- Argentine Northwest
The Argentine Northeast ("Noroeste Argentino") is a region of
Argentina composed by the provinces of Catamarca, Jujuy, La Rioja, Salta, Santiago del Estero and Tucumán.Geography
The region had 5 different biomes:
* Sub-Andean humid Sierras of the east
* Fertile valleys
* The canyons
* The high mountains of the Andes
* TheAltiplano or PunaOutside the
Yungas jungle on the east, near theGran Chaco region, the only fertile lands are those near the basins of the rivers . Ancient rivers created a series of red-soil canyons such as theQuebrada de Humahuaca and theValles Calchaquíes . The high peaks of the Andes reach heights of over 6,000 meters, and the 3,500-meter high plateau of "La Puna" orAltiplano extends further north to Bolivia.Weather
The eastern winds drop their humidity at the sub-Andean Sierras and eastern slopes of the Andes. These areas have a sub-tropical warm weather with abundant rains that, as in the
Yungas jungle.The dried-up winds continue their path to the west, leaving the Puna and the western side of the arid
Andes steppe with wide temperature differences, something that characterizes most of the region.Precipitation in most of the Argentine northwest follows a summer
monsoon pattern, enjoying most of the roughly 700mm (27") of annual rainfall in the souther hemisphere summer months of December through March. [http://www.meteofa.mil.ar/ SMN]Economy
The fertile valleys concentrate most of the population of the area, and the economic activities. Of these, the cultivation of
sugarcane ,tobacco , andcitrus are the most important, together withcattle andgoat raising.There are also importantvineyards at theValles Calchaquíes on theCafayate region.Main industries are sugarcane or food associated, except for the " Altos Hornos Zapala"
steel furnace.Mining includes
lead ,silver ,zinc andsalt , andhydrocarbons extraction. These polluting activities though, together with the deforestation for timber and wood present the main ecological problem of the region.Tourism
The Argentine Northwest is visited not only by Argentines but by people from all over the world, specially
Europe ans.The most common destination areQuebrada de Humahuaca and theCerro de los Siete Colores ,Cafayate and theValles Calchaquíes ,Tafí del Valle , and the capital cities of the provinces:San Miguel de Tucumán ,San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca ,Salta andSan Salvador de Jujuy .The national parks of the region are:
Baritú National Park ,Calilegua National Park ,El Rey National Park ,Los Cardones National Park andCampo de los Alisos National Park .Cultural tourism
Besides the geography of the area, its culture is of great interest. It is strongly influenced by
Quechua andAymara cultures, and the region widely differentiates to the moreEurope anBuenos Aires .This influence can be seen in the music, clothing and customs of the people.
ee also
*
1948 Salta earthquake External links
* [http://www.moon.com/planner/argentina/regions/andes.html The Andean nortwest]
* [http://www.argentinaturistica.com/rnoroestecultura.htm Argentine Northwest] (Spanish)
* [http://www.ruta0.com/mapasaltajujuynoa.ASP Map with routes]
* [http://www.monografias.com/trabajos/noroeste/noroeste.shtml Monografias.com:Argentine Northwest] (Spanish)
* [http://www.argentinaxplora.com/activida/legado/sonder/sonder.htm Argentine Northwest art] (Spanish)
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