Zapala
Encyclopedia
Zapala is a city in the Patagonia
n 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
. The city has an important cement
factory.
Zapala is near the Laguna Blanca National Park
and a ski
resort and is situated in a steppe
region, known as Pehuenia, which has small Araucaria
forests and includes the nearby town of Aluminé
and other towns.
, a British-owned company taken over by the Ferrocarril General Roca
after railway nationalisation
in 1948 and, since railway privatisation
in 1993, in the hands of Ferrosur Roca
. The city is split in two by the railways; on one side there is a commercial district with old buildings, and on the other a modern residential area.
The station is a terminus at the end of the line from Bahía Blanca
and Neuquén
which was meant to continue across the Andes mountains into Chile. Construction was abandoned in the 1920s although resumption of construction was proposed in 2006
.
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...
n province of Neuquén
Neuquén Province
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...
, 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...
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
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...
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...
. The city has an important cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
factory.
Zapala is near 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...
and a 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...
resort and is situated in a steppe
Steppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
region, known as Pehuenia, which has small Araucaria
Araucaria
Araucaria is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Araucariaceae. There are 19 extant species in the genus, with a highly disjunct distribution in New Caledonia , Norfolk Island, eastern Australia, New Guinea, Argentina, Chile, and southern Brazil.-Description:Araucaria are mainly...
forests and includes the nearby town of 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....
and other towns.
Transport
Zapala was founded on 12 July 1913 around a railway station built by the Buenos Aires Great Southern RailwayBuenos Aires Great Southern Railway
The Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway was one of the Big Four broad gauge, , British-owned companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina...
, a British-owned company taken over by the Ferrocarril General Roca
Ferrocarril General Roca
Ferrocarril General Roca , named after the former Argentine president Julio Argentino Roca, was one of the six state-owned Argentine railway companies formed after President Juan Perón's nationalisation of the railway network in 1948...
after railway nationalisation
Railway Nationalisation in Argentina
In 1948, during President Juan Perón’s first term of office, the seven British-owned and three French-owned railway companies then operating in Argentina, were purchased by the state...
in 1948 and, since railway privatisation
Railway Privatisation in Argentina
Following a prolonged period of hyperinflation in the 1980s, accompanied by a steep increase in fiscal deficit and a sharp fall in reserves, the Argentine government, under the presidency of Carlos Menem from 1989, initiated a series of neoliberal reforms which included the privatisation of...
in 1993, in the hands of Ferrosur Roca
Ferrosur Roca
Ferrosur Roca S.A. is a private company which, in December1992, was awarded a concession, granted by the Argentine government, for the operation of freight services over part of the broad gauge rail network built by the British-owned company Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway and run by the...
. The city is split in two by the railways; on one side there is a commercial district with old buildings, and on the other a modern residential area.
The station is a terminus at the end of the line from Bahía Blanca
Bahía Blanca
Bahía Blanca is a city located in the south-west of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, by the Atlantic Ocean, and seat of government of Bahía Blanca Partido. It has a population of 274,509 inhabitants according to the...
and Neuquén
Neuquén
Neuquén is the name of the following things:* Neuquén, Argentina* Neuquén Province* Neuquén River* Neuquén Group...
which was meant to continue across the Andes mountains into Chile. Construction was abandoned in the 1920s although resumption of construction was proposed in 2006
2006 in rail transport
- January events : January 5 – Railway workers across India begin voting on whether or not to hold a strike against Indian Railways in February. The union's demands center around pay scales, pensions, and private investment into the railway...
.