Comodoro Rivadavia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Comodoro Rivadavia | |
 |
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| Nickname: "The Capital of the Wind" | |
| Motto: A city with energy. | |
| Country | Argentina |
|---|---|
| Province | Chubut |
| Department | Escalante |
| Founded | 1901 |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Raúl O. Simoncini |
| Area | |
| - City | 548.2 km² (211.7 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 61 m (200.1 ft) |
| Population (2004) | |
| - City | 139,440 |
| - Density | 254.35/km² (658.8/sq mi) |
| Time zone | GMT (UTC-3) |
| postal code | 9000 |
| Website: http://www.comodoro.gov.ar/index.php | |
Comodoro Rivadavia is a city in the Patagonian province of Chubut in southern Argentina, located on the Gulf of San Jorge, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, at the foot of the Cerro Chenque mountain. It is often referred to simply as Comodoro. It has a population of 137,061 as of the 2001 census [INDEC].
The city was at one time the capital of Comodoro Rivadavia Territory, which existed from 1946 to 1957. The territory was a part of Chubut before and after its creation. The city is now capital of the Escalante Department.
Comodoro Rivadavia is a commercial and transportation center for the surrounding region, the largest city of Chubut, and an important export point for a leading Argentine petroleum district. A 1,770 km pipeline conveys natural gas from Comodoro Rivadavia to Buenos Aires. The city is modern with the air of an oil-country boomtown.
Founded by decree on 23 February 1901 as a port for the inland settlement of Sarmiento, the first settler was Francisco Pietrobelli. Early settlers included Boers escaping British rule in South Africa. The town was named in honour of shipping minister Martín Rivadavia, a proponent of the development of southern Argentina. It has been prosperous since 1907, when a drilling crew searching for water struck oil at a depth of 540 m.
Oil production has begun to reduce in quantity but the area has been turning its attention to wind power. Windmills on Cerro Chenque and surrounding hills comprise South America's largest wind farm and provide 20% of Comodoro's energy needs.
The city is the home of the main faculty of the Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco. The Cathedral is the seat of the Diocese of Comodoro Rivadavia, of which the Bishop is, since 2005, Virginio Domingo Bressanelli. The Cathedral is dedicated to San Juan Bosco, the only cathedral in the world dedicated to the founder of the Salesian Order. It was inaugurated in 1979 although the crypt had been dedicated in 1949.
Playa Costanera is the city's beach. Rada Tilly is a beach resort and now suburb 12 km south of Comodoro. The National Museum of Petroleum is located in the General Mosconi district 3 km north of central Comodoro Rivadavia. It was opened in 1987 by the state-owned oil company YPF, which was later privatized (see Repsol YPF).
Comodoro Rivadavia's airport (IATA: CRD, ICAO: SAVC) is located 17 km from the city center (at ), with daily flights to Buenos Aires and other cities in Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego.
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[edit] Population
Comodoro Rivadavia had a population of 135,632 inhabitants in 2001, which represented an increase of 9.2% compared to the 1991 census total of 124,104. This increase is a little below the national average. The city size places Comodoro Rivadavia as the 25th largest city of the country and the largest in South Patagonia, which goes from Chubut to Tierra del Fuego.
[edit] Urban Agglomerate
According to the census of 2001, the population of Comodoro Rivadavia includes a series of neighbourhoods and little towns that are united to the main city. They are the following:
- km 3 - General Mosconi
- km 8 - Don Bosco
- Próspero Palazzo
- km 5 - Presidente Ortiz
- Laprida
- Ciudadela
- Saavedra
- Restinga Alí
- Caleta Córdova
- km 11 - Cuarteles
- Sarmiento
- Manantial Rosales
- Castelli
- Barrio Militar - Aeropuerto
- Rodríguez Peña
- Gasoducto
- 25 de Mayo
- Güemes
- Acceso Norte
- Villa S.U.P.E.
- Caleta Olivares
In some statistics, Comodoro Rivadavia is united with the near village of Rada Tilly under the name of Comodoro Rivadavia - Rada Tilly. The population of Comodoro Rivadavia without the mentioned agglomerates was of 103,795 in 2001.
[edit] Economy
[edit] Industry and Commerce
The commercial and industrial activities of the city are the most important in the region. The main activities of the city are: production of chemical products, elaborated concrete, salter, fabrication of industrial houses, shipyard, metallurgical products, refrigerated products, industrial factories, casting, textile industry, blocks and bricks, and cement.
[edit] Oil
The production of hydrocarbons represents 41% of the production of the Basin of San Jorge Gulf and 31.5% of the total production of the country. Nowadays, there are 7 oil companies established in the area. Also, the sector related to servicing the oil industry is an important component of the local economy. From January 2002 to August 2003, the city and surrounding region produced 10,180,504.5 m³ of oil (averaging 509,025.2 m³ per month) and 2,237,913.2 m³ of gas (averaging 111,895.6 m³ per month).
[edit] Eoilc Energy
The eolic park of Comodoro Rivadavia has a capacity of 18,820 kw with 26 generators. It is the most important in Latin America. Plans exist to connection it the national energy, which could allow the sale of energy to other regions.
[edit] Sports
- Basketball: Comodoro Rivadavia is the home of the most important basketball team of the region and the last champion of the National League, Gimnasia y Esgrima also called "The Green Magic". Other teams of Comodoro Rivadavia, which play in lower leagues, are Federacion Deportiva, Nautico Rada Tilly, and Municipal Pueyrredón.
- Football (Soccer): The most important football teams of Comodoro Rivadavia are C.A.I, which participates in the First Division "B" tournament of Argentina, and Huracán of Comodoro Rivadavia, which plays in in the Argentine Tournament "A"; both teams have a great number of followers in the city. Comodoro Rivadavia also has a football league in which many teams partcipate; the principal teams are Jorge Newbery, Huracán, Tiro Federal, and Universitario.
[edit] External links
- (Spanish) Municipality of Comodoro Rivadavia - Official website.
- (Spanish) History of Comodoro Rivadavia.
- Municipal information — Municipal Affairs Federal Institute (IFAM), Municipal Affairs Secretariat, Ministry of Interior, Argentina.
