Carmen de Patagones | |
|---|---|
 Carmen de Patagones fromViedma | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Carmen de Patagones  Carmen de Patagones | |
| Coordinates:40°47′S62°58′W / 40.783°S 62.967°W /-40.783; -62.967 | |
| Country | Argentina |
| Province | Buenos Aires |
| Partido | Patagones |
| Founded | 1779 |
| Elevation | 15 m (49 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 25,982 |
| CPA Base | B 8504 |
| Area code | +54 2920 |
Carmen de Patagones is the southernmost city in theprovince ofBuenos Aires, Argentina.
It is located 937 km southwest from the city ofBuenos Aires, on the north bank of theRío Negro ("Black River"), near theAtlantic Ocean, and oppositeViedma, capital of the province ofRío Negro. The city is the capital of thePatagones Partido, the only administrative division of Buenos Aires Province that lies withinPatagonia.
The town was founded in 1779 byFrancisco de Viedma, an explorer leading aSpanish expedition commissioned with colonizing Patagonia's shores.
In the 19th century, Carmen de Patagones had a fort, and after theMay Revolution of 1810, it became a prison for royalists (Spaniards and pro-Spanish locals against theindependence movement).
Later, during theCisplatine War (1825–1828), the town became a naval base, since the main Argentine safe harbour, the estuary of theRío de la Plata, had been blocked by Brazilian ships. The Brazilian troopsattempted to take Carmen de Patagones, but they were repelled by armed residents on 7 March 1827; this date is still commemorated with a festival in the city. The city maintains two imperial Brazilian flags captured during the battle in the central cathedral on the site of the original fort where the battle took place.
The town and its twin city,Viedma, became the focus of attention in 1986, when PresidentRaúl Alfonsín announced thePatagonia Project, which envisaged the transfer of the nation's capital to a new federal district encompassing both Carmen de Patagones andViedma, the two towns at the mouth of theRío Negro. Approved by theCongress in 1987, the plan was rescinded when Alfonsín's successor, PresidentCarlos Menem, disbanded Entecap, the commission overseeing the project, in 1989.
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