This article is about the province. For the capital and largest city of Argentina, seeBuenos Aires. For the independent republic that existed from 1852 to 1861, seeState of Buenos Aires.
Buenos Aires,[a] officially theBuenos Aires Province,[b] is the largest and most populousArgentine province. It takes its name from the city ofBuenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of the province and the province's capital until it wasfederalized in 1880. Since then, in spite of bearing the same name, the province does not include Buenos Aires city, though it does include all other parts of theGreater Buenos Aires metropolitan region, which include approximately three-fourths of the conurbation's population. The capital of the province is the city ofLa Plata, founded in 1882.
It is bordered by the provinces ofEntre Ríos to the northeast,Santa Fe to the north,Córdoba to the northwest,La Pampa to the west,Río Negro to the south and west and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires to the northeast.Uruguay is just across theRio de la Plata to the northeast, and both are on the coast of theAtlantic Ocean to the east. Almost the entire province is part of thePampas geographical region, with the extreme south often considered part of thePatagonia region.
The province has a population of about 17.5 million people, which is 38% of Argentina's total population. The province covers an area of 307,571 km2 (118,754 sq mi), which is about 11% of Argentina's total area and makes it the country's largest province.
The inhabitants of the province before the 16th-century advent ofSpanish colonization wereaboriginal peoples such as theCharrúas and theQuerandíes. Their culture was lost over the next 350 years. They were subjected to Eurasian plagues from which few survived. The survivors joined othertribes or have been mostly absorbed by Argentina'sEuropean immigration.
Pedro de Mendoza foundedSanta María del Buen Ayre in 1536. Even though the first contact with the aboriginals was peaceful, it soon became hostile. The city was evacuated in 1541.Juan de Garay re-founded the settlement in 1580 asSantísima Trinidad y Puerto Santa María de Los Buenos Aires.
Amidst ongoing conflict with the aboriginals, the cattle farms extended fromBuenos Aires, whose port was always the center of the economy of the territory. Following the creation of theViceroyalty of the Río de la Plata at the end of the 18th century, the export of meat, leather and their derivatives through the port of Buenos Aires was the basis of the economic development of the region.
Jesuits unsuccessfully tried to peacefully assimilate the aboriginals into the European culture brought by theSpanish conquistadores. A certain balance was found at the end of the 18th century when theSalado River became the limit between both civilizations, despite frequentmalones (aboriginal attacks on border settlements). The end to this situation came in 1879 with theConquest of the Desert (Conquista del Desierto) in which the aboriginals were almost completely exterminated.
1decimo coin minted for the province in 1822. The reverse features the provincial coat of arms
After the independence fromSpain in 1816, the city and province of Buenos Aires became the focus of an intermittentArgentine Civil War with other provinces. AFederal Pact secured by GovernorJuan Manuel de Rosas in 1831 led to the establishment of theArgentine Confederation and to his gaining thesum of public power, which provided a tenuous unity. Ongoing disputes regarding the influence of Buenos Aires, betweenFederalists andUnitarians, and over thePort of Buenos Aires (the prime source of public revenue at the time) fueled periodic hostilities. The province was declared independent on 11 September 1852, as theState of Buenos Aires. Concessions gained in 1859Pact of San José de Flores and a victory at theBattle of Pavón led to its reincorporation into the Argentine Republic on 17 December 1861. Intermittent conflicts with the nation did not truly cease until 1880, when the city of Buenos Aires was formallyfederalized and, thus, administratively separated from the province.
Period illustration of the 1882 placement of La Plata'sfoundation stone
La Plata was founded in 1882 by GovernorDardo Rocha for the purpose of becoming the provincial capital. The equivalent of a billion (1880s) dollars of British investment and pro-development, education and immigrationpolicies pursued at the national level subsequently spurred dramatic economic growth. Driven byEuropean immigration and improved health, the province's population, like Argentina's, nearly doubled to one million by 1895 and doubled again by 1914.[5]Rail lines connected nearly every town and hamlet in the province by 1914; many developed around the new railway stations.
