Corrientes

Corrientes (Guaraní: Taragui, literally: "Currents") is the capital city of the province of Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about 1000 km from Buenos Aires and 300 km 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 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. The annual rainfall is around 1500 mm.

Transportation
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 at coordinates -27.43889°N, -58.7675°W, 5 km away from the city, serves the city.

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

History
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
The annual average temperature is 21.3 °C. The annual rainfall is around 1500 mm. The Köppen climate classification subtype for this climate is Cfa (humid subtropical climate). 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. The highest temperature recorded was 43.3 C on September 30, 2020, and the next day, the all-time record was broken again with 43.5 C. The lowest temperature ever recorded was -2.8 C on June 15, 1979.

Education

 * National University of the Northeast
 * University of Cuenca del Plata

Sister cities
Corrientes is twinned with:


 * Encarnación, Paraguay
 * 🇪🇸 Estepa, Spain

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

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

Notable people

 * Augusto Aguirre, (born 1999), footballer
 * José Ruiz Aragón, (born 1987), politician
 * Aldo Araujo, (born 1992), footballer
 * Rafael Barrios, (born 1993), footballer
 * Jonathan Benítez, (born 1991), footballer
 * Alejandro Bentos, (born 1978), footballer
 * José Bilibio, (born 1975), Armenian footballer
 * Sebastián Crismanich, (born 1986), Olympic taekwondo athlete
 * Héctor Echagüe, (born 1988), footballer
 * Héctor Echavarría, (born 1969), martial artist and actor
 * Carlos Espínola, (born 1971), windsurfer and politician
 * Silvio Fogel, (1949–2016), footballer
 * Guillermo Franco, (born 1976), Argentine-Mexican footballer
 * Ramona Galarza, (1940–2020), singer
 * Juan Garat, (born 1973), tennis player
 * Luciano Gómez, (born 1996), footballer
 * Antonio Gonzaga, (born 1875), cook and author
 * Ricardo González, (born 1969), golfer
 * Marcelo Herrera, (born 1998), footballer
 * Martina Iñíguez, (born 1939), writer
 * Angelo Ibarra, (born 1999), footballer
 * Leonardo Jara, (born 1991), footballer
 * Manuel Lagraña, (1821–1882), politician
 * May Simón Lifschitz, Danish-Argentinian actress


 * Joaquín Madariaga, (1799–1848), politician
 * Leonardo Mayer, (born 1987), tennis player
 * Alberto Márcico, (born 1960), footballer and manager
 * Júnior Mendieta, (born 1993), footballer
 * Héctor Morales, (born 1989), footballer
 * Yiya Murano, (1930–2014), serial killer
 * Carlos Muzzio, (born 1984), rugby union player
 * Hilario Navarro, (born 1980), footballer
 * Martín Ojeda (footballer, born 1997), (born 1997), footballer
 * Marcelo Ortiz, (born 1994), footballer
 * Teresa Parodi, (born 1947), singer and songwriter
 * Fabián Ponce, (born 1971), footballer and manager
 * Ramón Héctor Ponce, (1948–2019), footballer
 * Gabriel Ramírez, (born 1995), footballer
 * Pedro Braillard Poccard, (born 1954), politician and lawyer
 * Gonzalo Rovira, (born 1988), footballer
 * Nancy Sand, (born 1964), politician
 * Raúl Scalabrini Ortiz, (1898–1959), writer, journalist, essayist, poet
 * Juan Pablo Segovia, (born 1989), footballer
 * Edgardo Simón, (born 1974), cyclist
 * Gustavo Valdés, (born 1968), politician
 * Julián Velázquez, (born 1990), footballer
 * Agustín Velotti, (born 1992), tennis player
 * Isabel Viudes, (born 1944), politician