Neuquén Province
Encyclopedia
Neuquén is a 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 meets La Pampa Province
at its northeast corner.
.
The term "Neuquén" derives from the Mapudungun
word "Nehuenken" meaning drafty, which the aborigines used for the river. The word (without the accentuation) is a palindrome
.
Inhabited by Pehuenche
s, the territory was initially explored by conquistador
es comming from Chile
. In 1670 a jesuit priest established in Chiloé Archipelago
, Nicolás Mascardi
, founded the Jesuit
mission
Nuestra Senora de Nahuel Huapi. The jesuit missions lasted few years and the last mission in Neuquén was destroyed in 1717. The supression of the society of Jesus in 1767 halted futher missionary activity. The Neuquén area came under Argentine influence after explorer Perito Francisco Moreno
made several trips to Patagonia
and made accurate descriptions of the area in his book "Viaje al Pais de las Manzanas", reaching Nahuel Huapi lake in 1875.
In 1879 Julio Argentino Roca
started the Conquest of the Desert
(Conquista del Desierto) that finally broke the aboriginal resistance. In 1884 Patagonia's political divisions were restructured and the Territory of Neuquén acquired its current boundaries. The capital of the province moved several times to Norquín (1884-85), Campana Mahuida (current Loncopué
) (1885-1888), Chos Malal
(1885-1901), and finally Confluencia currently known as Neuquén
.
At the beginning of the 20th century the railway reached the city of Neuquén, and a new irrigation system was finished, facilitating the production and later transportation of crops. Petroleum
was found in Plaza Huincul in 1918, giving Neuquén a new push forward.
Local politics have long been dominated by a single political party, the MPN or Movimiento Popular Neuquino founded by Elias Sapag
, a prosperous businessman born in Lebanon
.
Migrating to Argentina
, the Sapag family arrived in Neuquén Territory around 1910 with the railroad, eventually making their home in Zapala
, whose dry, fertile mountain valleys and orchards were reminiscent of their native Lebanon
. Neuquén is rich in natural resources such as natural gas, petroleum, virgin forest
s and water resources
suitable for electric power and tourism alike. These resources were formerly managed by the central National Government, which resulted in little local benefit at the time. Because of social unrest, Elias Sapag
and two younger brothers, Felipe and Amado, started the MPN, an active political movement rooted in federalism
and greater local rights over the territory and its resources.
The territory was made a province on June 15, 1955, and its constitution promulgated on November 28, 1957. Felipe Sapag
soon became politically prominent. Although he was elected governor in 1962 representing the Movimiento Popular Neuquino, a coup against progressive President Arturo Frondizi
that March prevented Sapag from taking office. Eventually becoming governor in 1963-66 and 1973-76, he presided over one of Argentina's fastest-growing provinces. The national government established the University of Neuquén in 1964, later incorporated into the new National University of Comahue
in 1971. Removed as governor following the violent March 1976 coup against Isabel Perón, Felipe Sapag was returned to office in 1983-87 and 1995-99. His emphasis on public works and political independence from Buenos Aires have helped him and his successors with the MPN win every province-wide election since. His brother Elias Sapag
became senator in 1963-66, 1973-76 and from 1983 until his death in 1993, becoming the longest-serving senator in national history. The MPN also elected Governors Pedro Salvatori (1987-91), Jorge Sobisch
(1991-95 and 1999-2007) and current Governor Jorge Sapag
(2007-11).
Neuquén has, since 1955, become a prosperous province with a high impact on the national energy supply and, as a growing tourist destination, outperforming most other provinces in the Patagonia
region and in Argentina.
The province's limits are the Colorado River
to the northeast, separating it from the Mendoza Province
, the Limay River
to the southeast toward the Río Negro Province
, and the Andes
mountains to the west, separating it from Chile
.
There are two main distinctive landscapes; the mountainous fertile valleys with forest on the west, and the arid plateau with fertile land only near the basins of the rivers on the east, mostly the Limay River and Neuquén River
.
The lacustrine
system includes other less-important rivers such as the Aluminé River
, the Malleo, and the Picún Leufú River, and a series of lakes including Nahuel Huapi Lake
(550 km²), shared with Río Negro Province, Aluminé Lake
(58 km²), Lácar Lake
(49 km²), Huechulaufquen Lake (110 km²), Lolog (35 km²), Traful, Hermoso, Quillén, Ñorquinco, Tromen and Falkner.
