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Entre Rios Province
Entre Rios is a northeastern province of Argentina, located in the Mesopotamia region. It borders the provinces of Buenos Aires (south), Corrientes (north) and Santa Fe (west), and Uruguay in the east.
Its capital is Parana , which lies on the Parana River, opposite the city of Santa Fe.
Together with Cordoba and Santa Fe, since 1999, the province is part of the economic-political association known as the Center Region.
History
The first inhabitants of the area that is now Entre Rios were the Guarani, Charrua and Chana, who each occupied separate parts of the region. Spaniards entered in 1520, when Rodriguez Serrano ventured up the Uruguay River searching for the Pacific Ocean.
The first permanent Spanish settlement was erected in the current La Paz Department at the end of the 16th century. As governor of Asuncion first and then of Buenos Aires, Hernandarias conducted expeditions to Entre Rios unexplored lands. Juan de Garay, after founding Santa Fe, explored this area, which he called la otra banda ("the other bank").
However, the region remained entirely indigenous and uninhabited by Europeans until a group of colonists from neighbouring Santa Fe Province settled on the Bajada del Parana in the late seventeenth century, now the site of the provincial capital. At the same time towns appear, which we now know as Nogoya, Victoria, Gualeguay, Gualeguaychu, Concepcion del Uruguay and Concordia.
Tomas de Rocamora further explored the area in 1783 under the threat of a Portuguese invasion from Brazil, and gave official status to many of the above mentioned towns. He was also the first to refer to the region as Entre Rios. At this stage, European settlement was minimal, though during the May Revolution, the few colonists in the cities along the Parana shore supported Manuel Belgrano and his army on his way to Paraguay.
On September 29, 1820, the leader (caudillo) Francisco Ramirez declared the territory an autonomous entity, the Republic of Entre Rios. This lasted until his assassination on July 10 of the next year.
In 1853, in a meeting of all the provinces except Buenos Aires, Parana was elected as the capital of the Argentine Confederation, and the leader (caudillo) Urquiza as its first president. The provincial capital was moved to Concepcion del Uruguay. Defeated, Urquiza was elected governor of the province a few years later, while Domingo Faustino Sarmiento became president, but he was assassinated before finishing his mandate.
Urquiza encouraged immigration through "colonization contracts", setting up many agricultural colonies with European settlers. According to data of the 1903 census, of the 425,373 inhabitants of the province, 153,067 were immigrants.
Economy
Entre Rios' economy is the sixth largest in Argentina. Its output in 2006 was estimated at US$7.8 billion, or, US$6,710 per capita (about a fourth less than the national average).
Its economy has long been more agricultural than the median in Argentina, comprising about 15% of output. Entre Rios' agricultural products include rice (60% of the national production), soybeans, wheat, maize, and citrus of which it is the second biggest producer, and exporting 16% of the production mainly to Europe.
Livestock production focuses on cattle (4.5 million head), and in sheep production in a decreasing proportion, covering 60,000 km. The dairy industry, currently in expansion, produces almost 250 thousand tons per year of dairy products.
Of the national production of chickens and eggs, Entre Rios contributes 37% of the first and 25% percent of the second. Another emerging production is honey and its derivatives, mainly for export.
Manufacturing has a sizable presence in Entre Rios, making up another 15% of output. Its industries are mostly linked to agriculture, as in food and drinks industry and flour and rice mills. Other industries include timber-wood, chemical, metallurgy, and machinery.
Geography and climate
As part of the Mesopotamic region, the land is almost completely flat, with hills some 100 meters in height. There are two main systems of low hills, called lomadas or cuchillas: the Cuchilla de Montiel (west) and the Cuchilla Grande (east), which are separated by the Gualeguay River.
The name of the province means "between rivers". Entre Rios is limited and traversed by many rivers and streams: the Parana River and its delta to the west and south; the Uruguay River and the Mocoreta River to the east; and the Guayquiraro River to the north.
The weather variates form subtropical in the north to temperate towards the Pampas. The annual rainfall is about 1150 mm in average, and occasional pampero and other local winds bring storms to the area.
Two national parks are located within the province: El Palmar National Park and Diamante National Park. There are also hot springs in several locations, especially along the basin of the Uruguay River, located in cities like Federacion, Villa Elisa, Colon, etc.
Political division
( singular departamento).
The province is divided in 17 departments
Department (Capital)
Colon (Colon)
Concordia (Concordia)
Diamante (Diamante)
Federacion (Federacion)
Federal (Federal)
Gualeguay (Gualeguay)
Gualeguaychu (Gualeguaychu)
Islas del Ibicuy (Villa Paranacito)
La Paz (La Paz)
Nogoya (Nogoya)
Parana (Parana)
San Jose de Feliciano (San Jose de Feliciano)
San Salvador (San Salvador)
Tala (Rosario del Tala)
Uruguay (Concepcion del Uruguay)
Victoria (Victoria)
Villaguay (Villaguay)
External links
Official Site (Spanish)
Universidad Nacional de Entre Rios (Spanish)
Pictures of Entre Rios
Complete Tourism Guide of Zona Colon in Entre Rios
Provincial Tourism (Spanish)
http://www.visitentrerios.com.ar/index.php
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Entre Rios Province
