Córdoba () is a province of Argentina, located in the center of the country. Its neighboring provinces are (clockwise from the north) Santiago del Estero, Santa Fe, Buenos Aires, La Pampa, San Luis, La Rioja, and Catamarca. Together with Santa Fe and Entre Ríos, the province is part of the economic and political association known as the Center Region.

Córdoba is the second-most populous Argentine province, with 3,840,905 inhabitants, and the fifth by size, at about . Almost 41% of its inhabitants reside in the capital city, Córdoba, and its surroundings, making it the second most populous metro area in Argentina.

History

Before the Spanish conquista the region now called Córdoba Province was inhabited by indigenous groups, most notably the Comechingones and Sanavirones.

Once settled in Upper Peru, the Spaniards searched for a route to the Río de la Plata port in the Atlantic Ocean to transport the Peruvian gold and silver to Europe.

Córdoba de la Nueva Andalucía (nowadays the city of Córdoba) was founded as a middle point on that route on July 6, 1573 by Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera. The Colegio Convictorio de Nuestra Señora de Monserrat was founded by the Jesuits in 1599, followed by the National University of Córdoba, Argentina's first university, in 1613. The city continued to grow as an important cultural center, supported by the trade of precious metals from Peru. In 1761 a printing press was installed in the University.

In 1783, seven years after the consolidation of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, the Intendency of Córdoba became the capital of what now includes the La Rioja, Mendoza, San Juan, and San Luis Provinces, dividing the former Tucumán Intendency in two. Rafael de Sobremonte was its first governor, when Córdoba City had 38,800 inhabitants.

After the May Revolution in 1810, Governor Juan Gutiérrez de la Concha joined a meeting that decided to ignore the authority of the Buenos Aires Junta. Francisco Ortiz de Ocampo attacked the city and executed the leaders of the opposition, among whom was Santiago de Liniers, leader of the resistance during the British invasions of the Río de la Plata.

Led by Juan Bautista Bustos after 1820, Córdoba struggled for control of the nation with Buenos Aires; the United Provinces of South America had neither legislative nor executive branches at the time. Córdoba sought a federal organization of the provinces while Rivadavia pushed for a centralised government in Buenos Aires. For 15 years, the province was submerged in internal revolts that started to stabilize in 1868 under the provisional government of Félix de la Peña.

During the presidency of Sarmiento an astronomic observatory (1871) and the Faculty of Physical Sciences and Mathematics (1873) were inaugurated.

The creation of the railways and the consequent immigration brought a second wave of population growth to Córdoba. From 1887 on, several agricultural colonies (San Francisco, Marcos Juárez, etc.) emerged, while former rest-point Fraile Muerto (Bell Ville), Ferreira (Villa María) and Los Luceros (Río Segundo), on the route to Buenos Aires, became agricultural, commercial and industrial centers, respectively.

The University Reform movement, which originated in Córdoba in 1918, was influential not only in Argentina but throughout South America. Modernization of the curricular contents and the improvement of the students' rights were the main achievements of the movement and in Córdoba, and were largely enacted by Governor Amadeo Sabattini, who became Argentina's most progressive governor at the time and enacted civil and land reforms that would later set the national standard.

After World War II, many foreign workers and workers from other provinces in Argentina were attracted to Córdoba's industrial development, led by the expansion of the car industry. It was during Arturo Frondizi's presidency (1958–1962) that most new auto industries settled in the city of Córdoba and its surroundings.

As in the rest of the country, Peronist groups emerged in 1955 following the coup that removed Juan Perón from office. These Peronist groups, together with other socialist and anarchist groups, began opposing Argentina's third military dictatorship that began in 1966. Worker and student participation in politics grew due to the widespread discontent with the appointed governor's hard-line stance, culminating in the violent May, 1969, popular revolt known as the Cordobazo. This revolt, mirrored by the Rosariazo and others in several parts of the country, undermined the power of dictator Juan Carlos Onganía and ultimately led to his ouster by more moderate military factions.

Córdoba has continued to prosper, despite left-wing violence in 1973, right-wing political interference in 1974, government atrocities in 1976–77, 1978–81 free trade policies that battered Córdoba's sizable industrial sector, the 1980s debt crisis and, the recent acute financial crisis that ended in 2002.

Geography

Córdoba, located just north of the geographical center of the nation, is Argentina's fifth-largest province. The main feature of the province is the presence of an extensive plain covering the eastern two-thirds of the province and the existence of three major mountain ranges, which, combined, are known as Sierras de Córdoba: the easternmost range starts just west of the city of Córdoba and reaches altitudes of mostly around in the southern portion and over further north, with a maximum altitude of at Cerro Uritorco. West of this chain, two valleys contain most of the tourist spots in the province: the Calamuchita valley in the south and the Punilla Valley in the north, home of scenic towns such as Villa Carlos Paz, Cosquín, La Cumbre, and La Falda.