The weather is continental, and climate varies widely throughout the province. The northeastern regions are extremely arid, with spots that do not reach 200 mm (8 in) of precipitation yearly. There, summers can be very hot, with cool nights (average highs of 31°C (88F) and nights of 15°C (59F), sometimes reaching 40°C (104F)), and winters are relatively mild by Patagonian standards (average high of 11°C (52F), low of -1°C (30F), but sometimes reaching -10°C (14F) and below, with occasional snowfall). As approaching the Andes toward the west, precipitation increases and temperatures decrease: the foothills of the range see generally colder nights in the summer, and more frequent snowfall in the winter. The low valleys in the Southwestern part of the province receive up to 2,000 mm (80 in) of rain, with a marked rainy season in the fall and winter. Daytime temperatures average only 22°C (71F) in the summer, with nights down to about 6°C (43F)., in the winter, lows average -2°C (29F) and highs 6°C (43F) with temperatures of -15°C (5F) relatively common. Some valleys receive a direct moist inflow from the Pacific ocean, resulting in extremely high precipitation, up to 4,000 mm (160 in). Higher elevations are colder, with very heavy snows above 1,800 m in the north and 1,000 m in the south of the province, and temperatures well below -20°C (-4F) possible. Several summits are heavily glaciated, and on most Andean peaks snow may be found until midsummer.
The province is home to the magnificent Arrayanes
(Luma apiculata) forest at the Los Arrayanes National Park
. Other National parks include Lanín National Park
and the Lanín
extinct volcano, the Nahuel Huapí National Park
shared with Río Negro Province, and the Laguna Blanca National Park
.
No province in Argentina, however, is as dependent on any one sector as is Neuquen's. Roughly half its output is accounted for by its mining and extractive sector, mainly on account of its massive gas and petroleum production, the most important in Argentina.
The province generates a significant part of Patagonia's electric power through the hydroelectric plants of Piedra del Águila
, El Chocón
, Pichi Picún Leufú
, Planicie Banderita (in the Cerros Colorados Complex
), and Alicurá
. The town of Arroyito hosts the only heavy water
plant in the country.
Another important activity is the production of apple
s, pear
s, peach
es and others, specially in the Alto Valle area, shared with Río Negro
.
The piquetero
movement (organizations of unemployed workers) was born in Neuquén in the 1990s, during the presidency of Carlos Menem
.
A destination of many Argentines and foreigners, the province has a number of year-round attractions, including San Martín de los Andes
, Villa La Angostura
, Camino de los Siete Lagos, Los Arrayanes National Park
, Lanín National Park
, Nahuel Huapí National Park
, Laguna Blanca National Park
, and the Copahue
hot baths.
During the winter, there are the ski resorts in Chapelco
, Cerro Bayo
and Caviahue.
Many hike or fish, mainly for river trout
, the lake district region of Southwestern Neuquén that stretches into Río Negro and Chubut Province
s.
There were a number of dinosaur
s in the area, of which the bones of a 95 million years old Argentinosaurus
are in display at the Carmen Funes Museum in Plaza Huincul.
.
Provinces of Argentina
Argentina is subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city...
of 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...
, located in the west of the country, at the northern end of Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
. It borders 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...
to the north, Rio Negro Province
Río Negro Province
Río Negro is a province of Argentina, located at the northern edge of Patagonia. Neighboring provinces are from the south clockwise Chubut, Neuquén, Mendoza, La Pampa and Buenos Aires. To the east lies the Atlantic Ocean.Its capital is Viedma...
to the southeast, and Chile
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...
to the west. It also meets La Pampa Province
La Pampa Province
La Pampa is a sparsely populated province of Argentina, located in the Pampas in the center of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise San Luis, Córdoba, Buenos Aires, Río Negro, Neuquén and Mendoza.-History:...
at its northeast corner.
History
The Neuquén Province receives its name from the Neuquén RiverNeuquén River
The Neuquén River is the second most important river of the province of Neuquén in the Argentine Patagonia, after the Limay River.The river is born at the northwest of the province at an altitude of 2,300 metres, to be feed by a number of streams through valleys of the lower Andes while advancing...
.
The term "Neuquén" derives from the Mapudungun
Mapudungun
The Mapuche language, Mapudungun is a language isolate spoken in south-central Chile and west central Argentina by the Mapuche people. It is also spelled Mapuzugun and sometimes called Mapudungu or Araucanian...
word "Nehuenken" meaning drafty, which the aborigines used for the river. The word (without the accentuation) is a palindrome
Palindrome
A palindrome is a word, phrase, number, or other sequence of units that can be read the same way in either direction, with general allowances for adjustments to punctuation and word dividers....
