Río Gallegos | |
|---|---|
 The Harbour of Rio Gallegos, Our Lady of Luján Cathedral Parish, Gallegos river, Rio Gallegos airport and San Martín Avenue | |
 Flag | |
  Río Gallegos Location of Río Gallegos in Argentina Show map of Santa Cruz Province Río Gallegos Río Gallegos (Argentina) Show map of Argentina | |
| Coordinates:51°37′24″S69°12′58″W / 51.62333°S 69.21611°W /-51.62333; -69.21611 | |
| Country |  Argentina |
| Province |  Santa Cruz |
| Department | Güer Aike |
| Founded | 19 December 1885 |
| Founded by | Ramón Lista |
| Government | |
| • Intendant | Roberto Giubetich |
| Elevation | 20 m (66 ft) |
| Population (2022 census) | |
• Total | 115,524 |
| Time zone | UTC−3 (ART) |
| CPA base | Z9400 |
| Dialing code | +54 2966 |
| Climate | BSk |
| Website | Official website |
Río Gallegos ([ˈri.oɣaˈʝeɣos]) is the capital and largest settlement of thePatagonianprovince ofSanta Cruz inArgentina. Located in the department ofGüer Aike, it had a population of 115,524, according to the 2022census[INDEC]. The city bears the name of theGallegos River, and sits on itsestuary 2,636 km (1,638 mi) south from the Argentine federal capitalBuenos Aires.
Established on 19 December 1885 to increase Argentine power over southern Patagonia, Río Gallegos became the capital of the then Territory of Santa Cruz in 1888, retaining its status when the territory became a province in 1957.Néstor Kirchner, laterPresident of Argentina, served as the city's mayor from 1987 to 1991 and is interred in amausoleum in the city's cemetery.
In 1525 Spanish explorerGarcía Jofre de Loaísa became the first European to reach the Gallegos River, and named itRío San Idelfonso.Simón de Alcazaba y Sotomayor's 1535 expedition was the first to name the river"Río Gallegos". The area was not settled by Europeans until much later, with the settlement established 19 December 1885, when the Argentine government wished to better express its sovereignty over southernPatagonia – a naval base was created which increased the development of the town. Between 1912 and 1920, the government encouraged settlers from theFalkland Islands and southernChile with preferential farming conditions. Some 3,000 arrived and boosted the town. Assheep-farming increased, Río Gallegos became the principal port for exporting sheep and their products. The Pioneers Museum is a preserved old Patagonian house exhibiting the life of the early settlers.
GovernorRamón Lista decided to move the Territorial Capital fromPuerto Santa Cruz to Río Gallegos in 1888; official ratification of this decision came on 19 May 1904. The Cathedral of Our Lady of Luján was consecrated in 1900. The Territory of Santa Cruz was declared aProvince in 1957, with Mario Cástulo Paradelo as its first Governor.
In the 1982Falklands War, thecity airport was base ofArgentine Air ForceMirage III interceptors andA-4 Skyhawks strike aircraft.
Néstor Kirchner, President of Argentina from 2003 to 2007, was mayor of Río Gallegos between 1987 and 1991. His mausoleum is in the city and a street bears his name.
Today, Río Gallegos is an important city of the Argentine far south, with military bases and aninternational airport. Flights between Chile andMount Pleasant Airport on the Falkland Islands stop at Río Gallegos once a month.
Birds in the area include thethrush,rhea,chingolo (rufous-collared sparrow),Chilean flamingo,upland goose andblack-necked swan.Grey foxes are predators on the sheep ranched in the city. Other animals found in the area include theguanaco.
On the outskirts of Rio Gallegos there is a wide variety of native plants, includingcalafates,anartrofilos,oxalis,violets andpansies,paper flowers,calceolarias, hipoqueris,leucerias,perezias,senecios, mata arrears, senecio miser,amancay,lilies, lily of the field.
Rio Gallegos' main association football club isBoca Rio Gallegos of theTorneo Argentino B, the fourth tier of Argentine football. Founded 12 October 1945 by meat factory workers, the side share their crest and kit withBoca Juniors of Buenos Aires, Argentina's most successful club, and have played in the national league system since 1988.[1]Rio Gallegos' oldestassociation football club areBoxing Club founded August 1920 and Hispano Americano founded 17 December 1925 .
