The inside of Salta's main cathedral

Salta is a city in northwestern Argentina and the capital city of the eponymous province. With a population of 464,678 inhabitants as of the 2001 census [INDEC], it is Argentina's 8th largest city. This is a list of cities in Argentina. ... Argentina is subdivided in 23 provinces (Spanish: provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 federal district (capital federal). ... Salta is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. ... Departments (Spanish: departamentos) form the second level of administrative division in the provinces of Argentina. ... Salta is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. ... Elevation histogram of the surface of the Earth – approximately 71% of the Earths surface is covered with water. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... The term above mean sea level (AMSL) refers to the elevation (on the ground) or altitude (in the air) of any object, relative to the average sea level. ... A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a people or the inhabitants of a place. ... A telephone numbering plan is a plan for allocating telephone number ranges to countries, regions, areas and exchanges and to non-fixed telephone networks such as mobile phone networks. ... Argentina made major changes to its telephone numbering plan in 1999, after its telephone system was privatized. ... The Argentine postal code is a system that assigns at least an unique alphanumeric postal codes to each municipality. ... ISO 3166-2:AR is an ISO standard which defines geocodes: it is the subset of ISO 3166-2 which applies to Argentina. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1704x2272, 2156 KB) The Cathedral in Saltas town centre. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1704x2272, 2156 KB) The Cathedral in Saltas town centre. ... Salta is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Image:1870 census Lindauer Weber 01. ... National Statistics and Censuses Institute (Spanish: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos, INDEC) is the Argentine government agency responsible for the collection and processing of statistical data. ...

It is situated in the Lerma Valley, 1,152 meters above sea level, at the foothills of the Andes mountains. This article is about the mountain system in South America. ...

The weather is warm and dry, with annual averages of 756 mm of rainfall and an average temperature of 16.4 °C (20.4 °C in summer, 10.8 °C in winter). January and February are the months with greatest rainfall. During the spring, Salta is occasionally plagued by severe, week long dust storms. The degree Celsius (symbol: °C) is an SI derived unit of temperature. ...

Nicknamed Salta la Linda ("Salta the Beautiful"), it has become a major tourist destination due to its old, colonial architecture and the natural scenery of the valleys westward. Attractions in the city proper include the 18th century Cabildo, the neo-classical style Cathedral, and the July 9th central square. The city's meuseums exhibit a wide range of artifacts and art work from the native civilations that flourished in the area, as well as from the 16th century Spanish conquest and the colonial and post-colonial periods. Salta is also the starting point of the "Train to the Clouds" (Tren a las nubes), and on the way to red-soiled Cafayate, as well as to other nearby tourist destinations. Cabildos in Spain are administrative entities. ... For other uses, see Cathedral (disambiguation). ... Spanish colonization of the Americas began with the arrival in the Americas of Christopher Columbus in 1492. ... Cafayate is a town located at the central zone of the Valles Calchaquíes in the province of Salta, Argentina. ...

The Martín Miguel de Güemes Airport (IATA: SLA, ICAO: SASA), at coordinates 24°51′S, 65°29′W, 6 kilometres southeast of the city, has regular flights to Buenos Aires, Tucumán, Jujuy, Córdoba and Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia). An IATA airport code, also known an IATA location identifier, IATA station code or simply a location identifier [1], is a three-letter code designating many airports around the world, defined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). ... The ICAO (IPA pronunciation: ) airport code or location indicator is a four-letter alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. ... For other uses, see Buenos Aires (disambiguation). ... San Miguel de Tucumán (usually referred to as simply Tucumán) is the largest city in northwestern Argentina, with a population (2001) of 525,853. ... Map of Argentina highlighting the province Jujuy is a province of Argentina, located in the extreme northwest of the country, at the borders with Chile and Bolivia. ... Córdoba is a city located near the geographical center of Argentina, in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas mountains on the Suquía River, about 700 km west-northwest from Buenos Aires. ... Coordinates: , Country Department Province Andrés Ibáñez Founded February 26, 1561 Government  - Mayor Percy Fernández Area  - City 325. ...

