San Rafael (Argentina)
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| Basic data | |||
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| location | 34 ° 37 ′ S , 68 ° 20 ′ W | ||
| Height above d. M .: | 650 m | ||
| Population (2010): | 118.009 | ||
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| administration | |||
| Province : |
 Mendoza
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| Department : | San Rafael | ||
| Mayor: | Omár Chafí Félix, PJ | ||
| Others | |||
| Postal code : | M5600 | ||
| Telephone code: | 02627 | ||
| San Rafael website | |||
San Rafael is a city in western Argentina . It is located in the central south of the province of Mendoza and has 118,009 inhabitants (2010, INDEC ). This makes it the second most important city in the province.
location
The city lies north of the Río Diamante , which forms an island at this point, which is now the city's park. An artificial irrigation system was created through canals, so that agriculture can be carried out in the vicinity of the city and the city itself could be embellished with green streets. San Rafael lies at the foot of the Andes and, like Mendoza in general, offers a very impressive landscape.
The Autódromo Las Paredes motor racing circuit is in the immediate vicinity of the city .
history
San Rafael was founded in 1805 as a fortress against the Indians by the viceroy Rafael de Sobremonte , whose name the place bore from there. The settlement finally consolidated itself from 1860 onwards, when colonists from Italy and France settled here and farmed in the neighborhood. During the so-called desert campaign, the extermination campaign of General Julio Argentino Roca against the Indians at the end of the 1870s, San Rafael was one of the main military bases against the Mapuches . In 1903 the place was connected to the railway network, which significantly boosted population growth. In 1922 San Rafael received city rights.
economy
Above all, San Rafael is an agro-industrial center, here the products of the oasis region around the city are processed and preserved. Wine is mainly grown in the area, but also fruits, tomatoes, onions and garlic. Another emerging industry is tourism .
Viticulture
The first vines were planted in San Rafael in 1884, and the La Abeja winery, established at the time , still exists today. Long autumns with mild temperatures allow the berries to ripen slowly and fully, but frequent hail showers harbor high yield risks. Before the Argentine economic crisis in the 1980s, there were more than 200 wineries ( bodegas ) in the region , and in the 1970s they produced more than 70% of Argentina's white wines. Today (2012) 88 bodegas cultivate a wine-growing area of 16,000 hectares, around 4,000 small businesses cultivate areas of less than 5 hectares each.
- (see also the article Viticulture in Argentina )
tourism
To the west of the city are several reservoirs on the Río Diamante, which on the one hand provide energy and are used to irrigate the fields, but also have a tourist infrastructure: Galileo Vitale , El Tigre , Los Reyunos and Agua de Toro . South of San Rafael are the larger reservoirs of Valle Grande and El Nihuil , also popular travel destinations. San Rafael is therefore more and more an insider tip for tourists and is the quieter alternative to the provincial capital. The weather is also very pleasant due to the dry air and 300 days of sunshine a year.
Sons and daughters
- Jorge Kémérer (1908–1998), Catholic clergyman, Bishop of Posadas
- Roque Avallay (* 1945), football player
- Jesús Méndez (* 1984), football player
Web links
- IFAM statistics data (Spanish)
- LiveArgentina.com - City information (Spanish)
- Tourist information at Sanrafael Tour (Spanish)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Angeline Montoya: San Rafael / Argentina. Bring back the shine , in: Wein & Rebe , 11 + 12/2012, p. 36f.