This era of accelerated development was cut short by theWall Street crash of 1929, which caused a sharp drop in commodity prices (99% of Argentine exports were agricultural) and led to a halt in the flow of investment funds between nations. The newConcordance andPerón governments funded ambitious lending and public works programs, visible in Buenos Aires Province through the panoply of levees, power plants, water works, paved roads, municipal buildings, and (particularly during Perón's 1946–55 tenure) schools, clinics and massive regional hospitals.
The province's population, after 1930, began to grow disproportionately quickly in the suburban areas of Buenos Aires. These suburbs had grown to include 4 million out of the province's total 7 million people in 1960.[5] Much of the area these new suburbs were developed on (particularly the poorer ones) consisted of wetlands and were prone to flooding. To address this, GovernorOscar Alende initiated the province's most important flood-control project to date, the Roggero Reservoir. Completed a decade later, in 1971, the reservoir and associated electric and water-treatment facilities encouraged still more, and more orderly, development of theGreater Buenos Aires region, which today includes around 10 million people (2⁄3 of the provincial population). It did not address worsening pollution resulting from the area's industrial growth, which had made itself evident since around 1920. This problem has been at its worst along theReconquista River west and north of the city of Buenos Aires; over 4 million people (one in 10 Argentines) today live on the Reconquista's basin.[6] Of these, about a million still live with seriously compromised water quality, despite the province's (sometimes counterproductive) efforts to remedy the issue.[7]
InApril 2013, the northeastern section of Buenos Aires Province, particularly its capital, La Plata, experienced several flash floods that claimed the lives of at least 89 people.[8]
In February 2021, researchers led bypaleontologist Nicolás Chimento of the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales announced the discovery of a well-preserved fossilized skull of the giant ground slothMegatherium near San Eduardo del Mar, Province of Buenos Aires. According topaleontologists, thefossil belonged to a juvenile and dated back approximately 3.58 million years.[10][11][12]
Provincial Government House in La PlataProvincialLegislature in La PlataFederal courts in La Plata
The provincial government is divided into three branches: the executive, headed by a popularly electedgovernor, who appoints the cabinet; thelegislative (represented by theLegislature, which is split into theChamber of Deputies and theSenate); and thejudiciary, headed by the Supreme Court.
The Constitution of Buenos Aires Province forms the formal law of the province.
As part ofThe Pampas, the weather of the province is strongly influenced by the ocean, with hot summers and temperate winters. Humidity is high and precipitation is abundant and distributed over the year. The Western and Southwestern regions are drier and are part of theSemi-arid Pampas ecoregion. The southernmost part of the province is often included in definitions of thePatagonia region.[13]
Köppen climate map of Buenos AiresSnow on La Perla beach,Mar del Plata (1991)
The climate of the province of Buenos Aires is extremely benign for human activities: it is temperate, with four marked seasons and reliable rainfall on most regions. The province can be divided into four main climatic regions: the southwestern, drier region; the cool Atlantic region; the northern and eastern humid region, and the Delta region, with the warmest, wettest climate.
The northern region has warm, humid summers, with days between 28 and 32 °C (82 and 90 °F) and nights between 16 and 20 °C (61 and 68 °F), pleasant falls, cool, drier winters with highs between 13 and 18 °C (55 and 64 °F) and nights between 2 and 5 °C (36 and 41 °F), and windy, variable springs. Heat waves may bring days with temperatures over 38 °C (100 °F), but these do not usually last very long, as cold fronts bring thunderstorms and cooler days, with night temperatures often falling down to 12 °C (54 °F). Winter cold waves may bring days with highs about 8 °C (46 °F), and lows below −4 °C (25 °F), with extremes down to −8 °C (18 °F). Snow is uncommon, but there have been accumulations on several occasions in the past. Precipitation ranges from 750 to 1,100 mm (30 to 43 in) per year.
The Delta region is slightly warmer, especially at night, due to the presence of water and the northerly location. Summer nights tend to be stickier, and winters can be damp and foggy, with most nights between 4 and 8 °C (39 and 46 °F). Frost is still to be expected, but temperatures will almost never fall below −4 °C (25 °F), and snow has fallen only twice in the last century. Precipitation ranges from 1,000 to 1,300 mm (39 to 51 in) and falls throughout the year. The city of Buenos Aires is surrounded by a climate similar to the northern part of the province, but the city itself resembles more the Delta climate, with less frost.
