Corrientes Facts for Kids

For other uses, see Corrientes (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids

Corrientes

City

Above: Panorama view of Manuel Belgano Bridge, Corrientes Carnival on every February Middle:The city of Corrientes with the General Belgano Bridge in the background Bottom: Corrientes Carthedral, Corrientes City Hall (All items were left to right)

Flag	Coat of arms

Corrientes

Location in Argentina

Country

Capital

Area

• City

500 km² (200 sq mi)

Elevation

52 m (171 ft)

Population

(2010 census)

• Urban

346,334

Demonym(s)

Correntine
correntino/a (Spanish)
taraguigua (Guarani)

Time zone

UTC−3 (ART)

CPA base

W3400

Dialing code

+54 379

Website

Official website: http://www.ciudaddecorrientes.gov.ar/

Corrientes (which means "Currents" in Guaraní) is the capital city of the Corrientes province in Argentina. It's located on the eastern side of the Paraná River. The city is about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from Buenos Aires.

Corrientes has a mix of old and new buildings. You can see many churches and beautiful trees like lapacho, ceibo, and jacaranda. It's also famous for its big carnival celebrations and traditional chamamé music. The average temperature here is around 21.3°C (70.3°F) each year.

Getting Around Corrientes
Corrientes Through Time
What's the Weather Like?
Learning in Corrientes
Cities Around the World
Corrientes in Stories
Sports in Corrientes
Famous People from Corrientes
Gallery
See also

Getting Around Corrientes

Belgrano Bridge during sunset, Corrientes, Argentina.

Corrientes is located in the Argentine Littoral region, close to the border with Paraguay. The General Belgrano Bridge connects Corrientes across the Paraná River to Resistencia, which is the capital of the neighboring Chaco Province.

Up the Paraná River, between Paraguay and Argentina, is the Yaciretá dam. This is one of the largest power plants in the world that uses water to create hydroelectricity.

The city also has an airport called Doctor Fernando Piragine Niveyro International Airport. It's about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the city center.

Corrientes Through Time

Plan of the city of Corrientes in June 1867 (left) and the church and convent of Saint Francis (right), in Corrientes, built in 1607.

The city of Corrientes was founded on April 3, 1588, by Juan Torres de Vera y Aragón. He first named it San Juan de Vera de las Siete Corrientes. This long name was later shortened to just Corrientes. The "seven currents" refer to seven areas along the river where the water flows very strongly, making it hard for boats to pass.

Corrientes became an important stop because of its location between Asunción (in modern-day Paraguay) and Buenos Aires. Its high ground, about 55 meters (180 feet) above the river, also helped protect it from floods.

In 1615, a group called the Jesuits settled near the Uruguay River. In 1807, the city bravely fought off British attacks. During the Argentine War of Independence, Corrientes often disagreed with the government in Buenos Aires. However, they united during the Paraguayan War after Paraguayan forces attacked the city in 1865.

What's the Weather Like?

Corrientes has a humid subtropical climate. This means it usually has warm, wet summers and mild winters. The average yearly temperature is about 21.4°C (70.5°F). The city gets around 1,455 millimeters (57 inches) of rain each year.

It rarely freezes in Corrientes. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -2.8°C (27°F) on June 15, 1979. The hottest temperature ever recorded was 43.5°C (110.3°F) on October 1, 2020.