History

Salta was founded on April 16, 1852 by the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Lerma, who intended the settlement to be an outpost between Lima (Peru) and Buenos Aires. is the 106th day of the year (107th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... A Conquistador (Spanish: []) (English: Conqueror) was a Spanish soldier, explorer and adventurer who took part in the gradual invasion and conquering of much of the Americas and Asia Pacific, bringing them under Spanish colonial rule between the 15th and 19th centuries. ... Hernando de Lerma (born November 1, 1541) was a conqueror, politician, lawyer and city founder from Seville, Spain. ... For other uses, see Lima (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Buenos Aires (disambiguation). ...

During the war of independence, the city became a commercial and military strategic point between Peru and the Argentine cities. Between 1816 and 1821, the city was led by local military leader General Martín Miguel de Güemes, who under the command of General José de San Martín, defended the city and surrounding area from Spanish forces coming from further north. The Argentine War of Independence was fought from 1814 to 1816 by Argentine forces under José de San Martín against realista forces loyal to the Spanish crown. ... Martín Miguel de Güemes (8 February 1785 – 17 June 1821) was a military leader and popular caudillo who defended northwestern Argentina from the Spanish during the Argentine War of Independence. ... José Francisco de San Martín Matorras, also known as José de San Martín (25 February 1778 – 17 August 1850), was an Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern part of South Americas successful struggle for independence from Spain. ...

Saint Francis Church

Salta emerged from the War of Independence politically in disarray and financially bankrupt, a condition that lingered throughout much of the 19th century. However, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the arrival of Italian, Spanish and Arab immigrants, particularly Syrians and Lebanese, revived trade and agriculture all over the area while further enhancing the city's multicultural flavor.

Attractions

The city center features a number of impressive buildings dating back to the 18th and 19th and early 20th centuries. Clockwise around the 9th July Square are the neoclassical Cathedral, the French style Museum of Contemporary Art, the Cabildo (in former times, the city's town hall, nowadays a historical museum) and the Museum of High Mountain Archeology, which houses artifacts from the Inca civilization including the magnifically preserved bodies of three Inca children. For other meanings of Inca, see Inca (disambiguation). ...

Within walking distance of the 9th July Square are the impressive Saint Francis Church and the city's two pedestrian streets: Alberdi and Florida. The three blocks in Balcarce street closest to the train station are now the center of night life in Salta, with restaurants, pubs and cafés on both sidewalks and concerts every night.

Rising imposingly in the east is San Bernardo Hill. Its summit, from where visitors gets a awe-inspiring view of the city and the entire valley, can be reached by car, cable car or stairway.

Sports

View of the city from top of San Bernardo Hill.

Salta residents, just like most Argentinians, are very enthusiastic about football; the most important local clubs are: Juventud Antoniana, Gimnasia y Tiro de Salta and Central Norte. All three of them are followed by many faithful fans. Juventud Antoniana and Central Norte currently play at third division, while Gimnasia y Tiro plays in the fourth division. Other popular sports are baseball (a game in which Salta players excel nationally), basketball, volleyball, rugby and mountaineering. Soccer redirects here. ... Juventud Antonianaare a football club from Salta city in Salta Province, Argentina. ... Gimnasia y Tiro are an Argentina Football club, their home town is Salta, in Salta Province, Argentina. ... Club Atlético Central Norte is a football club from Salta city, Argentina. ... Torneo Argentino A is one of the two leagues that make up the regionalised third tier of the AFA league system. ... Torneo Argentino B is one of the two leagues that form the regionalised fourth level of the AFA league system. ...

Culture And Arts

Another particular feature of Salta is the way it has preserved its traditional Hispanic heritage. Folklore activities - cuisine, colonial architecture, music, dancing, and other customs - are widely spread and practised by its people.

One of the main activities in Salta is the April Culture Festival, which lasts the entire month and offers a wide variety of activities, such as culture display performances, handcrafts exposition, and live orchestra performances.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Salta

• http://www.iruya.com - Oldest web portal about Salta, its history, tradition and current events since 1997.
• Municipality of Salta — Official website.
• Government of Salta Province — Official website.
• City history at the Chamber of Deputies website.
• Salta Province Tourism Office
• Aventura Argentina Tours Info on some of the National Parks and other sites around Salta. Great images.
• Destino ExoticoAdventure Tourism and Services in North of Argentina