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Chaco Province

Coordinates:27°27′05″S58°59′12″W/ 27.45139°S 58.98667°W/-27.45139; -58.98667
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chaco
Province
Province of Chaco
Provincia del Chaco(Spanish)
Palm trees in Resistencia City
Palm trees inResistencia City
Flag of Chaco
Flag
Coat of arms of Chaco
Coat of arms
Location of Chaco within Argentina
Location of Chaco within Argentina
CountryArgentina
Official LanguagesSpanish,Kom,MoqoitandWichí
Capitaland largest cityResistencia
Government
•GovernorLeandro Zdero (UCR)
• Vice GovernorSilvana Schneider (UCR)
•Legislature32
•National Deputies7
•National SenatorsInés Pilatti Vergara(FDT)
Antonio José Rodas(FDT)
Víctor Zimmermann(JXC)
Area

Ranked 12th
• Total99,633 km2(38,469 sq mi)
Population
(2022 census)[1]
• Total1,142,963
• Rank11th
• Density11/km2(30/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Chacoan,chaqueño
GDP
[2]
• TotalUS$16.5 billion
• Per capitaUS$13,500
Time zoneUTC−3(ART)
ISO 3166 codeAR-H
HDI(2021)0.808very high(24th)[3]
Websitewww.chaco.gov.ar

Chaco(Spanish pronunciation:[ˈtʃako];Wichi:To-kós-wet[4]), officially theProvince of Chaco(Spanish:provincia del Chaco[pɾoˈβinsjaðelˈtʃako]), is one of the 23provincesinArgentina.Its capital and largest city, isResistencia.[5]It is located in the north-east of the country.

It is bordered bySaltaandSantiago del Esteroto the west,Formosato the north,Corrientesto the east, andSanta Feto the south.[5]It also has aninternational borderwith theParaguayanDepartmentofÑeembucú.With an area of 99,633 km2(38,469 sq mi), and a population of 1,142,963 as of 2022, it is the twelfth most extensive, and the eleventh most populated, of the twenty-three Argentine provinces.

In 2010, Chaco became the second province in Argentina to adopt more than one official language. These languages are theKom,MoqoitandWichílanguages, spoken by theToba,Mocoviand Wichí peoples respectively. Chaco has historically been among Argentina's poorest regions, and currently rankslastboth byper capita GDPand on theHuman Development Index.

Etymology

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Chaco derives fromchaku,theQuechuaword used to name a hunting territory or the hunting technique used by the people of theInca Empire.

Annually, large groups of up to thirty thousand hunters would enter the territory, forming columns and circling their prey.[6] Jesuit missionerPedro Lozano wrote in his bookChorographic Description of the Great Chaco Gualamba,published inCordoba,Spain in 1733: "Its etymology indicates the multitude of nations that inhabit that region. When they go hunting, theIndiansgather from many parts thevicuñasandguanacos;that crowd is calledchacuin the Quechua language, which is common in Peru, and that Spaniards have corrupted intoChaco".[7]

However, the earliest known mention of the term in a document was in a letter written toFernando Torres de Portugal y Mesía,Viceroy of Peru,dated in 1589, by the then Governor ofTucumán,Juan Ramírez de Velasco,who referred to the region asChaco Gualamba.[8](The termGualambais of uncertain origin and has since fallen into disuse.[8])

Geography

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Dock on a southeastern wetland close toParaná River

The province of Chaco lies within the southern part of theGran Chacoregion, a vastlowlandplainthat covers territories inArgentina,Paraguay,andBolivia.

Chaco Province covers an area of 99,633 km2(38,469 sq mi) and ranks as the twelfth largest Argentinian province. The highest ground in the province is also the most western, near the municipality ofTaco Pozo,at an elevation of 272 m (892 ft) above sea level.[9]

TheParanáandParaguayrivers separate Chaco province fromCorrientes Provinceand theRepublic of Paraguay.To the north, the riverBermejoforms another natural border, dividing Chaco Province fromFormosa Province.

In the south, the border follows the28th parallel south,separating the region fromSanta Fe Province,while in the west it bordersSaltaandSantiago del Estero.

Other important rivers include: theNegro,Tapenagá,Palometa,andSalado,alltributariesoranabranchesof the riverParaná.