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Rio Gallegos has acold steppe climate (BSk, under theKöppen climate classification).[2] The climate is dry, windy and cold, with occasional snow during the winter.[3] It is one of the windiest cities on earth, with winds above 50 km/h (31 mph) being commonplace, and over 100 km/h (62 mph) not exceptional. Winter temperatures average 5 °C (41 °F) during the day and −2 °C (28 °F) at night, but have dropped as low as −20 °C (−4 °F). Summers are extremely windy and cloudy, with days reaching a cool 19 °C (66 °F) and nights dropping to a relatively cold 7 °C (45 °F).[4] Cold weather can occur at any time, and despite the very low precipitation, light drizzle and cloudy days are quite common. The highest temperature recorded was 35.8 °C (96 °F) on February 5, 2019 while the record low is −20.2 °C (−4 °F) on July 12, 1982.[5][6]
| Climate data for Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz, Argentina (1991–2020, extremes 1931–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 35.0 (95.0) | 35.8 (96.4) | 33.8 (92.8) | 28.2 (82.8) | 22.6 (72.7) | 17.0 (62.6) | 16.1 (61.0) | 18.1 (64.6) | 24.9 (76.8) | 27.2 (81.0) | 30.4 (86.7) | 31.0 (87.8) | 35.8 (96.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 20.0 (68.0) | 19.5 (67.1) | 17.1 (62.8) | 13.4 (56.1) | 8.8 (47.8) | 5.2 (41.4) | 5.1 (41.2) | 7.5 (45.5) | 11.3 (52.3) | 14.8 (58.6) | 17.1 (62.8) | 18.6 (65.5) | 13.2 (55.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 13.6 (56.5) | 13.0 (55.4) | 10.8 (51.4) | 7.6 (45.7) | 4.4 (39.9) | 1.6 (34.9) | 1.5 (34.7) | 3.1 (37.6) | 5.6 (42.1) | 8.3 (46.9) | 10.9 (51.6) | 12.6 (54.7) | 7.8 (46.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 7.4 (45.3) | 6.9 (44.4) | 5.4 (41.7) | 2.7 (36.9) | 0.2 (32.4) | −2.1 (28.2) | −2.3 (27.9) | −0.8 (30.6) | 0.8 (33.4) | 2.3 (36.1) | 4.5 (40.1) | 6.5 (43.7) | 2.6 (36.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −0.9 (30.4) | −3.5 (25.7) | −7.8 (18.0) | −11.0 (12.2) | −16.2 (2.8) | −18.2 (−0.8) | −20.2 (−4.4) | −12.7 (9.1) | −9.0 (15.8) | −6.8 (19.8) | −6.4 (20.5) | −3.6 (25.5) | −20.2 (−4.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 26.9 (1.06) | 29.5 (1.16) | 28.6 (1.13) | 24.6 (0.97) | 24.3 (0.96) | 20.9 (0.82) | 19.8 (0.78) | 18.7 (0.74) | 14.6 (0.57) | 14.5 (0.57) | 22.0 (0.87) | 32.2 (1.27) | 276.6 (10.89) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 9.7 | 7.9 | 9.9 | 8.4 | 7.9 | 7.6 | 8.2 | 7.3 | 6.3 | 5.6 | 7.8 | 10.4 | 97.0 |
| Average snowy days | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 3.9 | 4.0 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 14.6 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 51.9 | 56.3 | 62.4 | 68.6 | 75.1 | 79.0 | 77.7 | 73.4 | 66.1 | 56.9 | 52.6 | 52.5 | 64.4 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 241.8 | 200.6 | 182.9 | 147.0 | 117.8 | 93.0 | 108.5 | 139.5 | 162.0 | 210.8 | 231.0 | 232.5 | 2,067.4 |
| Mean dailysunshine hours | 7.8 | 7.1 | 5.9 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 5.4 | 6.8 | 7.7 | 7.5 | 5.7 |
| Percentagepossible sunshine | 27 | 31 | 34 | 33 | 37 | 35 | 33 | 34 | 36 | 35 | 28 | 23 | 32 |
| Source 1:Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (May record low)[5][7][8][9][10] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Secretaria de Mineria (December record low only and percent sun, 1951–1980),[4] Meteo Climat (record highs and lows),[6] | |||||||||||||
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The city is served byPiloto Civil Norberto Fernández International Airport, with four commercial airlines, includingAerolineas Argentinas and an international one,LATAM Chile.
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