Corrientes (Spanish pronunciation: [koˈrjentes] ; Guaraní: Taragui, literally: "Currents") is the capital city of the province of Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about 1,000 km (621 mi) from Buenos Aires and 300 km (186 mi) from Posadas, on National Route 12. It has a population of 346,334 according to the 2010 Census. It lies opposite its twin city, Resistencia, Chaco.

Corrientes
Above: Panorama view of Manuel Belgano Bridge, Corrientes Carnival on every February Middle:The city of Corrientes with the General Belgano Bridge in the background Bottom: Corrientes Carthedral, Corrientes City Hall (All items were left to right)
Flag of Corrientes
Coat of arms of Corrientes
Corrientes is located in Argentina
Corrientes
Corrientes
Location of Corrientes in Argentina
Coordinates: 27°29′S 58°49′W / 27.483°S 58.817°W / -27.483; -58.817
Country Argentina
Province Corrientes
DepartmentCapital
Government
 • IntendantRoberto Fabían Ríos (Front for Victory)
Area
 • City
500 km2 (200 sq mi)
Elevation
52 m (171 ft)
Population
 (2010 census)
 • Urban
346,334
Demonym(s)Correntine
correntino/a (Spanish)
taraguigua (Guarani)
Time zoneUTC−3 (ART)
CPA base
W3400
Dialing code 54 379
WebsiteOfficial website

Corrientes has a mix of colonial and modern architecture, several churches and a number of lapacho, ceibo, jacaranda and orange trees. It is also home to one of the biggest carnival and chamamé celebrations in the country.

The annual average temperature is 21.3 °C (70.3 °F). The annual rainfall is around 1,500 millimetres (59 in).

Transportation

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Belgrano Bridge during sunset, Corrientes, Argentina.

Located in the Argentine Littoral, near the Argentina–Paraguay border, the General Belgrano Bridge crosses the Paraná River which serves as the natural border with the neighbouring Chaco Province. On the other side of the bridge is Resistencia, capital of Chaco. To the west and up the Paraná, between Paraguay and Argentina, lies the Yaciretá dam, one of the largest hydroelectric power generators in the world.

The Doctor Fernando Piragine Niveyro International Airport (IATA: CNQ, ICAO: SARC) at coordinates 27°26′20″S 58°46′03″W / 27.43889°S 58.76750°W / -27.43889; -58.76750, 5 km (3 mi) away from the city, serves the city.

The Ferrocarril Económico Correntino narrow gauge railway line to Mburucuyá operated from 1912 until 1927.

History

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Plan of the city of Corrientes in June 1867 (left) and the church and convent of Saint Francis (right), in Corrientes, built in 1607.

Sebastian Cabot established in 1527 the Sancti Spiritu fort upstream of the Paraná River, and in 1536 Pedro de Mendoza reached further north into the basin of the river, searching for the Sierras of Silver.

Juan Torres de Vera y Aragón founded the city on April 3, 1588, and named it as San Juan de Vera de las Siete Corrientes ("Saint John of Vera of the Seven Currents"), which was later shortened to Corrientes. The "seven currents" refer to the seven peninsulas on the shore of the river at this place, that produced wild currents that made difficult the navigation of the river through this part.

Nevertheless, its position between Asunción - in present Paraguay - and Buenos Aires made it an important middle point, especially because of its 55-metre-high lands that prevent flooding when the water level rises.

In 1615 Jesuits settled near the Uruguay River. In 1807 the city resisted the British invasions. During the Argentine War of Independence it was in permanent conflict with the centralist government of Buenos Aires, but the Paraguayan War united them after the city was attacked by Paraguayan forces in 1865.