.
Inhabited by Pehuenche
Pehuenche
Pehuenches are an indigenous people that are part of the Mapuche peoples and live in the Andes in south central Chile and Argentina. Their name derives from their habit of harvesting of piñones, the seeds of the Araucaria araucana or pehuén...
s, the territory was initially explored by conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
es comming from Chile
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...
. In 1670 a jesuit priest established in Chiloé Archipelago
Chiloé Archipelago
Chiloé Archipelago consists of several islands lying off the coast of Chile. It is separated from mainland Chile by Chacao Channel in the north, the Sea of Chiloé in the east and Gulf of Corcovado to the southeast. All of the archipelago except Desertores Islands, which are part of Palena...
, Nicolás Mascardi
Nicolás Mascardi
Nicolás Mascardi was an Italian jesuit priest and missioner in South America in the 17th century. He arrived to Chile in 1651. In 1669 he crossed the Andes from Chiloé Archipelago and did notably established a mission in the shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake which lasted until his death...
, founded the Jesuit
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
mission
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
Nuestra Senora de Nahuel Huapi. The jesuit missions lasted few years and the last mission in Neuquén was destroyed in 1717. The supression of the society of Jesus in 1767 halted futher missionary activity. The Neuquén area came under Argentine influence after explorer Perito Francisco Moreno
Francisco Moreno
Francisco Pascacio Moreno was a prominent explorer and academic in Argentina, where he is usually referred to as Perito Moreno...
made several trips to Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
and made accurate descriptions of the area in his book "Viaje al Pais de las Manzanas", reaching Nahuel Huapi lake in 1875.
In 1879 Julio Argentino Roca
Julio Argentino Roca
Alejo Julio Argentino Roca Paz was an army general who served as President of Argentina from 12 October 1880 to 12 October 1886 and again from 12 October 1898 to 12 October 1904.-Upbringing and early career:...
started the Conquest of the Desert
Conquest of the Desert
The Conquest of the Desert was a military campaign directed mainly by General Julio Argentino Roca in the 1870s, which established Argentine dominance over Patagonia, which was inhabited by indigenous peoples...
(Conquista del Desierto) that finally broke the aboriginal resistance. In 1884 Patagonia's political divisions were restructured and the Territory of Neuquén acquired its current boundaries. The capital of the province moved several times to Norquín (1884-85), Campana Mahuida (current Loncopué
Loncopué
Loncopué is a second category municipality and capital of the Loncopué Department located in the Neuquén Province, Argentina.- Economy :The major economic activities are animal husbandry of goats and sheep, and tourism.-References:...
) (1885-1888), Chos Malal
Chos Malal
Chos Malal from Mapudungun is the capital city of the Chos Malal Department located in Neuquén Province, Argentina.- History :...
(1885-1901), and finally Confluencia currently known as Neuquén
Neuquén
Neuquén is the name of the following things:* Neuquén, Argentina* Neuquén Province* Neuquén River* Neuquén Group...
.
At the beginning of the 20th century the railway reached the city of Neuquén, and a new irrigation system was finished, facilitating the production and later transportation of crops. Petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
was found in Plaza Huincul in 1918, giving Neuquén a new push forward.
Local politics have long been dominated by a single political party, the MPN or Movimiento Popular Neuquino founded by Elias Sapag
Elías Sapag
Elías Canaán Sapag was a Lebanese-born Argentine politician, long-serving senator for Neuquén Province, founder of the Neuquén People's Movement and head of the locally influential Sapag family....
, a prosperous businessman born in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
.
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...
, the Sapag family arrived in Neuquén Territory around 1910 with the railroad, eventually making their home in Zapala
Zapala
Zapala is a city in the Patagonian province of Neuquén, Argentina with about 32,000 inhabitants according to the .The city is located at the geographic center of the province at the confluence of national and provincial roads, on a route to the Andes and Chile...
