Salta
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The inside of Salta's main cathedralSalta is the capital city of the Argentine province of Salta, located at the centre of that province. It has more than 464,000 inhabitants as of the
2001 census [ INDEC] , making it Argentina's 8th largest city.The city is located on the Lerma Valley, 1,152 meters above sea level. The weather is warm and dry, with annual averages of 756 mm of rainfall and an average temperature of 16.4 °C (20.4 °C in summer, 10.8 °C in winter). January and February are the months with greatest rainfall.
Nicknamed Salta la Linda ("Salta the Beautiful"), it is visited by a great many tourists because of its colonial architecture, the 18th century Cabildo, the Cathedral, and the Plaza 9 de Julio city park. It has also a number of museums, including the Museo de Alta Montaña, which houses the bodies of 3 Inca children found frozen at the summit of Mount Llullaillaco. Salta is also the starting point of the "Train to the Clouds" (Tren a las nubes), and a must stop to red-soiled Cafayate, as well as to other nearby tourist destinations.
The Martín Miguel de Güemes Airport , at coordinates , 6 kilometres southeast of the city, has regular flights to Buenos Aires, Tucumán, Jujuy, Córdoba and Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia).
History
Salta was founded on April 16 1582 by the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Lerma, who intended the settlement to be an outpost between Lima (Peru) and Buenos Aires.During the war of independence, the city became a commercial and military strategic point between Peru and the Argentine cities. Between 1816 and 1821, the city was led by local military leader General Martín Miguel de Güemes, who under the command of General José de San Martín, defended the city and surrounding area from Spanish forces coming from further north.
Salta emerged from the War of Independence politically in disarray and financially bankrupt, a condition that lingered throughout much of the 19th century. However, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the arrival of Italian, Spanish and Arab immigrants, particularly Syrians and Lebanese, revived trade and agriculture all over the area while further enhancing the city's multicultural flavor.
Sports
Salta residents, just like most Argentinians, are very enthusiastic about football; the most important local clubs are: Juventud Antoniana, Gimnasia y Tiro de Salta and Central Norte. All three of them are followed by many faithful fans, though only Juventud Antoniana currently plays at second division, while the other two play in lower divisions. Other popular sports are baseball (a game in which Salta players excel nationally), basketball, volleyball and mountaineering.See also
Balcarce street (Salta)Culture
Another particular feature of Salta is the way it has preserved its traditional Hispanic heritage. Folklore activities - cuisine, colonial architecture, music, dancing, and other customs - are widely spread and practised by its people.One of the main activities in Salta is the April Culture Festival, which lasts the entire month and offers a wide variety of activities, such as culture display performances, handcrafts exposition, and live orchestra performances.
External links
- [Municipality of Salta] — Official website.
- [Government of Salta Province] — Official website.
- [City history] at the Chamber of Deputies website.
- [Salta Province Tourism Office]
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