MENDOZA LOCATION
Mendoza is one of the twenty four federal states making up the Argentine Republic and it is divided into eighteen departments each with their own political and administrative powers. The Provincial Capital is Mendoza City and the second most important city is San Rafael, the regional centre in the Southern part of the Province.
Mendoza is located in Western Argentina, 32 and 38 degrees latitude South and 66 degrees, 30’ and 70 degrees, 30’ longitude West. According to the 2001 census, the province had 1,579,651 people.
The average population growth is around 1,4% per annum. The population is mostly concentrated in the Greater Mendoza and environs, meaning the five departments around the capital city with 62%. San Rafael is the second largest population concentration with over 177,000 inhabitants, 232 kilometres from the provincial capital. Mendoza covers an area of 150,839 square kilometres, a territory mainly made up of mountains and valleys. Mount Aconcagua, standing 6,962 meters above sea level is located in the Western part of the province.
Mendoza used to be just an oasis, but, the hand of Man maximized the use of water carried by the mountain rivers and managed to impulse the development of agriculture.
CLIMATE
In the lower lands the climate is dry and continental temperate with
rains in the summer. When climbing towards the mountains
temperatures become lower and there is snowfall from May to
September which favours the practice of winter sports. With the
arrival of warmer weather and the ensuing thaws, the volume carried
by the rivers grows providing irrigation for the extensive
cultivated areas and to the cities. This also sets up the ideal
scenery for water sports and adventure activities.
The seasons are well defined and each has its particular features but, in general, the
climate in Mendoza has one outstanding characteristic: dazzling sun all year round. |