Antofagasta de la Sierra Department

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Antofagasta de la Sierra
Antofagasta de la Sierra Department (Catamarca - Argentina) .png
Location of Antofagasta de la Sierra in Catamarca (Argentina)
Data
Capital Antofagasta de la Sierra
population 1,282 (2001, INDEC)
surface 28,097 km²
Population density 0.04 inhabitants / km²

The Antofagasta de la Sierra department is located in the northwest of the Catamarca Province in northwest Argentina and is one of the province's 16 administrative units.

It borders the province of Salta to the north and northeast, the Belén department to the east, the Tinogasta department to the south and Chile to the west .

The capital of the department is Antofagasta de la Sierra of the same name .

geography

There are over 200 volcanoes within the department. The largest among them are the Antofalla , the Carachi Pampa , the Antofagasta , La Alumbrera and the Galán , which has the largest crater basin in the world. The pumice stone fields are evidence of the considerable volcanic activity in the past . Another characteristic of the department are the salt lakes such as the Salar del Hombre Muerto and the Salar de Antofalla , which is enclosed by the Sierras de Antofalla and the Sierras de Calalaste . The latter is the longest salt lake in the world with a length of 163 kilometers and a maximum width of 12 kilometers. The zone is rich in minerals. In the Salar del Hombre Muerto in the north of the department is lithium won. In the mine Incahuasi earlier was gold mined. Despite the extremely dry climate, there are also pastures irrigated by small rivers such as the Río de los Patos and the Río Punilla . Lagoons have also formed, such as the Laguna de Antofagasta , the Laguna La Alumbera (near the town of Antofagasta de la Sierra at the foot of the volcano of the same name), the Laguna Blanca , Laguna Grande and Laguna Diamante .

Nature reserves

In the department there is also the Reserva de Bíosfera Laguna Blanca nature reserve, which covers almost 1 million hectares and is home to pink flamingos , foxes , suris , vicuñas and other camelids.

climate

The climate in the department is harsh, cold and very dry because of its southern peripheral location on the Puna de Atacama . The daily temperature fluctuations exceed 30 degrees Celsius with minimum temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius. The annual rainfall is less than 200 millimeters.

population

More than 70 percent of the population of the extremely sparsely populated department live in the departmental capital Antofagasta de la Sierra . The next largest settlement is El Peñón, 65 kilometers south . Other notable settlements with a small population are Paycuqui (17 kilometers north of Antofagasta de la Sierra), Antofalla , which lies at the foot of the volcano of the same name and has a little over 40 inhabitants, and the small hamlet Incahuasi .

cities and communes

The Antofagasta de la Sierra department is divided into the following localities:

There are also the following small settlements (Parajes):

  • Agua Caliente
  • Aguas Blancas
  • Barrialto
  • Calaste
  • Corral Grande
  • El Jote
  • Incahuasi
  • La Cortaderita
  • Laguna Grande
  • Los Colorados
  • Mariguaca
  • Paycuqui
  • Vega de la Laguna

history

The Antofagasta de la Sierra department was the southernmost department of the Gobernación de los Andes until 1943 and was added to the province of Catamarca after its dissolution.

Web links

Coordinates: 26 ° 0 ′  S , 67 ° 24 ′  W