Climate

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See also:Climate of ArgentinaandClimatic regions of Argentina
Köppen climate map of Chaco, Argentina

The province has asubtropical climate.[10]It is divided in two different climate zones: a more humid one in the east and a drier subtropical climate in the center and west.[11]The eastern parts of the province have ahumid subtropical climate(Cfaunder theKöppen climate classification) with no dry season.[12]In the west where precipitation is lower, it has a subtropical climate with a dry winter and is classified as asemi-arid climate(BSunder the Köppen climate classification) due to potentialevapotranspirationexceeding precipitation.[12]

Precipitation

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In the most humid (eastern) parts of the province, precipitation falls throughout the year with no dry season.[12]These areas receive around 1,400 millimetres (55 in) of precipitation per year.[12]Precipitation decreases westwards and become more concentrated in the summer months.[10][12]

Temperature

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Mean annual temperatures range between 21 and 23 °C (70 and 73 °F), which decreases from north to south.[12]Summers are hot with temperatures that can reach up to 38 to 41 °C (100 to 106 °F) in the eastern parts of the province.[12]The western parts experience more variation in temperatures due continental influences;[10]extreme temperatures in summer are more extreme with temperatures that frequently exceed 40 °C (104 °F).[12]During winters, incursions of cold, polar air from the south can lead to frosts and temperatures that fall below freezing.[12]Being under an area of high solar radiation during summer, a consequence is that a low pressure system forms over the province during summer.[12]

Humidity

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Humidity in the province is high due to its climate, particularly in the north, the wettest portion of the province.[12]Most of the winds that transport humid air come from the north and east.[12]Winters are the most humid seasons (high humidity) due to this season being characterized by frequent fogs.[12]

History

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La Sabana and its new railway station in 1899
Territorial Governor's House

The area was originally inhabited by varioushunter-gatherersspeaking languages from theMataco-Guaicrufamily. Native tribes including theToba,andWichísurvive in the region and have important communities in this province as well as inFormosa Province.

In 1576, the governor of a province in Northern Argentina commissioned the military to search for a huge mass of iron, which he had heard that natives used for their weapons. The natives called the area Heavenly Fields, which was translated into Spanish asCampo del Cielo.This area is now a protected region situated on the border between the provinces of Chaco and Santiago del Estero where a group ofiron meteoritesfell in aHoloceneimpact eventsome four to five thousand years ago. In 2015, Police arrested four alleged smugglers trying to steal over a ton of legally protected meteoric iron.[13]

The first European settlement was founded bySpanishconquistadorAlonso de Vera y Aragón, in 1585, and was calledConcepción de Nuestra Señora.It was abandoned in 1632. During its existence, it was one of the most important cities in the region, but attacks from local Indians forced the residents to leave. In the 17th century, theSan Fernando del Río NegroJesuitmissionwas founded in the area of the modern-day city ofResistencia,but it was abandoned fifteen years later.

TheGran Chacoregion remained largely unexplored, and uninhabited, by either Europeans or Argentines until the late 19th century, after numerous confrontations between Argentina and Paraguay during theWar of the Triple Alliance.San Fernando was re-established as a military outpost, and was renamed Resistencia in 1876.

The Territorio Nacional del Gran Chaco was established in 1872. This territory, which included the current Formosa Province and lands presently inside Paraguay, was superseded by Territorio Nacional del Chaco upon its administrative division, in 1884.

20th century

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The Provincial Government House. Designed in 1955, political disputes delayed its completion until 1972.

Between the end of the nineteenth and the first decades of the twentieth centuries, the province received a variety of immigrants, among themVolga GermansandMennonitesfromRussia,Germany,andCanada.They, alongside other immigrants, transformed Chaco into a productive farming region known for its dairy and beef production.

Political structure

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In 1951 the territory became a province, and its name was changed to Provincia Presidente Perón. The province was renamed again in 1955 when the government of PresidentJuan Perónwas overthrown, returning to the historical name of Chaco. Chaco voters, however, continued to supportPeronistcandidates in subsequent elections, notablyDeolindo Bittelwhose three terms as governor in the 1960s and 1970s were each cut short by military intervention. Bitell subsequently ran for vice-president in the1983 Argentine Presidential electionsand later served as mayor of the provincial capital,Resistencia.

