as an aid to travel in snowy regions, they are now mainly used for recreational and sporting purposes...
ers come to the city for its easy access to the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
.
Two of the main industries of Mendoza area are olive oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
production and wine
Argentine wine
The Argentine wine industry is the fifth largest producer of wine in the world. Argentine wine, as with some aspects of Argentine cuisine, has its roots in Spain...
making. The region around Greater Mendoza is the largest wine producing area in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. As such, Mendoza is one of nine cities worldwide in the network of Great Capitals of Wine, and the city is an emerging wine tourism
Wine tourism
Wine tourism refers to tourism whose purpose is or includes the tasting, consumption or purchase of wine, often at or near the source. Wine tourism can consist of visits to wineries, vineyards and restaurants known to offer unique vintages, as well as organized wine tours, wine festivals or other...
destination and base for exploring the hundreds of wineries in the region.
History
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Don García Hurtado de Mendoza. Before the 1560s the area was populated by three tribes, the Huarpes, the Puelche
Puelche
Puelche is the name that the Mapuche used to give the ethnic groups who inhabited the lands to the east of the Andes Mountains including the northern Tehuelches and Hets, these last ones were also known as the Pampas or Querandíes...
s, and the Incas. The Huarpes devised a system of irrigation that was later developed by the Spanish. This allowed for an increase in population that might not have otherwise occurred. The system is still evident today in the wide trenches (acequía
Acequia
An acequia or séquia is a community-operated waterway used in Spain and former Spanish colonies in the Americas for irrigation. Particularly in Spain, the Andes, northern Mexico, and the modern-day American Southwest, acequias are usually historically engineered canals that carry snow runoff or...
s, popularly known as 'yanqi traps'), which run along all city streets, watering the app. 100,000 trees, which line every street in Mendoza. The Spanish founded the city at the bank of river (present name) Río Mendoza, only later realizing that the "river" was a wide irrigation canal dug by the indigenous Huarpes people.
It is estimated that fewer than 80 Spanish settlers lived in the area before 1600, but later prosperity increased due to the use of indigenous and slave labor, and the Jesuit presence in the region. When nearby rivers were tapped as a source of irrigation in 1788 agricultural production increased. The extra revenues generated from this, and the ensuing additional trade with Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, no doubt led to the creation of the state of Cuyo
Cuyo (Argentina)
Cuyo is the name given to the wine-producing, mountainous area of central-west Argentina. Historically it comprised the provinces of San Juan, San Luis and Mendoza. The term New Cuyo is a modern one, which indicates both Cuyo proper and the province of La Rioja...
in 1813 with José de San Martín
José de San Martín
José Francisco de San Martín, known simply as Don José de San Martín , was an Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern part of South America's successful struggle for independence from Spain.Born in Yapeyú, Corrientes , he left his mother country at the...
as governor. It was from Mendoza that San Martin, others Argentinian patriots and Chilean patriots organized the army with which they won the independence of Chile
Chilean Independence
Chilean War of Independence was an armed conflict between pro-Independence criollos who sought political and economic independence from Spain and royalist criollos, who supported the continued allegiance to and permanence within the Spanish Empire of the Kingdom of Chile...
and Peru.
Mendoza suffered a severe earthquake
1861 Mendoza earthquake
The 1861 Mendoza earthquake was a major seismic movement in the province of Mendoza, Argentina. It took place on 20 March 1861, at 11:30 PM. It had a magnitude of 7.2 on the Surface wave magnitude scale and an intensity of IX in the Mercalli scale...
in 1861 that killed at least 5,000 people. The city was rebuilt, incorporating innovative urban designs that would better tolerate such seismic activity. Mendoza was rebuilt with large squares and wider streets and sidewalks than any other city in Argentina. Avenue Bartolomé Mitre
Bartolomé Mitre
Bartolomé Mitre Martínez was an Argentine statesman, military figure, and author. He was the President of Argentina from 1862 to 1868.-Life and times:...
and additional small squares are examples of that design. Tourism, wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
production, and more recently the exploitation of hard commodities such as oil and uranium ensure Mendoza's status as a key regional center.
The city's suburbs, the most important of which are Godoy Cruz
Godoy Cruz, Mendoza
Godoy Cruz is a city in the province of Mendoza, Argentina. It has 183,000 inhabitants as per the , and is part of the metropolitan area of the provincial capital ....
