Entre Ríos is a province of Argentina, located in the Mesopotamia region, in the northeast of the country. It borders the provinces of Buenos Aires (south), Corrientes (north) and Santa Fe (west), and Uruguay in the east.

Its capital is Paraná (250,000 inhabitants), which lies on the Paraná River, opposite the city of Santa Fe.

History

Guaraníes, charrúas and chanás inhabited the area before the arrival of the Spanish conquerors. The first one to venture up the Uruguay River was Rodríguez Serrano in 1520, searching for the Pacific Ocean.

The first permanent settlement was erected in the current La Paz Department at the end of the 16th century. As governor of Asunción first and then of Buenos Aires, Hernandarias conducted expeditions to Entre Ríos unexplored lands. Juan de Garay, after founding Santa Fe, explored this area, which he called la otra banda ("the other bank").

During the 17th century, a group of people from neighbouring Santa Fe Province settled on the Bajada del Paraná, now the site of the provincial capital. At the same time towns appear, which we now know as Nogoyá, Victoria, Gualeguay, Gualeguaychú, Concepción del Uruguay and Concordia.

Tomás de Rocamora explored the area in 1783 under the threat of a Portuguese invasion, and gave official status to many of the above mentioned towns. He was also the first to refer to the region as Entre Ríos.

During the May Revolution, the cities along the Paraná shore supported Manuel Belgrano and his army on his way to Paraguay.

On September 29, 1820, the caudillo Francisco Ramírez declared the territory an autonomous entity, the "Republic of Entre Ríos". This lasted until his assassination on July 10 of the next year.

In 1853, in a meeting of all the provinces except Buenos Aires, Paraná was elected as the capital of the Argentine Confederation, and the caudillo Urquiza as its first president. The provincial capital was moved to Concepción del Uruguay. Defeated, Urquiza was elected governor of the province a few years later, while Domingo Faustino Sarmiento became president, but he was assassinated before finishing his mandate.

Urquiza encouraged immigration through "colonization contracts", setting up many agricultural colonies with European (mainly Swiss, French and German) settlers. According to data of the 1903 census, of the 425,373 inhabitants of the province, 153,067 where immigrants.

Economy

Agriculture products of the province include rice (60% of the national production), soybeans, wheat, maize, and citrus of which it is the second biggest producer, and exporting 16% of the production mainly to Europe.

Livestock production focuses on cattle (4.5 million head), and in sheep production in a decreasing proportion, covering 60,000 km². The dairy industry, currently in expansion, produces almost 250 thousand tons per year of dairy products.

Of the national production of chickens and eggs, Entre Ríos contribute 37% of the first and 25% percent of the second. Another emerging production is honey and its derivatives, mainly for export.

The industries are linked to the agriculture as the food and drinks industry and flour and rice mills. Other industries include timber-wood, chemical, metallurgy, and machinery.

Geography and climate

As part of the Mesopotamic region, the land is almost completely flat, with hills some 100 meters in height. There are two main systems of low hills, called lomadas or cuchillas: the Cuchilla de Montiel (west) and the Cuchilla Grande (east), which are separated by the Gualeguay River.

The name of the province means "among rivers". Entre Ríos is limited and traversed by many rivers and streams: the Paraná River and its delta to the west and south; the Uruguay River and the Mocoretá River to the east; and the Guayquiraró River to the north.

The weather variates form subtropical in the north to temperate towards the Pampas. The annual rainfall is about 900 mm in average, and occasional pampero and other local winds bring storms to the area.

Two national parks are located within the province: El Palmar National Park and Diamante National Park. There are also hot springs in several locations, especially along the basin of the Uruguay River.

Political division

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The province is divided in 15 departments (Spanish: departamentos).

Department (Capital)

# Colón (Colón)
# Concordia (Concordia)
# Diamante (Diamante)
# Federación (Federación)
# Federal (Federal)
# Feliciano (San José de Feliciano)
# Gualeguay (Gualeguay)
# Gualeguaychú (Gualeguaychú)
# Islas del Ibicuy (Villa Paranacito)
# La Paz (La Paz)
# Nogoyá (Nogoyá)
# Paraná (Paraná)
# San José de Feliciano (San José de Feliciano)
# San Salvador (San Salvador)
# Tala (Rosario del Tala)
# Uruguay (Concepción del Uruguay)
# Victoria (Victoria)
# Villaguay (Villaguay)

External links

*Official Site (Spanish)
*Provincial Tourist Office (Spanish)
*Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos (Spanish)
*Pictures of Entre Ríos
*Complete Tourism Guide of Zona Colón in Entre Ríos
Category:Provinces of Argentina