Centro region
The Región Centro is one of the major Argentine regions. It covers the central east of the country.
structure
The following provinces belong to the Región Centro:
Data
The area of the Región Centro is 377,109 square kilometers, its population is 7,180,807 (2001). Population growth is 0.9 percent per year and the population density is 19.0 inhabitants per square kilometer.
Important cities
The region is home to the second and third largest cities in Argentina, Córdoba (1,368,301 inhabitants) and Rosario (1,161,188 inhabitants). Both are important industrial and service metropolises. Some distance behind are Santa Fe (Argentina) (454,238 inhabitants) and Paraná (247,310) with an agro-industrial orientation. Other large cities are Río Cuarto (149,303 inhabitants) in the province of Córdoba and Concordia (138,099 inhabitants) in the province of Entre Ríos.
geography
The region lies at the interface between the Pampa plain in the south and the Gran Chaco savannah in the north. In the west one finds the first foothills of the low mountain range of the Sierras Pampeanas . The climate is getting drier from east to west, with more precipitation falling in summer than in winter.
economy
The cities of the region have a well-developed and diversified industry (automotive industry in Cordoba and Rosario, electronics and software in Cordoba, agricultural machinery in Las Varillas, agricultural industry in almost all cities). The plains are used for intensive agriculture, especially soybean cultivation has gained in importance in recent decades. The energy industry is concentrated in the provinces of Córdoba and Entre Ríos with nuclear and hydropower plants. Tourism is also one of the main sources of income in the province of Cordoba.
Overall, the region is one of the richest areas in Argentina, it generates around a quarter of the country's gross national product. However, the cities are suffering from the high levels of immigration that led to sluming. Since the 1980s, however, population growth has stabilized at natural rates, so a solution to this problem is in sight.
Projects
The infrastructure between the provinces is to be further improved in order to become an internationally competitive region in agriculture and industry. Motorways are under construction between Córdoba and Rosario and between Córdoba and Concordia via Santa Fe, the outdated railway lines are currently being reluctantly modernized. The new bridge between Rosario and Victoria (Entre Ríos) should also better connect central Argentina with the neighboring countries Brazil and Uruguay .
tourism
The west of the province of Córdoba with the Sierras de Córdoba is one of the most important tourist centers in the country. The coast of the Río Uruguay in the province of Entre Ríos with the National Park El Palmar and the reservoir Salto Grande near Concordia is also important. The Carnival in the Entre Ríos province, especially in Gualeguaychú and Victoria, is also a tourist magnet .