, Guaymallén
Guaymallén Department
Guaymallén is a central department of Mendoza Province in Argentina.The provincial subdivision has a population of about 250,000 inhabitants in an area of 164km², and its capital city is Villa Nueva, which is located around 1,090km from Capital Federal....
, Las Heras
Las Heras, Mendoza
Las Heras is a city in the province of Mendoza, Argentina, located in the north of the metropolitan area of the provincial capital . It has more than 180,000 inhabitants as per the and is the head town of the department of the same name....
, Luján de Cuyo
Luján de Cuyo
Luján de Cuyo is the district capital of the Luján de Cuyo Department located in the west of the Mendoza Province of Argentina. It forms part of the Greater Mendoza metropolitan area.-Wine:...
, and Maipú
Maipú, Mendoza
Maipú is a city in Mendoza Province, Argentina. It is the capital of the Maipú Department. It is located a short distance from the provincial capital, Mendoza....
, have in recent decades far outpaced the city proper in population. Comprising half the metro area population of 212,000 in 1947, these suburbs grew to nearly 7/8 of the total metro area of 894,000 by 2009, making Mendoza the most dispersed metro area in Argentina.
Culture
Maipú, Mendoza
Maipú is a city in Mendoza Province, Argentina. It is the capital of the Maipú Department. It is located a short distance from the provincial capital, Mendoza....
. The Casa de Fader, a historic house museum, is an 1890 mansion once home to artist Fernando Fader
Fernando Fader
Fernando Fader was a French-born Argentine painter of the Post-impressionist school.-Life and work:Fernando Fader was born in Bordeaux, France in 1882. His father, of Prussian descent, relocated the family to Argentina in 1884, settling in the western city of Mendoza before returning to France a...
in nearby Mayor Drummond, 14 km south of Mendoza. The mansion is home to many of the artist's paintings.
The Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia
Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia
Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia takes place annually in Mendoza Province, Argentina. It is one of the most important festivals in the country attracting large numbers of tourists to the region...
(The National Grape Harvest Festival) occurs in early March each year. Part of the festivities include a beauty pageant
Beauty contest
A beauty pageant or beauty contest, is a competition that mainly focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests often incorporate personality, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged criteria...
, where 17 beauty queens from each department
Departments of Argentina
Departments form the second level of administrative division in the provinces of Argentina. There are no departments in the city of Buenos Aires, which has so far been divided into neighbourhoods as its administrative divisions, but is to be divided now into communes by a recently passed local act...
of Mendoza Province
Mendoza Province
The Province of Mendoza is a province of Argentina, located in the western central part of the country in the Cuyo region. It borders to the north with San Juan, the south with La Pampa and Neuquén, the east with San Luis, and to the west with the republic of Chile; the international limit is...
compete, and one winner is selected by a panel of about 50 judges. The queen of Mendoza city's department does not compete and acts as host for the other queens.
In 2008 National Geographic
National Geographic Magazine
National Geographic, formerly the National Geographic Magazine, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. It published its first issue in 1888, just nine months after the Society itself was founded...
listed Mendoza as one of the top 10 historic destinations in the world.
Education
Mendoza has a number of universities, including the major Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, University of MendozaUniversidad de Mendoza
The University of Mendoza is an Argentine non-profit private university in the city of Mendoza with a branch in the city of San Rafael.-History:The University of Mendoza was established on December 22, 1959...
, the branch of University of Congreso|Universidad Congresso, Aconcagua University, and Champagnat University.
Mendoza is a popular place to learn Spanish, and there are number of Spanish language schools, including Intercultural, Green Fields and SIMA.
Urban structure
The city is centered around Plaza Independencia (Independence Plaza) with Avenida SarmientoDomingo Faustino Sarmiento
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento was an Argentine activist, intellectual, writer, statesman and the seventh President of Argentina. His writing spanned a wide range of genres and topics, from journalism to autobiography, to political philosophy and history...
running through its center east-west, with the east side pedestrianized (peatonal). Other major streets, running perpendicular to Sarmiento, include Bartolomé Mitre, San Martín, and 9 de Julio (July 9th
Argentine Declaration of Independence
What today is commonly referred as the Independence of Argentina was declared on July 9, 1816 by the Congress of Tucumán. In reality, the congressmen that were assembled in Tucumán declared the independence of the United Provinces of South America, which is still today one of the legal names of the...
