Santa María Department (Cordoba)
Santa María is a department in the center of the province of Cordoba in central Argentina . It has an area of 3,427 km² and a population of 80,433 (estimate by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INDEC) for 2005). The capital is Alta Gracia .
The department is included in the catchment area of the city of Córdoba .
geography
Santa María borders the Sierra Chica and the Sierra Grande to the west, to the east the terrain is flat and belongs to the transition area between Gran Chaco and Pampa .
population
Most of the population lives in the vicinity of the capital Alta Gracia. In contrast, the east of the department is relatively sparsely populated. Although the north, which borders the city of Córdoba , is also relatively sparsely populated, it is the part that is currently experiencing the fastest population growth, mainly due to new country clubs and fast-growing, poor settlements such as Toledo , Los Cedros and Villa Parque Santa Ana is located.
Cities
- Alta Gracia (42,538 inhabitants)
- Malagueño (6,404 inhabitants)
- Despeñaderos (5,645 inhabitants)
- Anizacate (4,191 inhabitants)
- Toledo (3,046 inhabitants)
- Villa Parque Santa Ana (1,759 inhabitants)
- Yocsina (1,336 inhabitants)
- Barrio Gilbert (1,142 inhabitants)
- Villa del Prado (1,044 inhabitants)
economy
Alta Gracia is mainly characterized by tourism, but industry also plays a role. The north, around Malagueño, has gravel works and services for the people of Córdoba. The east of the department around the city of Despeñaderos lives from agriculture and agro-industry.
Teófilo Tabanera Space Center
In Falda del Cañete north of Alta Gracia is the center of Argentine space travel, the Centro Espacial Teófilo Tabanera . It houses the ground station for Argentine satellites, an observatory and a satellite museum.
Coordinates: 31 ° 36 ′ S , 64 ° 24 ′ W