Rio Gallegos, Santa Cruz
Rio Gallegos is the capital of the Patagonic province of Santa Cruz, Argentina. It has a population of about 79,000 as per the . The city sits on the estuary of the Gallegos River, south from Buenos Aires.
The river was first sighted by a European in 1525 by the explorer Jofre De Loaiza, and was called San Idelfonso River. Simon de Alcazaba's 1535 expedition was the first to name the river "Rio Gallegos". The area was not settled by Europeans until much later, with one of the earliest recorded indications of habitation in 1885, when the Argentine government wished to better express its sovereignty over southern Patagonia a naval base was created which increased the development of the town. Between 1912 and 1920, the government encouraged settlers from the Falkland Islands and southern Chile with preferential farming conditions. Some 3,000 arrived and boosted the town. As sheep-farming increased, Rio Gallegos became the principal port for exporting sheep and their products. The Pioneers Museum is a preserved old Patagonian house exhibiting the life of the early settlers.
In 1888, then-governor Ramon Lista decided to move the Territorial Capital from Puerto Santa Cruz to Rio Gallegos. Official ratification of this decision came on 19 May 1904. In 1957, the Territory of Santa Cruz was declared a Province, with Mario Castulo Paradelo as its first Governor.
In the 1982 Falklands War , the city airport was base of Argentine Air Force Mirage III interceptors and A-4 Skyhawks strike aircraft.
Argentina's current president, Nestor Kirchner, was mayor of Rio Gallegos between 1987 and 1991.
Today, Rio Gallegos is an important city of the far south Argentina, with military bases and an international airport. Flights between Chile and Mount Pleasant airbase at the Falkland Islands/Islas Malvinas stop at Rio Gallegos once a month.
See also
1949 Tierra del Fuego earthquake
References
Municipality of Rio Gallegos Official website.
Video Footage of the City - YouTube
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Rio Gallegos, Santa Cruz
