La Plata

 

(lä plä'tä) , city (1991 pop. 640,344), capital of Buenos Aires prov., E central Argentina, 5 mi (8.1 km) inland from Ensenada, its port on the Río de la Plata. La Plata's chief function is that of provincial capital, but industrial growth has been steady, and large quantities of processed food, chemicals, and steel are produced. Although the proximity of Buenos Aires has to some extent checked its development, La Plata is also a major cultural center, with fine museums and colleges and a national university. The national naval academy is located in nearby Ensenada. The city was founded in 1882, after Buenos Aires was federalized as the national capital. During the dictatorship of Juan Perón (1946–55), both city and province were renamed Eva Perón, in honor of his wife. The name La Plata was restored when Perón's regime was overthrown (1955).

Coordinates: 34°55′16.76″S, 57°57′16.38″W

Cities and towns in Argentina La Plata Province Buenos Aires Partido La Plata Location 34°56′ S 57°57′ W Population 574,369 Area 940.38 km² Phone code +54 221 CPA base B1900

La Plata is the capital city of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, as well as of the partido of La Plata. The city was planned to serve as the capital of the province after the city of Buenos Aires was declared as the federal district in 1880. Per the 2001 census [INDEC], the city proper has a population of 574,369 and its metropolitan area has 694,253 inhabitants.

La Plata was officially founded by governor Dardo Rocha on November 19 1882.

Its current mayor is Julio Alak.

History and brief description

Rocha decided to erect a new city to host the provincial government institutions and the planned university. Urban planner Pedro Benoit designed a city layout based on a rationalist conception of urban centers. The city (see figure) has the shape of a square with a central park and two diagonal avenues, north-south and east-west. This design is copied in a self-similar manner in small blocks of six by six blocks in length. Other than the diagonals, all streets are on a rectangular grid, and are numbered consecutively. Thus, La Plata is nicknamed "la ciudad de las diagonales" ("city of diagonals"). It is also called "la ciudad de los tilos" ("city of tilia") because of the large number of linden trees lining the streets.

The city design and its buildings are said to possess a strong Freemason symbolism. This is said to be a consequence of both Rocha and Benoit being Freemasons.

The designs for the government buildings were chosen in an international architectural competition. Thus, the Governor Palace was designed by Italians, City Hall by Germans, etc. Electric street lighting was installed in 1884, and was the first of its kind in Latin America.

The cathedral of La Plata, in Gothic style, is the largest church in Argentina.

The Curutchet House is one of the two buildings by Le Corbusier in the Americas.

The La Plata University was founded in 1897 and nationalized in 1905. It is well-known for its observatory and paleontology museum. Ernesto Sabato graduated in physics; he went on to teach at the Sorbonne and the MIT before becoming a famed novelist. Doctor René Favaloro was another famous alumnus. During its early years, it attracted a number of renowned intellectuals from the Spanish-speaking world, such as Dominican Pedro Henriquez Ureña.

The city was renamed in 1952 as Eva Perón; the original name was restored in 1955.

The city is home to two football (soccer) teams that play in the first division: Estudiantes de La Plata and Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata.

Climate

Usually warm and humid.
Average temperature: 16.3° C
Average clear days: 126 Rain: 1023 Mn
Average humidity: 78%

People

See Cat:People from La Plata

Sister Cities

• Beersheba, Israel
• Louisville, Kentucky, USA

References

• (Spanish) Official government website
• (Spanish) Municipal information — Municipal Affairs Federal Institute (IFAM), Municipal Affairs Secretariat, Ministry of Interior, Argentina.

Provincial Capitals of Argentina (by Province)
Buenos Aires • Catamarca • Chaco • Chubut  • Córdoba • Corrientes • Entre Ríos • Formosa • Jujuy • La Pampa • La Rioja • Mendoza • Misiones • Neuquén • Río Negro • Salta • San Juan • San Luis • Santa Cruz • Santa Fe • Santiago del Estero • Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and The South Atlantic Islands • Tucumán

Turismo Carretera

Champion drivers: Ángel Lo Valvo (1939) • Juan Manuel Fangio (1940-1941) • Oscar Alfredo Gálvez (1947-1948, 1953-1954, 1960) • Juan Gálvez (1949-1952, 1955-1958, 1961) • Rodolfo de Álzaga (1959) • Dante Emiliozzi (1962-1965) • Juan Manuel Bordeu (1966) • Eduardo Copello (1967) • Carlos Pairetti (1968) • Gastón Perkins (1969) • Rubén Luis di Palma (1970-1971) • Héctor Gradassi (1974-1976) • Nasif Estéfano (1973) • Juan María Traverso (1977-1978, 1995-1997, 1999) • F. Espinosa (1979/80) • Antonio Aventín (1980/81) • Jorge M. Boero (1982) • Roberto Mouras (1983-1985) • Oscar Angeletti (1986) • Oscar Castellano (1987-1989) • Emilio Satriano (1990) • Oscar Aventín (1991-1992) • Walter Hernández (1993) • Eduardo Ramos (1994) • Guillermo Ortelli (1998, 2000-2002) • Ernesto Bessone (2003) • Omar Martínez (2004) • Juan Manuel Silva (2005) • Norberto Fontana (2006) Cars: Chevrolet • Dodge • Ford • Torino Circuits: Balcarce • Buenos Aires • Comodoro Rivadavia • La Plata • Mar de Ajó • Nueve de Julio • Paraná • Posadas • Rafaela • Río Cuarto • Río Gallegos • San Luis

lij:La Plata (Argentinn-a)bat-smg:La Plata

Donate to Wikimedia