Paraná, Entre Ríos

Paraná is the capital city of the Argentine province of Entre Ríos, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, opposite the city of Santa Fe, capital of the neighbouring Santa Fe Province. The city has a population of 237,968 (census-ar|2001).

Paraná is not only the head of the provincial government, but also an important river port for the transshipment of cereals, cattle, fish, and lumber from the surrounding region. The principal industries installed are the manufacture of cement, furniture, and ceramics. The centre of the city gathers colonial churches, European styles such as that of the "3 de Febrero" Theatre or the Government House, the mixed styles of the city's Cathedral, and modern towers like those near the "Parque Urquiza" park.

The city is connected to the city of Santa Fe on the other side of the Entre Ríos by the Hernandarias Subfluvial Tunnel inaugurated in 1969.The "General Justo José de Urquiza" Airport (IATA PRA) at coordinates coord|31|47|07|S|60|28|09|W| is 7.5 kilometres from the city, and services regular flights to Buenos Aires.

History

During the 16th century, inhabitants of the city of Santa Fe settled also at the other side of the Paraná River. Known as "de la otra Banda del Paraná" ("from the other side of the Paraná") and "Baxada del Paraná" ("Ford of the Paraná"), the settlement never had an official foundation, and it slowly grew as a satellite town of Santa Fe.

On October 23, 1730 the local chapel was granted by the clerical authorities in Buenos Aires the status of parish church; that date was adopted as the beginning of the official history of the town.

In 1813 it achieved status of village, and in 1822 it was named capital of the territory of the present province. Between 1854 and 1861 it was the capital of the "Confederación Argentina" ("Argentine Confederation") during the rule of the local "caudillo" Justo José de Urquiza, that gave the city a rapid growth. In 1883 it regained its title of capital of the province.

In 1994 Paraná hosted the "Convención Reformadora de la Constitución Nacional Argentina" ("Convention for the reform of the National Constitution"), together with its neighbour capital of Santa Fe.

External links

* [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=-31.733333,-60.533333&ie=UTF8&z=15&ll=-31.762618,-60.377855&spn=0.017368,0.043259&t=k&om=1 Parana Circuit in Google Maps]

References

* [http://www.parana.gov.ar/ Official website] (Spanish)
*
* [http://www.uner.edu.ar/ Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos] (Spanish)