, whose dry, fertile mountain valleys and orchards were reminiscent of their native Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. Neuquén is rich in natural resources such as natural gas, petroleum, virgin forest
Virgin Forest
Virgin Forest is a self-described B-movie starring Sarsi Emmanuel, who plays a barrio lass of Chinese ancestry; the late Miguel Rodriguez, as a Filipino-Spanish illustrado; and, Abel Jurado, who plays the lover of Sarsi's character.-Synopsis:...
s and water resources
Water resources
Water resources are sources of water that are useful or potentially useful. Uses of water include agricultural, industrial, household, recreational and environmental activities. Virtually all of these human uses require fresh water....
suitable for electric power and tourism alike. These resources were formerly managed by the central National Government, which resulted in little local benefit at the time. Because of social unrest, Elias Sapag
Elías Sapag
Elías Canaán Sapag was a Lebanese-born Argentine politician, long-serving senator for Neuquén Province, founder of the Neuquén People's Movement and head of the locally influential Sapag family....
and two younger brothers, Felipe and Amado, started the MPN, an active political movement rooted in federalism
Federalism
Federalism is a political concept in which a group of members are bound together by covenant with a governing representative head. The term "federalism" is also used to describe a system of the government in which sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and...
and greater local rights over the territory and its resources.
The territory was made a province on June 15, 1955, and its constitution promulgated on November 28, 1957. Felipe Sapag
Felipe Sapag
Felipe Sapag was an Argentine politician, governor of Neuquén Province on five occasions and a leading figure in the Neuquén People's Movement and the locally influential Sapag family.-Life and times:...
soon became politically prominent. Although he was elected governor in 1962 representing the Movimiento Popular Neuquino, a coup against progressive President Arturo Frondizi
Arturo Frondizi
Arturo Frondizi Ercoli was the President of Argentina between May 1, 1958, and March 29, 1962, for the Intransigent Radical Civic Union.-Early life:Frondizi was born in Paso de los Libres, Corrientes Province...
that March prevented Sapag from taking office. Eventually becoming governor in 1963-66 and 1973-76, he presided over one of Argentina's fastest-growing provinces. The national government established the University of Neuquén in 1964, later incorporated into the new National University of Comahue
National University of Comahue
The National University of Comahue is an Argentine national university with branches in the provinces of Neuquén, Río Negro and Chubut, with a center in the city of Neuquén and units in Viedma, Bariloche, San Martín de los Andes, Cipolletti, Zapala, Allen, Río Negro, General Roca, Río Negro,...
in 1971. Removed as governor following the violent March 1976 coup against Isabel Perón, Felipe Sapag was returned to office in 1983-87 and 1995-99. His emphasis on public works and political independence from Buenos Aires have helped him and his successors with the MPN win every province-wide election since. His brother Elias Sapag
Elías Sapag
Elías Canaán Sapag was a Lebanese-born Argentine politician, long-serving senator for Neuquén Province, founder of the Neuquén People's Movement and head of the locally influential Sapag family....
became senator in 1963-66, 1973-76 and from 1983 until his death in 1993, becoming the longest-serving senator in national history. The MPN also elected Governors Pedro Salvatori (1987-91), Jorge Sobisch
Jorge Sobisch
Jorge Omar Sobisch is an Argentine centre-right politician, formerly governor of Neuquén Province. He leads the Neuquén People's Movement and was a candidate for President of Argentina in 2007.-Biography:...
(1991-95 and 1999-2007) and current Governor Jorge Sapag
Jorge Sapag
Jorge Augusto Sapag is a politician and lawyer, a member of the Neuquino People's Movement and governor of Neuquén Province since 2007....
(2007-11).
Neuquén has, since 1955, become a prosperous province with a high impact on the national energy supply and, as a growing tourist destination, outperforming most other provinces in the Patagonia
Patagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
region and in Argentina.
Geography and climate
Colorado River (Argentina)
The Colorado River is a river in the south of Argentina.The Colorado river marks most of the political limit between the provinces of Neuquén and Mendoza, and between Rio Negro and La Pampa...
to the northeast, separating it from the 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...
, the Limay River
Limay River
The Limay River is an important river in the northwestern Argentine Patagonia . It is born at the eastern end of the Nahuel Huapi Lake and flows in a meandering path for about 380 km, collecting the waters of several tributaries, such as the Traful, the Pichileufú and the Collón Curá. It then meets...
to the southeast toward the Río Negro Province
Río Negro Province
Río Negro is a province of Argentina, located at the northern edge of Patagonia. Neighboring provinces are from the south clockwise Chubut, Neuquén, Mendoza, La Pampa and Buenos Aires. To the east lies the Atlantic Ocean.Its capital is Viedma...
, and 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...
mountains to the west, separating it from Chile
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...
.
