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Neuquén is the capital city of the Argentine province of Neuquén, located at coordinates 38°57′14″S, 68°14′03″W, on the east of the province at the junction of the Limay and Neuquén rivers. The city has an area of 7,352 km², and a population of 314,347 (2001 census [INDEC]), and its current mayor is Horacio "Pechi" Quiroga, of the UCR.

Contents 1 Information about the City 2 History 2.1 Evolution of the population 3 External links

Information about the City

The Ruta Nacional #22 (National Route #22) divides the Neuquén city in two halves. Presidente Perón Airport (IATA NQN) at coordinates 38°56′00″S, 68°08′00″W is 8 kilometres away from the city, and serves regular flights to Buenos Aires, San Carlos de Bariloche, Comodoro Rivadavia, Río Gallegos, Río Grande, Ushuaia and San Martín de los Andes.

Neuquén is both an important agricultural centre surrounded by fertile lands irrigated by the waters of the Limay and Neuquén rivers in the otherwise arid province, and a petrochemical industrial centre that receives the oil extraction of different points of the province. It belongs economically and geographically to the Alto Valle region that produces apples, pears and other fruits.

History

In 1885 the lands of what was at that time called Confluencia ("Confluence", of the 2 rivers) were auctioned to a few persons. Short after the Conquest of the Desert to the Patagonia, the Mapuche and Tehuelche tribes that inhabited the Neuquén Province where either killed or pushed away from these lands.

But because there was not defined limit with Chile, the Argentine government reached an agreement with the British company that was constructing the railway system to make an extension to the town in exchange for lands, in order to populate it. In 1899 the train reaches Cipolletti in the Río Negro Province, and 3 years later, after the construction of the bridge, to Neuquén.

Neuquén was officially founded on September 12, 1904, and the capital of the territory was transferred from Chos Malal to the young town. The term "Neuquén" derives from the Mapudungun word "Nehuenken" meaning drafty, which the aborigines used to refer to this river. By 1930 the town had only 5,000 inhabitants.

In the 1960s, it acquired a new importance when petrol reservoirs were founded in the province by the state company YPF. During the 1970s and 1980s the expansion of the population was almost astronomical, and it was accompanied with other improvements such as the creation in 1970 of the Universidad Nacional del Comahue national university.

Evolution of the population

Evolution of the population in the Neuquén Province and the Neuquén city (INDEC).

Year	province	city
1885	14,517	-
1914	28,866	2.551
1920	29,784	3,212
1947	86,836	25,558
1960	109,890	50,849
1970	154,570	89,703
1991	388,980	265,096
2001	474,155	314,347

Currently Neuquén is the largest city in Patagonia.

External links

• Official Site (Spanish)
• Infornation on the City (English)
• Biggest city in Patagonia (Spanish)
• Neuquén Info (Spanish)

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