), those running parallel include Colón
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
, and Las Heras. Four smaller plazas, San Martín, Chile, Italia, and España, are located 2 blocks off each corner of Independence Plaza. Unique to Mendoza are the exposed stone ditches, essentially small canals, which run alongside many of the roads supplying water to the thousands of trees that provide welcome shade.
The Parque General San Martín (General San Martín Park
General San Martín Park
The Parque General San Martín is a park located in the city of Mendoza, Argentina.-Overview:The construction of the park, originally named Parque del Oeste , began on December 6, 1896, under the direction of the landscape architect Carlos Thays, who employed a combination of English and French 19th...
) was designed by Carlos Thays
Carlos Thays
Carlos Thays was a French-Argentine landscape architect, and a student of French landscape architect Édouard André.-Biography:...
. Its grounds include a zoo, a football stadium and is also home of the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. A view of the city is available from the top of Cerro de la Gloria (Mt. Glory).
Transportation
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
(13 hours by bus) and 380 kilometres from Santiago, Chile
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
(6–7 hours by bus). Mendoza also has an International Airport
Governor Francisco Gabrielli International Airport
Governor Francisco Gabrielli International Airport , better known as El Plumerillo International Airport, is located northeast of the center of Mendoza, a city in the Mendoza Province of Argentina...
(MDZ). It takes less than 2 hours to fly from Buenos Aires and less than 1 hour from Santiago.
The public transport system includes buses, the Mendoza trolleybus system
Trolleybuses in Mendoza
The Mendoza trolleybus system is part of the public transport network in Mendoza, the capital city of Mendoza Province, Argentina.Opened in 1958, the system presently comprises four lines, which link the city centre with some of its metropolitan suburbs....
, and taxis. The trolleybuses are more comfortable than the city buses, but are slower, not as numerous nor is the system as extensive. In 2008, Translink
TransLink (Vancouver)
TransLink is the organization responsible for the regional transportation network of Metro Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada, including public transport and major roads and bridges...
of Vancouver, Canada sold part of its old trolleybus fleet to Mendoza.
A heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
, El Tren del Vino (The Wine Train) is being planned which will also provide local transportation; it will run through wine producing districts of Mendoza.
Transandine Railway
Mendoza's development was helped partly due to its position at the start of the Transandine Railway linking it to Santa Rosa de Los AndesLos Andes, Chile
Los Andes, founded in July 31, 1791 as Santa Rosa de Los Andes, is a Chilean city and commune located in the province of the same name, in Valparaíso Region...
in Chile. The only railway operable between Argentina and Chile, after many years of inactivity, is currently under restoration and testing for its revival as a freight line by Belgrano Cargas.
The Transandine Railway is a metre gauge
Metre gauge
Metre gauge refers to narrow gauge railways and tramways with a track gauge of . In some African, American and Asian countries it is the main gauge. In Europe it has been used for local railways in France, Germany, and Belgium, most of which were closed down in mid 20th century. Only in Switzerland...
line, with sections of Abt rack, whilst the railways it links with are both broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
. A journey from Buenos Aires to Chile involved two breaks-of-gauge
Break-of-gauge
With railways, a break-of-gauge occurs where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock cannot run through without some form of conversion between gauges, and freight and passengers must otherwise be transloaded...
, and therefore two changes of train, one at Mendoza, and the other at Santa Rosa de Los Andes.
Metrotranvía
The city has also begun the construction of a new tramTram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
way line, the Metrotranvía de Mendoza
Metrotranvía of Mendoza
The Metrotranvía of Mendoza will be a public light rail transport system for the city of Mendoza, Argentina, served by articulated light rail cars operating on newly relaid tracks in former-Ferrocarril General San Martín mainline right-of-way...
, which will have a route of 12.5 km and will link five areas of the Greater Mendoza
Greater Mendoza
Gran Mendoza is the name given to the large urban conurbation around the city of Mendoza in Argentina. The 2001 Census estimated the population of Gran Mendoza as 848,660 making it the 4th largest urban conurbation in Argentina....
conurbation. The opening of the system is scheduled for 2011.
