Stables at the former Roca-Luro Estate, now the Luro Prairie Preserve.
In 1604Hernando Arias de Saavedra was the first European explorer to reach the area; it was later explored by Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera in 1662. But it was not until the 18th century that Spanish colonists established permanent settlements here.
Resistance of the local indigenous people prevented much expansion until the government ofJuan Manuel de Rosas. It did not cease untilJulio Roca'sconquest of the desert in the 19th century. The territory was divided between the officers, and they erected the first Argentine settlements.
TheTerritorio Nacional de La Pampa Central was erected in 1884, containing theRío Negro Province and parts of other surrounding provinces. It had around 25,000 inhabitants. By 1915 there were 110,000 residents, a reflection of movement to that area. In 1945 the territory was divided and La Pampa became a province.
In 1952 its constitution was written and the province was renamed afterEva Peron. In 1955 after the government changed and the Peróns went into exile, both La Pampa andChaco, which had been named forJuan Perón, were reverted to their original names.
The general aspect of the central-eastern part of the province is that of a plain gently tilted to the east that is dissected by valleys.[5] The surface of the plain has acalcretecrust. The valleys of La Pampa, known as the transverse valleys (Spanish:valles transversales) are NE-SW oriented, with breadths of various kilometers and lengths of tens of kilometers. Some of the valleys host very largefossilinland dunes.[5] Formerly functioning as windfunnels for sand[5] at present these valleys are anecotone region between theDry andHumid Pampas.[6]
Being located in the Pampas, the province has a cooltemperate climate.[8] In general, the province is dominated by two different types of climates: a temperate one in the east and asemi-arid one in the west.[9] Precipitation generally decreases from east to west and from north to south.[8][9] Being characterized by large thermal amplitudes, the climate of the province hascontinental characteristics, particularly in the west where thermal amplitudes are much larger.[8][9] The general atmospheric circulation is one of the most important factors that influence the climate on a regional scale.[10] During summer, theSouth Atlantic High is displaced to the southeast, which brings hot and humid air masses from the north and northeast.[10] TheSouth Pacific High in summer is responsible for bringing cooler air masses from the southwest which when these two contrasting air masses meet lead to precipitation occurring.[10] In contrast, winters are dry due to the northward displacement of the South Atlantic high and the topographic barrier of the Andes north of 40oS which prevents frontal systems that bring precipitation from reaching the province.[10] Any winds from the southwest during winter bring in cold and dry weather since most of the precipitation and humidity are released in the Andes.[10] As such, most of the precipitation occurs during summer.[8]
Mean annual temperatures in the province range between 14 and 16 °C (57.2 and 60.8 °F) although the thermal amplitude (difference between temperatures in the warmest and coldest months) is large.[8][10] In summer, mean temperatures in the warmest month (January) range from 24 °C (75.2 °F) in the north and northeastern parts to 22 °C (71.6 °F) in the west and southwestern parts of the province.[10] Temperatures tend to be cooler in the west owing to the higher altitudes.[10] In winter, mean temperatures in the coldest month (July) range from 8 °C (46.4 °F) in the north to 6 °C (42.8 °F) in the west and southwest.[10] The northern parts are the warmest parts of the province; absolute maximum temperatures can reach up to 40 to 45 °C (104.0 to 113.0 °F).[10] The lowest temperatures ever recorded range from −10 °C (14.0 °F) in the northeast to −17 °C (1.4 °F) in the southwest.[10]
One characteristic of the precipitation in the province is that most of the precipitation occurs from October to March with little precipitation during winter.[10] Mean annual precipitation ranges from a low of 260 mm (10 in) in the southwest to 820 mm (32 in) in the northeast.[8] Precipitation generally decreases from northeast to southwest.[8] Most of the precipitation is caused byfrontal systems.[10] Precipitation is highly variable from year to year.[10]
La Pampa, long Argentina's most economically agricultural province, produced an estimated US$3.144 billion in output in 2006, or, US$10,504 per capita (almost 20% above the national average).[11] Now, the GDP per capita of the province is of US$14.000.
Agriculture contributes a fourth to La Pampa's economy, the most important activity beingcattle ranching, with 3,632,684 (2002) head, which takes place all over the province. Otherlivestock include 202,428sheep, 140,498goats and 64,118pigs.
Parque Luro Natural Prairie Preserve.
The Northeast, on the more fertile lands, has also an important activity withwheat (10% of the national production),sunflower (13% of NP),maize,alfalfa,barley, and other cereals.
There's also adairy industry of 300 centres of extraction and 25cheese factories,honey production, and salt extraction from salt basins.
La Pampa is home to hundreds of oil and gas wells, as well as deposits of sodium chloride, sodium sulfate, and copper.[12] Tourism is an underdeveloped activity, however. Visitors start atSanta Rosa and reachLihué Calel National Park,Parque Luro Provincial Reserve or visit one of the manyestancias, some of which are dedicated toagritourism.
The provincial government is divided into the usual three branches: the executive, headed by a popularly elected governor, who appoints the cabinet; the legislative; and the judiciary, headed by the Supreme Court.
^abAguilera, Emilia Y.; Sato, Ana María; Llambías, Eduardo; Tickyj, Hugo (2014). "Erosion Surface and Granitic Morphology in the Sierra de Lihuel Calel, Province of La Pampa, Argentina". InRabassa, Jorge;Ollier, Cliff (eds.).Gondwana Landscapes in southern South America. Springer. pp. 393–422.
^abcdefghijklmn"Caracterización General de la provincial"(PDF).INVENTARIO INTEGRADO DE LOS RECURSOS NATURALES DE LA PROVINCIA DE LA PAMPA: Clima, Geomorfología, Suelo y Vegetación (in Spanish). Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. 2004. pp. 19–32. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on June 10, 2017. RetrievedJune 10, 2017.
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