Infrastructure

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With few paved highways, and thus an overdependence on passenger rail services, Chaco was adversely impacted by the national rail privatizations and line closures of the early 1990s. In 1997, the services that had been previously run by the state-owned company Ferrocarriles Argentinos since railway nationalization in 1948, were taken over by the Servicios Ferroviarios del Chaco S.A. (SEFECHA) (Chaco Railway Services), makingSEFECHA,at the time, the only publicly owned commuter rail service in Argentina. SEFECHA currently carries nearly a million passengers a year and has contributed to the province's vigorous recovery from the 2002 crisis.[14]

Poverty

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Chaco Province continues to suffer from the worst social indicators in the country with 49.3% of its population living below thepoverty lineby income and with 17.5% of children between the ages of two and five in a state ofmalnutritionin 2009.[15]Among Argentine provinces, itranks lastbyGDPper capita and21stbyHuman Development Index,only above its neighbors Formosa and Santiago del Estero.

Official languages

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In 2010, Chaco became the second province in Argentina to declare indigenous languages official within the province, afterCorrientes.[16]Three local languages gained official status in Chaco besides Spanish:Kom,Moqoit,andWichí.[17]

Demographics

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Chaco population pyramid 2022

According to the 2022 Argentine national census, the Province of Chaco has 1,142,963 inhabitants.[18]

Economy

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Chaco's economy, like most in the region, is relatively underdeveloped, yet has recovered vigorously since 2002. It was estimated to be US$4.397 billion in 2006, or US$4,467 per capita (half the national average and the third-lowest in Argentina).[19]Chaco's economy is diversified, but its agricultural sector has suffered from recurrent droughts over the past decade.

Tanninfactory in Puerto Tirol.

Agricultural development in Chaco is predominantly associated with the commercial growing ofquebrachowoodandcotton.Chaco currently produces 60% of Argentina's national cotton production. Agricultural food production accounts for 17% of Argentina's output. This includes crops such assoy,sorghum,andmaize.Sugarcaneis also cultivated in the south, as well as rice and tobacco to a lesser degree.

Cattle breeds consisting of crosses withzebuare regarded as better adapted to the high temperatures, grass shortage and occasional flooding thanintensively rearedpure-breeds.

Industrial contributes approximately 10% to the provincial economy and includes textiles produced from local cotton, oil and coal production, and sugar, alcohol and paper, all derived from sugar cane.

Chaco is home to theChaco National Park,but tourism is not a well-developed industry in the province. The province's main airport,Resistencia International Airport,serves around 100,000 passengers annually.

Government

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The provincial government is divided into the usual three branches: the executive, headed by a popularly elected governor, who appoint the cabinet; the legislative; and the judiciary, headed by the Supreme Court and completed by several inferior tribunals.

Main articles:Chamber of Deputies of ChacoandGovernor of Chaco Province

The Constitution of Chaco Province forms the formal law of the province.

In Argentina, the most important law enforcement organization is theArgentine Federal Policebut the additional work is carried out by theChaco Provincial Police.

Political organization

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The province is divided into 25departments(Spanish:departamentos).

Department Seat Area
(km2) 		Population
(2010)[20] 		Population
(2001)[20] 		Density
(2010)
Almirante Brown Pampa del Infierno 17,276 34,075 29,086 1.97
Bermejo La Leonesa 2,562 25,052 24,215 9.77
Chacabuco Charata 1,378 30,590 27,813 22.19
Comandante Fernández Presidencia Roque Sáenz Peña 1,500 96,944 88,164 64.63
12 de Octubre General Pinedo 2,576 22,281 20,149 8.65
2 de Abril Hermoso Campo 1,594 7,432 7,435 4.66
Fray Justo Santa María de Oro Santa Sylvina 2,205 11,826 10,485 5.36
General Belgrano Corzuela 1,218 11,988 10,470 9.84
General Donovan Makallé 1,487 13,490 13,385 9.07
General Güemes Juan José Castelli 25,487 67,132 62,227 2.63
Independencia Campo Largo 1,871 22,411 20,620 11.98
Libertad Puerto Tirol 1,088 12,158 10,822 11.17
Libertador General San Martín General José de San Martín 7,800 59,147 54,470 7.58
Maipú Tres Isletas 2,855 25,288 24,747 8.85
Mayor Luis J. Fontana Villa Ángela 3,708 55,080 53,550 14.85
9 de Julio Las Breñas 2,097 28,555 26,955 13.61
O'Higgins San Bernardo 1,580 20,131 19,231 12.74
Presidencia de la Plaza Presidencia de la Plaza 2,284 12,499 12,231 5.47
Primero de Mayo Margarita Belén 1,864 10,322 9,131 5.53
Quitilipi Quitilipi 1,545 34,081 32,083 22.05
San Fernando Resistencia 3,489 390,874 365,637 112.03
San Lorenzo Villa Berthet 2,135 14,702 14,252 6.88
Sargento Cabral Colonia Elisa 1,651 15,899 15,030 9.63
Tapenagá Charadai 6,025 4,097 4,188 0.68
25 de Mayo Machagai 2,358 29,215 28,070 12.39