The southwestern region is the driest region, and it experiences a more marked differences in temperatures. Summers are often hot, between 30 and 35 °C (86 and 95 °F), but nights are usually comfortable (14 to 18 °C (57 to 64 °F)). Thunderstorms are less frequent but can be very violent in nature. Frost can make an appearance as early as March, but usually first comes in April. Winters are cool and dry, with days between 10 and 16 °C (50 and 61 °F) and nights between −1 and 4 °C (30 and 39 °F). Frost occurs on an almost daily basis, with temperatures below −6 °C (21 °F) not uncommon, and down to −12 °C (10 °F) recorded in some areas. Snowfall may occur every once in a while, but accumulations are usually small. Total precipitation ranges from 500 to 750 mm (20 to 30 in), with slightly rainier springs and falls.
The Atlantic region sees very moderate weather: the ocean is cold (17 to 20 °C (63 to 68 °F) in the summer) and sea breezes often bring chilly weather until midsummer. The hottest months average 25 to 27 °C (77 to 81 °F) with nights between 12 and 16 °C (54 and 61 °F), providing a perfect relief for the inhabitants of the hotter interior. Fall is often rainy, and winters can be windy and chilly: temperatures average from 10 to 15 °C (50 to 59 °F), and nights from 1 to 5 °C (34 to 41 °F). There can be long periods of drizzly weather and constant temperatures of about 7 °C (45 °F). Frost is common but temperatures will rarely fall below −5 °C (23 °F), and snowfalls sometimes, but accumulations are only to be expected every few years. Precipitation ranges from 700 to 950 mm (28 to 37 in). The Sierras de la Ventana (up to 1,200 metres (3,900 ft)) experience cooler weather, especially at night.
The geography of the province is crossed by occasional westPampero winds. The southernSudestada produces storms and temperature drops, most notably theSanta Rosa storm,[14] which takes place every year almost exactly on 30 August.
Boundaries of the 135partidos of Buenos Aires Province
Unlike the other provinces of the country, in the province of Buenos Aires, the territorial divisions are calledpartidos, instead of departments.
These also constitute the municipal division of the province. The provincial Constitution does not recognize the municipal autonomy that was recognized for the whole country in the reform of theNational Constitution of 1994. Each partido corresponds to amunicipality and is governed by a mayor (intendente) elected by popular vote. The process of creating a partido is much more dynamic than in the other provinces, with a total of six more partidos in 2000 than in 1990. Most of the newer partidos were created in theGreater Buenos Aires. There are 135 partidos, the last established by law isLezama (2009).
Buenos Aires Province is the most populated province of the country. TheINDEC estimates that the population of Buenos Aires Province was 17,541,141 on 1 July 2020,[15] a 12.26% increase since the 2010 national census. According to that census, there were 15 million inhabitants (38% of the national population), of which 12 million lived inGreater Buenos Aires and 3 million in the rest of the province. Around 33.8% of the inhabitants weren't born in the province, of whom 3,918,552 are migrants from other provinces and 758,640 were born abroad.[16]
Most of its inhabitants are descendants from colonial-era settlers and immigrants from Europe who arrived within the 19th and 20th centuries, mostlyItalians and Spaniards. A number of suburbs in the province are also home to a large, predominantlymestizo population that began migrating from the country's northern provinces in the mid-20th century to take advantage of growing employment opportunities. These same communities are also home to considerable numbers of more recent migrants fromParaguay andBolivia.
demographic vertical bar chart of Buenos Aires population between 1869 and 2010
Agritourism inestancias (plantations) has become increasingly popular for foreigners visiting the province in recent years. The province'swine district, centered onMédanos, has also become prominent for visitors touring theArgentina Wine Route.