There are two main distinctive landscapes; the mountainous fertile valleys with forest on the west, and the arid plateau with fertile land only near the basins of the rivers on the east, mostly the Limay River and Neuquén River
Neuquén River
The Neuquén River is the second most important river of the province of Neuquén in the Argentine Patagonia, after the Limay River.The river is born at the northwest of the province at an altitude of 2,300 metres, to be feed by a number of streams through valleys of the lower Andes while advancing...
.
The lacustrine
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
system includes other less-important rivers such as the Aluminé River
Aluminé River
The Aluminé River is a geographical feature of Neuquén Province, Argentina. It flows southward from Lake Aluminé, near the town of Aluminé, for around 170 km , past which it becomes a tributary of the Collón Curá River ....
, the Malleo, and the Picún Leufú River, and a series of lakes including Nahuel Huapi Lake
Nahuel Huapi Lake
Nahuel Huapi Lake is a lake in the lake region of northern Patagonia between the provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén, in Argentina. The lake depression consists of several glacial valleys carved out along faults and Miocene valleys that were later dammed by moraines.Nahuel Huapi lake, located...
(550 km²), shared with Río Negro Province, Aluminé Lake
Alumine Lake
Alumine Lake is located in Neuquen, Argentina. Alumine Lake is fed by the outflow of Lake Moquehue....
(58 km²), Lácar Lake
Lácar Lake
The Lácar Lake is a lake of glacial origin in the . It is enclosed in a mountain range of the Andes, at 630 m above mean sea level, approximately at . The area around the lake is mostly uninhabited, except for the small city of San Martín de los Andes on its northeastern coast.The lake has a...
(49 km²), Huechulaufquen Lake (110 km²), Lolog (35 km²), Traful, Hermoso, Quillén, Ñorquinco, Tromen and Falkner.
The weather is continental, and climate varies widely throughout the province. The northeastern regions are extremely arid, with spots that do not reach 200 mm (8 in) of precipitation yearly. There, summers can be very hot, with cool nights (average highs of 31°C (88F) and nights of 15°C (59F), sometimes reaching 40°C (104F)), and winters are relatively mild by Patagonian standards (average high of 11°C (52F), low of -1°C (30F), but sometimes reaching -10°C (14F) and below, with occasional snowfall). As approaching the Andes toward the west, precipitation increases and temperatures decrease: the foothills of the range see generally colder nights in the summer, and more frequent snowfall in the winter. The low valleys in the Southwestern part of the province receive up to 2,000 mm (80 in) of rain, with a marked rainy season in the fall and winter. Daytime temperatures average only 22°C (71F) in the summer, with nights down to about 6°C (43F)., in the winter, lows average -2°C (29F) and highs 6°C (43F) with temperatures of -15°C (5F) relatively common. Some valleys receive a direct moist inflow from the Pacific ocean, resulting in extremely high precipitation, up to 4,000 mm (160 in). Higher elevations are colder, with very heavy snows above 1,800 m in the north and 1,000 m in the south of the province, and temperatures well below -20°C (-4F) possible. Several summits are heavily glaciated, and on most Andean peaks snow may be found until midsummer.
The province is home to the magnificent Arrayanes
Luma apiculata
Luma apiculata, is a species of tree in the genus Luma in the family Myrtaceae, native to the central Andes mountains between Chile and Argentina between 33 and 45° South Latitude. Synonyms include Myrtus luma Mol., Eugenia apiculata DC., Myrceugenia apiculata Niedenzu, and Myrceugenella...
(Luma apiculata) forest at the Los Arrayanes National Park
Los Arrayanes National Park
Los Arrayanes National Park is a national park of Argentina with an area of 17.53 square kilometres. It covers the Quetrihué Peninsula on the shore of the Nahuel Huapi Lake in the province of Neuquén, 3 km from Villa la Angostura....
. Other National parks include Lanín National Park
Lanín National Park
Lanín National Park is a national park of Argentina, located in the Neuquén Province, with forests of diverse tree varieties, mainly Fagaceae and conifers such as the lenga and the Araucaria, many species of which are not found elsewhere in Argentina....
and the Lanín
Lanín
Lanín is an ice-clad, cone-shaped stratovolcano on the border of Argentina and Chile. It forms part of two national parks: Lanín in Argentina and Villarrica in Chile. It is a symbol of the Argentine province of Neuquén, being part of its flag and its anthem. Although the date of its last eruption...
extinct volcano, the Nahuel Huapí National Park
Nahuel Huapi National Park
Established in 1934, the Nahuel Huapi National Park is the oldest national park in Argentina. It surrounds Nahuel Huapi Lake in the foothills of the Patagonian Andes. The largest of the national parks in the region, it has an area of , or nearly 2 million acres...
shared with Río Negro Province, and the Laguna Blanca National Park
Laguna Blanca National Park
Laguna Blanca is a National Park in the west of the , close to the town of Zapala.The park around the lagoon was created in 1940 to protect the lagoon and particularly the population of black-necked swans . It has an area of 112.5 km²...