Villages

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See also

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References

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  1. ^"Nuevos datos provisorios del Censo 2022: Argentina tiene 46.044.703 habitantes".Infobae. 31 January 2023.Retrieved2023-02-03.
  2. ^"TelluBase—Argentina Fact Sheet (Tellusant Public Service Series)"(PDF).Tellusant.Retrieved2024-01-11.
  3. ^"El mapa del desarrollo humano en Argentina"(PDF).United Nations Development Programme.25 June 2023.
  4. ^"Lengua Wichi (Mataco). Diccionario Mataco - Español".pueblosoriginarios.com.RetrievedOct 4,2020.
  5. ^abChisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911)."Chaco".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 786.
  6. ^"Chaco".Fundación para el Desarrollo Sustentable del Chaco. Archived fromthe originalon 3 September 2009.Retrieved7 April2012.
  7. ^Lozano, Pedro (1989).Descripción corográfica del Gran Chaco Gualamba.San Miguel de Tucumán: Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. p. 486.
  8. ^abEdelmiro Porcel."Chaco Gualamba".Periodico Domine. Archived fromthe originalon 24 November 2011.Retrieved7 April2012.
  9. ^"23 Cumbres - Chaco".23 Cumbres. Archived fromthe originalon 24 September 2009.Retrieved8 April2012.
  10. ^abc"El cultivo del algodón en la cuenca media del Tapenaga. Fechas de siembra, rendimiento y precipitaciones"(PDF)(in Spanish). Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. 2006. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 3 November 2016.Retrieved2 November2016.
  11. ^"Provincia de Chaco"(PDF)(in Spanish). Administración Nacional de Laboratorios e Institutos de Salud. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 3 November 2016.Retrieved2 November2016.
  12. ^abcdefghijklm"Provincia de Chaco–Clima y Meteorologia"(in Spanish). Secretaria de Mineria de la Nacion (Argentina). Archived fromthe originalon 13 September 2004.Retrieved2 November2016.
  13. ^"Four arrested in Argentina smuggling more than ton of meteorites".news.yahoo.com.RetrievedOct 4,2020.
  14. ^"Argentinien - Friends of Latin American Railways".www.ferrolatino.ch.RetrievedOct 4,2020.
  15. ^"Capitanich admitió que Chaco tiene los peores indicadores sociales de la Argentina pero culpó a la Nación".infobae.com.26 July 2009. Archived fromthe originalon January 27, 2013.Retrieved6 April2012.
  16. ^Ley No. 5598de la Provincia de Corrientes, 22 de octubre de 2004
  17. ^Ley No. 6604de la Provincia de Chaco, 28 de julio de 2010, B.O., (9092),LinkArchived2016-03-04 at theWayback Machine
  18. ^"Nuevos datos provisorios del Censo 2022: Argentina tiene 46.044.703 habitantes".Infobae. 31 January 2023.Retrieved2023-02-03.
  19. ^"El déficit consolidado de las provincias rondará los $11.500 millones este año"(in Spanish). Instituto Argentino para el Desarrollo de las Economías Regionales.Retrieved10 July2015.
  20. ^ab"Cuadro P1-P. Provincia del Chaco. Población total y variación intercensal absoluta y relativa por departamento"(PDF).INDEC.2010.Retrieved16 April2012.[permanent dead link]
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27°27′05″S58°59′12″W/ 27.45139°S 58.98667°W/-27.45139; -58.98667

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