West of these valleys, the Sierras Grandes form the highest chain in the province: their altitude increases gradually to form a plateau of known as Pampa de Achala, culminating with Cerro Champaqui on the western part, at . West of these mountains, there is an impressive drop towards the valley known as Valle de Traslasierra, and across the valley, the Sierras Orientales reach an altitude of at Cerro Yerba Buena. In the northeast corner of the province, a natural depression forms an extensive salt lake called Mar Chiquita Lake. The actual surface of the lake is , but during extended dry periods (such as in the 1980s) it can be a third of that, with much higher salinity. The southeastern part of the province is home to numerous ponds, lakes, and wetlands.

The climate of the province is predominantly temperate, with some regional variations. Generally speaking, summers are hot and humid, falls are pleasant, winters are extremely dry with strong variations in temperature, and springs are windy and variable. The eastern part of the province experiences summer average high temperatures between and lows of , with frequent thunderstorms and heat waves with temperatures higher than alternating with periods of much drier, pleasant weather following cold fronts. Monthly precipitation during this season ranges from . Nights are noticeably cooler in March, which is also the rainiest month, and April often brings very pleasant weather with highs around and lows around . Starting in May, rainfall is low, with less than monthly during the winter. Frost arrives in late April in the south, and late May in the north.

Winter temperatures average a high of and lows of , but marked variations are possible: northerly winds can push values up to and southerly winds can keep afternoon temperatures at and bring nighttime temperatures to . The air is often humid in winter, and thick fog is very common. Snowfall is very rare, almost unheard of in the northeast, but snowstorms can occur: in 2007, between covered a significant part of the region, and temperatures plummeted to -9 °C in most areas (16F). Spring is very variable, alternating between very intense heat waves and cool weather periods with severe thunderstorms, hail and strong winds. Total precipitation is over along the border with Santa Fe and diminishes to about in the west, reaching a minimum of about in the southernmost part of the province. This climate allows eastern Córdoba to be the nation's main producer of soybeans and peanuts, and a large producer of maize and dairy products.

The foothills of the Sierras are known for their pleasant weather: summer days are slightly cooler and the air feels much drier despite high precipitation; winters are much drier with less fog and less wind, and more pleasant sunny days. The eastern slopes of the sierras experience the highest precipitation: usually about , with some spots averaging up to which fall exclusively in the form of very heavy thunderstorms in the summer. Snowfall occurs more frequently in the sierras, but is rarely heavy due to the dryness of the air.

The weather in the Pampa de Achala is very variable because of the high altitude: generally speaking, the strong radiation provides pleasant summer afternoons, but temperatures at night can be very cold. Frost can happen throughout the year, and winters are extremely dry with nights well below . Temperatures well under have been recorded, and snowfall is very common but in small quantities due to the lack of precipitation during the colder months. Summer thunderstorms can be very violent, bringing large hail, frequent lightning and high winds.

The region of Traslasierra is known for its markedly warmer climate: summer temperatures often reach well over and nights are often very warm. Fall arrives later than elsewhere, and spring arrives earlier as well. Winters are pleasant, with common light frost followed by very pleasant afternoons reaching about . Precipitation is even more seasonal than in the rest of the province, falling exclusively in the summer and reaching a total of . The warmer climate is excellent for the production of Mediterranean agricultural products such as figs, olives and grapes. The extreme northern and northwestern areas of the province are located on the transition between the temperate Pampa and the subtropical Gran Chaco: summers are consistently longer and warmer than in other areas, and extremes of are more frequent. Winters are shorter, with night temperatures similar to those further south, but with warmer days. This is the most drought-prone area of the province, with rainfall as little as annually.

Demographics

According to the 2022 Argentine national census, the Province of Córdoba has 3,840,905 inhabitants.

Evolution of population: 1778: 44,506Sonia Tell (2008). Córdoba rural, una sociedad campesina (1750-1850). Buenos Aires: Prometeo Libros Editorial, pp. 55 (nota n°32). . 1820: 85,000Sir Woodbine Parish (1853). Buenos Aires y las provincias del Rio de la Plata: desde su descubrimiento y conquista por los Españoles. Tomo II. Buenos Aires: Imprenta de Mayo, pp. 89 1847: 90,000Sir Woodbine Parish, 1853: 450 1853: 150,000 1869: 210,508Laura Marcela Méndez (2007). Las Efemérides En El Aula. Buenos Aires: Noveduc Libros, pp. 204. . 1895: 351,223Mariela Ceva, Alejandro Fernández, