Chilecito

Chilecito
City
Chilecito

Location of Chilecito in Argentina

Coordinates: 29°10′S 67°30′W / 29.167°S 67.500°W / -29.167; -67.500Coordinates: 29°10′S 67°30′W / 29.167°S 67.500°W / -29.167; -67.500
Country  Argentina
Province La Rioja
Department Chilecito
Founded 1715
Government
 • Mayor Nicolás Lázaro Fonzalida (El Nene) (Justicialist Party)
Elevation 1,080 m (3,540 ft)
Population (2012)
 • Total 36,914
Demonym(s) chileciteña/o
Time zone ART (UTC-3)
CPA base F5360
Area code(s) 03825
Climate BWk

Chilecito is a city in the Argentine province of La Rioja, and head of the department of Chilecito.

Overview

The city is located in the valley formed by the Sierras de Velazco to the east, and the Sierras de Famatina to the west. The city was founded in 1715 by Spanish colonizers. Chilecito still presevers the cable-car of La Mejicana mine built by Bleichert which is part of the city mining past that saw its peak at the end of the 19th century.

Chilecito is surrounded by an oasis of irrigation, which has been expanded by way of supplements from underground waters. A great part of agricultural land is used for the cultivation of vineyards because the most significant industrial activity is based in wine-cellars. Walnut and fruit trees are also cultivated and their product is locally processed.

The Argentine educator, lawer, senator, governor and historian Joaquín V. González was raised in the vicinity of Chilecito.He also used to spend his vacation in a home that he built here in his later years. The property, which he called Samay Huasi (Quechua Samay Wasi, "rest house") was donated to the University of La Plata for use as an artists' retreat.

By the end of the 1990s, the university of Chilecito which was still part of the National University of La Rioja became the National University of Chilecito.This decision was highly criticized by different academic and political sectors, especially those concerning to the President of Argentina at the time, Carlos Menem.

Samay Huasi, a historic property in Chilecito.
Chirau Mita Botanical Gardens.

Population

According to statistics, Chilecito had 49,453 inhabitants (data taken from the 2010 census [INDEC]) which represents a 31% population increase in ten years (there were 22,485 inhabitants in 1991). These numbers include the nearby localities of Anguinán, Los Sarmientos, San Miguel and La Puntilla; without them, the population of Chilecito in 2001 was 25,423 inhabitants.

Climate

Climate data for Chilecito
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 31.6
(88.9)		 30.2
(86.4)		 27.3
(81.1)		 24.8
(76.6)		 20.9
(69.6)		 17.2
(63)		 16.7
(62.1)		 19.8
(67.6)		 22.6
(72.7)		 26.0
(78.8)		 29.9
(85.8)		 31.6
(88.9)		 24.9
(76.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) 24.1
(75.4)		 22.8
(73)		 20.0
(68)		 17.8
(64)		 13.9
(57)		 9.9
(49.8)		 9.1
(48.4)		 11.9
(53.4)		 14.8
(58.6)		 18.2
(64.8)		 21.2
(70.2)		 23.3
(73.9)		 17.3
(63.1)
Average low °C (°F) 17.2
(63)		 16.3
(61.3)		 14.0
(57.2)		 11.5
(52.7)		 6.4
(43.5)		 2.7
(36.9)		 2.1
(35.8)		 4.2
(39.6)		 7.2
(45)		 10.5
(50.9)		 14.1
(57.4)		 16.1
(61)		 10.2
(50.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 45
(1.77)		 31
(1.22)		 32
(1.26)		 9
(0.35)		 5
(0.2)		 6
(0.24)		 5
(0.2)		 4
(0.16)		 4
(0.16)		 5
(0.2)		 21
(0.83)		 22
(0.87)		 189
(7.44)
Average precipitation days 4 4 4 2 1 1 1 0.7 0.9 1 3 3 25.6
Average relative humidity (%) 60 63 66 66 64 64 61 52 52 54 57 57 60
Source: Servicio Meteorologico Nacional[1]

Remarkable people

References

  1. ↑ "Datos Estadísticos (Período 1961-1990)" (in Spanish). Servicio Meteorologico Nacional. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
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