In film
French director Jean-Jacques AnnaudJean-Jacques Annaud
Jean-Jacques Annaud is a French film director, film producer and screenwriter.- Biography :Annaud was born in Juvisy-sur-Orge, Essonne...
shot his 1997 film, Seven Years In Tibet
Seven Years in Tibet
Seven Years in Tibet is an autobiographical travel book written by Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer based on his real life experiences in Tibet between 1944 and 1951 during the Second World War and the interim period before the Communist Chinese People's Liberation Army invaded Tibet in...
, in Mendoza and built dozens of sets ranging from a 220 yards (201.2 m) long recreation of the Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an capital city of Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
(built in the foothills of the Andes), to a 9000 square feet (836.1 m²) recreation of the Hall of Good Deeds in the Potala, the ancient palace of the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
(built in an abandoned garlic warehouse outside the city).
Climate
Mendoza's climate can be characterized as arid (Köppen climate classificationKöppen 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...
BWh or BWk depending on the isotherm
Isotherm
Isotherm may refer to:* Isotherm a type of contour line that connects points of equal temperature at a given date or time on a geographic map* Isotherm in thermodynamics, a curve on a p-V diagram for an isothermal process...
used); however, with extensive irrigation the surrounding landscape sustains cultivation with
Mediterranean
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
characteristics. Most precipitation in Mendoza falls in the summer months (November–March). Average temperatures for January (summer) are 32 °C (90 °F) during daytime, and 18.4 °C (65 °F) at night. July (winter) the average temperatures are 14.7 °C (58 °F) and 2.4 °C (36 °F), day and night respectively. Despite the intensity of agriculture, made possible due to irrigation from major rivers, Mendoza's annual rainfall is only 223.2 mm.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Mendoza is twinned with:São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
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Sertãozinho is a Brazilian city in the State of São Paulo. 325 km distant from São Paulo and 702 km from Brasilia.The municipality comprises the city of Sertaozinho and two districts: Cruz das Posses e Vila Garcia. It is among the most populous cities in the state of São Paulo....
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Monterrey
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, Mexico Tacna
Tacna
- Rail :Tacna is served by a cross-border standard gauge railway to Arica, Chile.It is also the location of the National Railway Museum of Peru.-Air:Tacna is served by the Crnl. FAP...
, Peru Miami-Dade County
Miami-Dade County, Florida
Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the state of Florida. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 2,496,435, making it the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States...
, USA Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, USA
See also
- 1861 Mendoza earthquake1861 Mendoza earthquakeThe 1861 Mendoza earthquake was a major seismic movement in the province of Mendoza, Argentina. It took place on 20 March 1861, at 11:30 PM. It had a magnitude of 7.2 on the Surface wave magnitude scale and an intensity of IX in the Mercalli scale...
- 1985 Mendoza earthquake1985 Mendoza earthquakeThe 1985 Mendoza earthquake was a medium-intensity seismic movement in the province of Mendoza, Argentina. It took place 7 minutes after midnight on 26 January 1985, and had a magnitude of 6.2 in the Richter scale. Its epicenter was located about 45 km southwest of Mendoza, the provincial capital,...
- 2006 Mendoza earthquake2006 Mendoza earthquakeThe 2006 Mendoza earthquake was a medium-intensity seismic movement in the province of Mendoza, Argentina. It took place at 11:03 AM on 5 August 2006, and had a magnitude of 5.7 in the Richter scale...
Sources
- V. Letelier, Apuntes sobre el terremoto de Mendoza (Santiago de Chile - 1907)
- V. Blasco Ibánez, Argentina y sus Grandezas (Madrid - 1910)
External links
- Universidad Nacional de Cuyo
- Photos of Mendoza and surroundings
- (Spanish) Municipality of Mendoza Official website
- (Spanish) Tourism office
- (Spanish) Tourism Website of Mendoza
- MSN Map
- Local TV - Actions Sports
Newspapers
(Online editions)- (Spanish) Diario Los Andes
- (Spanish) Diario Uno
- (Spanish) Ciudadano Diario
- (Spanish) Jornada
- (Spanish) El Sol
- (Spanish) Cuyo Noticias
- (Spanish) MDZ online