Climate

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The annual average temperature is 21.3 °C or 70.3 °F. The annual rainfall is around 1,500 millimetres (59 in). The Köppen climate classification subtype for this climate is Cfa (humid subtropical climate).[1] Frosts are rare; with the dates of the first and last frost being July 5 and July 12 respectively, indicating that most of the year is frost-free.[2] The highest temperature recorded was 43.3 °C (109.9 °F) on September 30, 2020, and the next day, the all-time record was broken again with 43.5 °C (110.3 °F). The lowest temperature ever recorded was −2.8 °C (27.0 °F) on June 15, 1979.[3]

Climate data for Corrientes Airport (1991–2020, extremes 1962-present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 42.6
(108.7)
42.8
(109.0)
40.6
(105.1)
37.2
(99.0)
34.6
(94.3)
34.1
(93.4)
33.0
(91.4)
37.9
(100.2)
43.3
(109.9)
43.5
(110.3)
42.4
(108.3)
41.1
(106.0)
43.5
(110.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 33.0
(91.4)
32.0
(89.6)
30.5
(86.9)
27.3
(81.1)
23.4
(74.1)
21.4
(70.5)
21.2
(70.2)
23.8
(74.8)
25.8
(78.4)
28.1
(82.6)
29.7
(85.5)
31.9
(89.4)
27.3
(81.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) 26.9
(80.4)
26.1
(79.0)
24.5
(76.1)
21.6
(70.9)
18.0
(64.4)
16.1
(61.0)
15.2
(59.4)
17.1
(62.8)
19.1
(66.4)
22.1
(71.8)
23.8
(74.8)
26.0
(78.8)
21.4
(70.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 21.6
(70.9)
21.1
(70.0)
19.7
(67.5)
17.2
(63.0)
13.7
(56.7)
12.0
(53.6)
10.4
(50.7)
11.6
(52.9)
13.6
(56.5)
16.8
(62.2)
18.0
(64.4)
20.5
(68.9)
16.4
(61.5)
Record low °C (°F) 11.8
(53.2)
11.0
(51.8)
7.2
(45.0)
3.9
(39.0)
−0.4
(31.3)
−2.8
(27.0)
−2.0
(28.4)
−1.7
(28.9)
0.5
(32.9)
2.8
(37.0)
7.2
(45.0)
8.3
(46.9)
−2.8
(27.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 179.5
(7.07)
152.2
(5.99)
155.2
(6.11)
170.8
(6.72)
87.8
(3.46)
65.3
(2.57)
32.2
(1.27)
40.3
(1.59)
60.3
(2.37)
153.8
(6.06)
184.8
(7.28)
172.9
(6.81)
1,455.1
(57.29)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 9.0 8.9 8.2 9.0 8.1 7.6 5.5 5.4 7.2 10.4 9.6 9.4 98.4
Average relative humidity (%) 71.6 74.1 76.6 78.8 80.3 80.4 75.2 70.0 68.5 72.1 70.7 71.2 74.1
Mean monthly sunshine hours 288.3 240.1 232.5 201.0 195.3 162.0 195.3 204.6 189.0 217.0 267.0 279.0 2,671.1
Mean daily sunshine hours 9.3 8.5 7.5 6.7 6.3 5.4 6.3 6.6 6.3 7.0 8.9 9.0 7.3
Percent possible sunshine 66 67 61 59 60 54 57 55 54 62 65 67 61
Source 1: Servicio Meteorológico Nacional[4][5][3]
Source 2: NOAA (percent sun 1961–1990)[6]

Education

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Sister cities

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Corrientes is twinned with:

In fiction

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The Graham Greene spy novel The Honorary Consul (1973) takes place in Corrientes.

Sports

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The city's main football teams are the: Huracán Corrientes, Boca Unidos, and Deportivo Mandiyú.

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Climate Summary for Corrientes
  2. ^ "Corrientes, Corrientes". Estadísticas meteorológicas decadiales (in Spanish). Oficina de Riesgo Agropecuario. Archived from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Clima en la Argentina: Guia Climática por Corrientes Aero". Caracterización: Estadísticas de largo plazo (in Spanish). Servicio Meteorológico Nacional. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  4. ^ "Estadísticas Climatológicas Normales - período 1991-2020" (in Spanish). Servicio Meteorológico Nacional. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  5. ^ "Estadísticas Climatológicas Normales – período 1991–2020" (PDF) (in Spanish). Servicio Meteorológico Nacional. 2023. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  6. ^ "Corrientes AERO Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  7. ^ "Firma de convenio entre Corrientes y Encarnación". www.ellitoral.com.ar. Archived from the original on May 27, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  8. ^ "Corrientes y la ciudad española de Estepa celebran 30 años de hermanamiento". www.ciudaddecorrientes.gov.ar. Archived from the original on May 27, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
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