San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
San Fernando del
Valle de Catamarca |
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(From top to bottom; from left to right) Aerial view of the city; Our Lady of the Valley of Catamarca Cathedral; San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca Historical Museum; El Jumeal reservoir and the San Francisco Church.
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Capital department within Catamarca Province
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 San Fernando del
Valle de Catamarca Location in Argentina
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| Country |  Argentina |
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| Province |  Catamarca |
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| Department | Capital | ||
| Elevation | 500 m (1,600 ft) | ||
| Population
(2010)
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| • Total | 159,139 | ||
| Demonym(s) | catamarqueño | ||
| Time zone | UTC−3 (ART) | ||
| CPA base |
K4700
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| Dialing code | +54 383 | ||
San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca is the capital city of Catamarca Province in northwestern Argentina. It sits by the Río Valle River, at the base of the Cerro Ambato mountain. People often just call it Catamarca.
The city covers about 684 km2 (264 sq mi) and is 500 m (1,640 ft) above sea level. In 2010, about 159,000 people lived there. If you include the nearby areas, the population is over 200,000. This means about 70% of the province's people live in or near Catamarca.
Contents
Discovering Catamarca City
San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca is located 1,130 km (702 mi) from Buenos Aires, Argentina's capital. Other nearby provincial capitals include La Rioja (154 km (96 mi)), Tucumán (230 km (143 mi)), and Santiago del Estero (209 km (130 mi)).
Many visitors come to Catamarca to see the Church of the Virgin of the Valley. This church was built in 1694 and holds a special statue of Nuestra Señora del Valle (Our Lady of the Valley).
Catamarca is also a popular place for tourists. It has beautiful colonial architecture, which means its buildings have an old, historic style. From here, you can go on many adventures like hiking, mountain biking, and horse riding. You can also enjoy wine tasting tours in the area.
Traveling to Catamarca
San Fernando del Valle has its own airport, Coronel Felipe Varela International Airport (CTC/SANC). You can take flights from this airport to Buenos Aires.
Catamarca's Climate and Weather
Catamarca has a warm, semi-arid climate. This means it's generally hot and dry. The average yearly temperature is about 20 °C (68 °F). In summer, the average high is 34 °C (93 °F), and it can often get hotter than 43 °C (109 °F). In winter, the average low is 5 °C (41 °F).
While temperatures in the high mountains can drop very low (even to −30 °C (−22 °F)), it rarely freezes in the city itself. The valley gets little rain, mostly from summer thunderstorms. The high mountains around the city get most of their precipitation as snow.
| Climate data for San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca (1991–2020, extremes 1941–present) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 45.8 (114.4) |
44.4 (111.9) |
44.8 (112.6) |
38.3 (100.9) |
39.3 (102.7) |
34.7 (94.5) |
38.6 (101.5) |
41.9 (107.4) |
44.4 (111.9) |
47.0 (116.6) |
47.1 (116.8) |
47.7 (117.9) |
47.7 (117.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 34.5 (94.1) |
33.0 (91.4) |
31.3 (88.3) |
27.6 (81.7) |
23.4 (74.1) |
20.2 (68.4) |
20.3 (68.5) |
24.3 (75.7) |
27.7 (81.9) |
30.8 (87.4) |
32.8 (91.0) |
34.6 (94.3) |
28.4 (83.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 27.8 (82.0) |
26.4 (79.5) |
24.6 (76.3) |
20.7 (69.3) |
16.2 (61.2) |
12.2 (54.0) |
11.7 (53.1) |
15.8 (60.4) |
19.8 (67.6) |
23.7 (74.7) |
26.0 (78.8) |
27.6 (81.7) |
21.0 (69.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 21.9 (71.4) |
20.8 (69.4) |
19.2 (66.6) |
15.0 (59.0) |
10.3 (50.5) |
5.6 (42.1) |
4.5 (40.1) |
7.7 (45.9) |
12.2 (54.0) |
16.9 (62.4) |
19.6 (67.3) |
21.3 (70.3) |
14.6 (58.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 9.6 (49.3) |
8.0 (46.4) |
5.3 (41.5) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−3.7 (25.3) |
−6.2 (20.8) |
−9.0 (15.8) |
−6.6 (20.1) |
−5.9 (21.4) |
2.3 (36.1) |
5.8 (42.4) |
8.9 (48.0) |
−9.0 (15.8) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 80.9 (3.19) |
73.8 (2.91) |
50.1 (1.97) |
31.1 (1.22) |
12.7 (0.50) |
7.0 (0.28) |
4.1 (0.16) |
2.9 (0.11) |
5.6 (0.22) |
24.4 (0.96) |
45.1 (1.78) |
73.4 (2.89) |
411.1 (16.19) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 8.3 | 6.8 | 6.6 | 5.5 | 3.6 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 3.8 | 5.4 | 7.3 | 54.3 |
| Average snowy days | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 55.0 | 59.1 | 62.5 | 65.0 | 66.5 | 65.3 | 56.4 | 44.7 | 40.5 | 44.4 | 47.0 | 50.2 | 54.7 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 238.7 | 209.1 | 189.1 | 177.0 | 170.5 | 159.0 | 186.0 | 204.6 | 174.0 | 217.0 | 231.0 | 223.2 | 2,379.2 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 7.7 | 7.4 | 6.1 | 5.9 | 5.5 | 5.3 | 6.0 | 6.6 | 5.8 | 7.0 | 7.7 | 7.2 | 6.5 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 61.2 | 55.7 | 50.9 | 55.5 | 53.2 | 47.0 | 57.5 | 56.1 | 45.3 | 54.3 | 61.2 | 60.3 | 55.7 |
| Source 1: Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (percent sun 1991–2000) | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Universidad Nacional de Catamarca (extremes from the period 1941–1980 and 1996–2005) | |||||||||||||
Catamarca's Economy and Industries
The main economic activity in San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca is farming. Because there isn't much rainfall, farmers need to use irrigation to water their crops.
- Farmers grow fruits and grapes in the fertile areas near the city.
- There is also a lot of wine produced here.
- Other local products include preserves (like jams) and handmade ponchos.
Cotton and cattle farming are also important to the economy. Mining is a big industry too. Mines like Farallón Negro, Bajo de la Alumbrera, and Capillitas dig for valuable metals. These include gold, silver, copper, and tin.
Sports in Catamarca
Catamarca has several successful football (soccer) clubs. Some of the most well-known teams are San Lorenzo de Alem, Atlético Policial, Sarmiento, and Villa Cubas.
The city also hosted a major international sports event. In 1982, the 1982 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship took place at the Polideportivo Fray Mamerto Esquiú.
Gallery
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Cathedral of Our Lady of the Valley
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Güemes Avenue and the omnibus terminal
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Urban landscape of the city with the Ambato mountain in the back.
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El Jumeal dam.
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The San Francisco Convent front, in the city center of San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca.
Famous People from Catamarca
- Eduardo Brizuela del Moral (1944–2021) was a well-known politician.
- Duilio Brunello (1925–2021) was a politician from the Peronist party.
- Mario Antonio Cargnello (born 1952) is a clergyman, which means he is a leader in the church.
- María Colombo de Acevedo (1957–2021) was also a politician.
- Raúl Jalil (born 1963) is a politician.
See also
In Spanish: San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca para niños