The city ofMar del Plata hosted six matches of the1978 FIFA World Cup and the1995 Pan American Games, and annually holds the National Evita Games and the final stage of the Bonaerense Games, the last being the most important provincial sports event for young, the elderly and people with disabilities.[24]
The province is represented in theArgentine Rugby Union (UAR) by four unions: the Rugby Union of Buenos Aires (URBA), includes teams of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA), the Rugby Union of Mar del Plata, the Western Rugby Union of the Province of Buenos Aires (UROBA) and the Southern Rugby Union. Some of the most prominent clubs areCASI andSIC of San Isidro.
There are numerous racetracks, including La Plata, Nueve de Julio, Olavarría, Mar de Ajó, Junín, Balcarce, San Nicolás de los Arroyos and Bahía Blanca. TheSan Isidro Racecourse was inaugurated in 1935 and hosts the Carlos Pellegrini Grand Prix. The Hipodromo de La Plata is the third largest in Argentina.
The province's economy has long been the largest in Argentina, estimated in 2014 to have been US$407.6 billion (more than a third of the national total, which was around US$680.8 billion in 2016 according to Argentina's economical growing.[clarification needed] It has a per capita income of $24,780 (around $27,300 in 2016). The province is the nation's chief exporter, generating nearly $107 billion in exports in 2016 (37% of the nation's total).[25]
Agriculture in the province is renowned around the world for its productivity. The province is Argentina's chiefagricultural producer, and accounted for at least $8 billion in export earnings in 2014.[26] This sector adds about 5% to the province's highly diversified economy, however.[27] The province's ranching sector is diversified, and though cattle historically provided the main animal husbandry activity, Buenos Aires is also the top producer ofsheep,pork, andchicken meat of the country. Equally important is thedairy industry. Crop harvests are the most diverse in the nation and have grown to record levels in recent decades. The most important crops includesoybean,maize,wheat,sunflower and otheroilseeds, likeflax. More recently, premium wines have been produced in theBuenos Aires wine region in the south of the province.
Manufacturing accounts for a fourth of the province's output and is about 40% of the entire nation's.[27] The industry of the province is diverse: chemical, pharmaceutical, metallurgic, motor vehicles, machinery, textiles and the food industry are the most notable. Excluding processed agricultural items, the province was responsible for over US$70 billion of industrial exports in 2016 and accounted for a third of all Argentine exports.[26][28]
The province's services sector is well-diversified and differs little from national trends. The largest local bank is the publicBank of the Province of Buenos Aires. The institution, the second largest in Argentina, holds nearly a tenth of the nation's bank deposits.[29]
^Some 11 million of its population belongs to Buenos Aires Province and almost 3 million to the City of Buenos Aires.
^The number provided by INDEC includes the combined population of the cities ofMerlo andParque San Martín. The population of each one of that cities is unknown.
^The number provided by INDEC seems to include the combined population of the cities ofBanfield andIngeniero Budge, and perhaps some other locality in theLomas de Zamora Partido (most notablySan José) that does not appear differentiated in the census. The population of each one of that cities is unknown.
^"Visitá la Patagonia Bonaerense" (in Spanish). Undersecretariat of Tourism of Buenos Aires Province.Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved2 January 2022.
^Fernando Leónidas Sabsay & Julio Raúl Lascano (1973).La sociedad argentina: España y el Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires: La Ley.
^Sonia Tell (2008).Córdoba rural, una sociedad campesina (1750-1850). Buenos Aires: Prometeo Libros Editorial, pp. 55 (nota n°32).ISBN978-987-574-267-3.
^abSir Woodbine Parish (1853).Buenos Aires y las provincias del Rio de la Plata: desde su descubrimiento y conquista por los españoles. Tomo II. Buenos Aires: Imprenta de Mayo, pp. 450
^Laura Marcela Méndez (2007).Las Efemérides En El Aula. Buenos Aires: Noveduc Libros, pp. 204.ISBN987-538-125-X.
^Mariela Ceva, Alejandro Fernández, Aníbal Jáuregui & Julio Stortini (2000).Historia Social Argentina En Documentos. Buenos Aires: Editorial Biblos, pp. 108.ISBN950-786-245-5.
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