.
Economy
Neuquen is one of Argentina's most prosperous provinces, its estimated US$7 billion economy in 2006 (the country's eighth largest, despite its small population) generated a per capita income of US$14,700, Argentina's fourth highest and two-thirds above the national average.No province in Argentina, however, is as dependent on any one sector as is Neuquen's. Roughly half its output is accounted for by its mining and extractive sector, mainly on account of its massive gas and petroleum production, the most important in Argentina.
The province generates a significant part of Patagonia's electric power through the hydroelectric plants of Piedra del Águila
Piedra del Águila Dam
The Piedra del Águila Dam is the second of five dams on the Limay River in northwestern Argentine Patagonia and 590 m above mean sea level, downstream from the confluence of the Limay and the Collón Curá River...
, El Chocón
El Chocón Dam
The El Chocón Dam is the fourth of the five dams on the Limay River in the northwestern Argentine Patagonia , at , above mean sea level. El Chocón is on the Limay River at about upstream of its confluence with the Neuquén River....
, Pichi Picún Leufú
Pichi Picún Leufú Dam
The Pichi Picún Leufú Dam is the third of five dams on the Limay River in northwestern Argentine Patagonia , near the town of Piedra del Águila, Neuquén, at ....
, Planicie Banderita (in the Cerros Colorados Complex
Cerros Colorados Complex
The Cerros Colorados Complex is a group of dams and hydroelectricity generation facilities on the lower valley of the Neuquén River, in Neuquén, Argentina.-Overview:...
), and Alicurá
Alicurá Dam
The Alicurá Dam is the first of five dams on the Limay River in northwestern Argentine Patagonia , about 100 km from the city of San Carlos de Bariloche and 705 m above mean sea level. It was inaugurated in 1985.The dam is used primarily for the generation of hydroelectricity with an installed...
. The town of Arroyito hosts the only heavy water
Heavy water
Heavy water is water highly enriched in the hydrogen isotope deuterium; e.g., heavy water used in CANDU reactors is 99.75% enriched by hydrogen atom-fraction...
plant in the country.
Another important activity is the production of apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
s, pear
Pear
The pear is any of several tree species of genus Pyrus and also the name of the pomaceous fruit of these trees. Several species of pear are valued by humans for their edible fruit, but the fruit of other species is small, hard, and astringent....
s, peach
Peach
The peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...
es and others, specially in the Alto Valle area, shared with Río Negro
Río Negro Province
Río Negro is a province of Argentina, located at the northern edge of Patagonia. Neighboring provinces are from the south clockwise Chubut, Neuquén, Mendoza, La Pampa and Buenos Aires. To the east lies the Atlantic Ocean.Its capital is Viedma...
.
The piquetero
Piquetero
A piquetero is a member of a political faction whose primary modus operandi is based in the piquete. The piquete is an action by which a group of people blocks a road or street with the purpose of demonstrating and calling attention over a particular issue or demand...
movement (organizations of unemployed workers) was born in Neuquén in the 1990s, during the presidency of Carlos Menem
Carlos Menem
Carlos Saúl Menem is an Argentine politician who was President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999. He is currently an Argentine National Senator for La Rioja Province.-Early life:...
.
Tourism
- See also Tourism in ArgentinaTourism in ArgentinaTourism in Argentina is favored by its ample and varied natural assets and by its cultural offerings. The country is lucky to have everything a tourist would ask for...
article
A destination of many Argentines and foreigners, the province has a number of year-round attractions, including San Martín de los Andes
San Martín de los Andes
-References:* - Official website.-External links:*...
, Villa La Angostura
Villa La Angostura
Villa La Angostura is a village in the south of the Argentine province of Neuquén, on the northwest shore of the Nahuel Huapi Lake.-Geography and climate:...
, Camino de los Siete Lagos, Los Arrayanes National Park
Los Arrayanes National Park
Los Arrayanes National Park is a national park of Argentina with an area of 17.53 square kilometres. It covers the Quetrihué Peninsula on the shore of the Nahuel Huapi Lake in the province of Neuquén, 3 km from Villa la Angostura....
