Villa María
| Basic data | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| location | 32 ° 25 ′ S , 63 ° 15 ′ W | ||
| Height above d. M .: | 196 m | ||
| Population (2001): | 72,162 | ||
| Agglomeration : | Villa María - Villa Nueva | ||
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| administration | |||
| Province : |
 Cordoba
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| Department : | General San Martin | ||
| Mayoress: | Nora Bedano de Accastello, UPC | ||
| Others | |||
| Postal code : | X5900 | ||
| Telephone code: | 0353 | ||
| Website of Villa María | |||
Villa María is the capital of the Department of General San Martín in the east of the province of Cordoba in central Argentina . The city has 72,162 inhabitants (2001 census) and, together with the suburb of Villa Nueva, forms a small agglomeration with 88,643 inhabitants.
The city lies on the Río Ctalamochita (or Río Tercero ), with Villa María on the east bank and Villa Nueva on the west.
geography
Villa María is located in the Pampa plain at the beginning of the transition area to the Gran Chaco . The area consists almost entirely of cultivated land with agriculture and livestock. The climate is warm-temperate (average temperature 17 ° C, 24 ° C in January and 10 ° C in July) with wet summers and relatively dry winters.
history
The city was founded in 1867 by Manuel Ocampo to settle the region along the Central Argentino railway line ( Buenos Aires - Rosario - Córdoba ). Before that (1826), however, Villa Nueva had been built, which had long been the administrative center of the region. As the train station was on the river side of Villa María, this town soon developed faster than Villa Nueva and in 1883 took control of the region. In the 20th century and until today this tendency has continued, so that today Villa María is five times the size of Villa Nueva. Under Pope Pius XII. Villa María became the seat of a Catholic diocese in 1957 .
Economy and Infrastructure
Villa Maria is a center of commerce and agribusiness. The area, which belongs to the Pampa plain , is characterized by agriculture, its products are processed in Villa Maria, and milk production is of particular importance .
The Ruta Nacional 9, which connects Buenos Aires with Córdoba, is of particular importance in traffic. It crosses with the north-east-south-west connection Ruta Nacional 158 and other asphalt connections and thus forms a star-shaped road network around the city.
Public transport is shaped by the bus station, which is right in the center. There is also a train connection to Córdoba, and the long-distance train Córdoba - Rosario - Buenos Aires also stops here.
Education, culture and sights
The city has a state university, the Universidad Nacional de Villa Maria .
The town hall, which used to be a luxury hotel and is characterized by the architecture of the late 19th century, the cathedral from the same period and the unusual, seated statue of San Martín by the blind sculptor Armando Fabre are worth seeing .
Because of its importance as a commercial center, Villa María has an extensive nightlife.
Personalities
- Sol Gabetta , cellist and television presenter
Town twinning
- Savigliano , Italy, since April 27, 2000
Web links
- IFAM population data (Spanish)
- LiveArgentina.com - City information (Spanish)
- Portal de Villa María (Spanish)
- MSN - map