Zapala facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Zapala
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Zapala
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 Zapala
Location in Neuquén Province
Zapala
Location in Argentina
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| Country |  Argentina |
| Province |  Neuquén |
| Department | Zapala |
| Founded | July 12, 1913 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 452 km2 (175 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,012 m (3,320 ft) |
| Population
(2010 census)
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| • Total | 32,097 |
| • Density | 71.01/km2 (183.92/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC−3 (ART) |
| CPA base |
Q8340
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| Dialing code | +54 2942 |
| Climate | BSk |
| Website | Official website: https://web.archive.org/web/20130106173228/http://www.zapala.gob.ar/sitio/ |
Zapala is a city located in the Patagonia region of Argentina. It is found in the Neuquén area and is home to about 32,000 people. This number comes from a count done in 2010.
The city is right in the middle of the province. It sits where important roads meet, making it a key stop on the way to the Andes mountains and Chile. Zapala also has a large cement factory called Loma Negra.
Near Zapala, you can find the beautiful Laguna Blanca National Park and a place for skiing. The area is a dry grassland, also known as a steppe, called Pehuenia. It has small forests of unique Araucaria trees and is close to towns like Aluminé.
History of Zapala
Zapala was officially started on July 12, 1913. It became a full city with its own local government in 1948. The city grew up around a train station built by a British company.
This train station was later taken over by the Argentine government in 1948. Today, a private company runs the railway. The train tracks actually divide Zapala into two parts. One side has older buildings and shops, while the other is a newer area with homes.
The train line from Bahía Blanca and Neuquén ends in Zapala. It was planned to go all the way across the Andes mountains into Chile. However, building stopped in the 1920s. There were talks in 2006 about finishing the railway, but it hasn't happened yet.
In 1918, Zapala was famous for being the starting point of the first airplane flight across the Andes. A pilot named Luis Candelaria flew from Zapala to Cunco, Chile, on April 13. Zapala also has its own airport.
Geography and Climate
Zapala's Climate
Zapala has a cold semi-arid climate. This means it is quite dry and can be very windy. Winds as fast as 160 kilometers per hour have been recorded here!
Winters in Zapala are cold, and it snows quite a bit, usually about 30 to 40 centimeters each year. The city gets about 369 millimeters of rain annually, which is not much.
Summers can be hot, with temperatures sometimes reaching 35 degrees Celsius. These days are usually sunny and clear, but the nights are cool.
| Climate data for Zapala (modelled data) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 26.8 (80.2) |
25.6 (78.1) |
21.9 (71.4) |
16.3 (61.3) |
11.1 (52.0) |
7.3 (45.1) |
6.6 (43.9) |
8.7 (47.7) |
12.0 (53.6) |
16.0 (60.8) |
20.8 (69.4) |
24.5 (76.1) |
16.5 (61.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 18.9 (66.0) |
18.0 (64.4) |
14.6 (58.3) |
10.0 (50.0) |
6.0 (42.8) |
2.8 (37.0) |
1.8 (35.2) |
3.4 (38.1) |
5.9 (42.6) |
9.4 (48.9) |
13.5 (56.3) |
16.8 (62.2) |
10.1 (50.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 10.8 (51.4) |
10.5 (50.9) |
7.8 (46.0) |
4.6 (40.3) |
2.0 (35.6) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
0.7 (33.3) |
3.4 (38.1) |
6.3 (43.3) |
9.1 (48.4) |
4.3 (39.8) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 12 (0.5) |
17 (0.7) |
23 (0.9) |
33 (1.3) |
47 (1.9) |
62 (2.4) |
42 (1.7) |
37 (1.5) |
29 (1.1) |
33 (1.3) |
20 (0.8) |
14 (0.6) |
369 (14.7) |
| Source: Climate-Data.org | |||||||||||||
See also
In Spanish: Zapala para niños