, Lanín National Park
Lanín National Park
Lanín National Park is a national park of Argentina, located in the Neuquén Province, with forests of diverse tree varieties, mainly Fagaceae and conifers such as the lenga and the Araucaria, many species of which are not found elsewhere in Argentina....
, Nahuel Huapí National Park
Nahuel Huapi National Park
Established in 1934, the Nahuel Huapi National Park is the oldest national park in Argentina. It surrounds Nahuel Huapi Lake in the foothills of the Patagonian Andes. The largest of the national parks in the region, it has an area of , or nearly 2 million acres...
, Laguna Blanca National Park
Laguna Blanca National Park
Laguna Blanca is a National Park in the west of the , close to the town of Zapala.The park around the lagoon was created in 1940 to protect the lagoon and particularly the population of black-necked swans . It has an area of 112.5 km²...
, and the Copahue
Copahue
Copahue is a stratovolcano on the border between Argentina and Chile. There are nine volcanic craters along a line, and the eastern summit crater contains a briny, acidic 300 m wide crater lake...
hot baths.
During the winter, there are the ski resorts in Chapelco
Chapelco
Chapelco, or Cerro Chapelco, is a mountain and mountain mazice in Neuquen Province, south-western Argentina. The mountain has a ski center located 18 kilometres from the tourist centre of San Martín de los Andes city.- External links :*...
, Cerro Bayo
Cerro Bayo
Cerro Bayo is a complex volcano on the northern part border between Argentina and Chile. It consists of four overlapping stratovolcanoes along a north-south line...
and Caviahue.
Many hike or fish, mainly for river trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
, the lake district region of Southwestern Neuquén that stretches into Río Negro and Chubut Province
Chubut Province
Chubut a province in the southern part of Argentina situated between the 42nd parallel south and the 46th parallel south , the Andes range separating Argentina from Chile, and the Atlantic ocean...
s.
There were a number of dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s in the area, of which the bones of a 95 million years old Argentinosaurus
Argentinosaurus
Argentinosaurus is a genus of titanosaur sauropod dinosaur first discovered by Guillermo Heredia in Argentina. The generic name refers to the country in which it was discovered...
are in display at the Carmen Funes Museum in Plaza Huincul.
Political division
The province is divided into 16 departmentsDepartments 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...
.
| Map | Departament | Capital |
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Aluminé Aluminé Department - Geography :The departament limits with Chile at east and northeast, Loncopué Department at northwest, Zapala Department at southwest and Huiliches Department at south.... |
Aluminé Aluminé Aluminé is a second class municipality and the capital city of Aluminé Department located in Neuquén Province, Argentina.-History:Aluminé was established in 1915, due to the departamental reorganization of the Neuquén Territory, today the Neuquén Province.... |
| Añelo Añelo Department - Geography :The Department limits with Pehuenches Department at north, Rio Negro Province at east, Confluencia Department at southeast, Zapala Department at South-southeast, Picunches Department at southweast and Loncopué Department at west.- Culture :... |
Añelo Añelo Añelo is a second category municipality located in the Añelo Department in Neuquén Province, Argentina.- Economy :The economy of Añelo is based in agriculture... |
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| Catán Lil Catán Lil Department -Geography:The Department limits with Picunches Department at north, Zapala Department at northeast, Picún Leufú Department at east, Collón Curá Department at southeast, Huiliches Department at southwest and Aluminé Department at northwest.... |
Las Coloradas Las Coloradas Las Coloradas is a third category municipality and capital city of the Catán Lil Department, located in Neuquén Province, Argentina.- Mapuche Settlement:... |
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Chos Malal Chos Malal Department -Geography:The Department limits with Chile at the North, Mendoza Province at the nordeast, Pehuenches Department at southeast, Ñorquín Department at southwest and Minas Department at west.... |
Chos Malal Chos Malal Chos Malal from Mapudungun is the capital city of the Chos Malal Department located in Neuquén Province, Argentina.- History :... |
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Collón Cura Collón Curá Department Collón Curá is a department located in the southeast of Neuquén Province, Argentina.-Geography:The Department limits with Catán Lil Department at north , Picún Leufú Department at northeast, Rio Negro Province at east and southeast, Lácar Department at southwest and Huiliches Department at northwest.... |
Piedra del Aguila Piedra del Águila Piedra del Águila is a second category Municipality and the capital city of Collón Curá Department, located in Neuquén Province, Argentina.- Geography :... |
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Confluencia Confluencia Department Confluencia is a department located in the east of Neuquén Province in Argentina.Neuquén, the capital city of the province, is located in this department.The department is named Confluencia after the confluence of the rivers Negro and Limay.-Geography:... |
Neuquén Neuquén, Argentina -Sister cities:Neuquén is sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International with: Knoxville, Tennessee, United States Treviso, Veneto, Italy Valdivia, Chile-External links: - Official website.... |
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Huiliches Huiliches Department -Geography:The Department limits at north with Aluminé Department, Catán Lil Department at northeast, Collón Cura Department at southeast, Lácar Department at south and Chile at east.... |
Junín de los Andes Junín de los Andes Junín de los Andes is a village in the province of Neuquén, Argentina. It has 10,592 inhabitants as of the , and is the head town of the Huiliches Department... |
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Lácar Lácar Department - Geography :The Department limits with Huiliches Department at North, Collón Cura Department at northeast, Rio Negro Province at southeast, Los Lagos Department at south and Chile at east.... |
San Martín de los Andes San Martín de los Andes -References:* - Official website.-External links:*... |
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Loncopué Loncopué Department -Geography:The Department limits with Ñorquín Department at north, Pehuenches Department at north east, Confluencia Department at east, Picunches Department at south and Chile at east.... |
Loncopué Loncopué Loncopué is a second category municipality and capital of the Loncopué Department located in the Neuquén Province, Argentina.- Economy :The major economic activities are animal husbandry of goats and sheep, and tourism.-References:... |
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Los Lagos Los Lagos Department -Geography:The Department limits with Lácar Department at north, Rio Negro Province at the east and southeast, with Chile at southwest and east.... |
Villa La Angostura Villa La Angostura Villa La Angostura is a village in the south of the Argentine province of Neuquén, on the northwest shore of the Nahuel Huapi Lake.-Geography and climate:... |
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Minas Minas Department, Neuquén -Geography:The Department limits with Chos Malal Department at the East, Ñorquín Department at the south and Chile at east and northeast.... |
Andacollo |
| Ñorquín Ñorquín Department -Geography:The Department limits with Minas Department at the Northwest, Chos Malal Department at the northeast, Pehuenches Department at east, Loncopué Department at south and Chile at east.... |
El Huecú El Huecú El Huecú is a third category municipality and capital of the Ñorquín Department, on the Provincial Road 4, in the north of the Argentine province Neuquén.It was founded in 1940... |
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Pehuenches Pehuenches Department -Geography:The Department limits at north with Mendoza province, at northeast with La Pampa Province and at east with -Geography:The Department limits at north with [[Mendoza province]], at northeast with [[La Pampa Province]] and at east with -Geography:... |
Rincón de los Sauces Rincón de Los Sauces Rincón de los Sauces is a first category municipality and the capital of Pehuenches Department in Neuquén Province, Argentina.-History :The area was first populated by settlers around the end of the 19th and the start of the 20th century, until a flood of the Barrancas River caused the destruction... |
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Picún Leufú Picún Leufú Department -Geography:The Department limits with Confluencia Department at northeast, Rio Negro Province at southeast, Collón Curá Department at southwest, Catán Lil Department at west and Zapala Department at northwest.... |
Picún Leufú Picún Leufú Picún Leufú is a second category municipality and the capital of Picún Leufú Department located in Neuquén Province, Argentina.... |
| Picunches Picunches Department - Geography :The Department limits with Loncopué Department at north, Confluencia Department at northeast, Zapala Department at southweast, Catán Lil Department at south, Aluminé Department at southwest and Chile at west.... |
Las Lajas Las Lajas, Neuquén Las Lajas is a town in Neuquén Province, Argentina, and the capital of Picunches Department. The town, at an altitude of above mean sea level, is located on the right shore of Agrio River at the Andean foothills. National Routes 22 and 40 intersect in this area of the central Neuquén Province... |
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Zapala Zapala Department -Geography:The Department limits with Confluencia Department at the East, Añelo Department at the nordeast, Picún Leufú Department at southeast, Catán Lil Department at southwest and Picunches Department at nordwest.... |
Zapala Zapala Zapala is a city in the Patagonian province of Neuquén, Argentina with about 32,000 inhabitants according to the .The city is located at the geographic center of the province at the confluence of national and provincial roads, on a route to the Andes and Chile... |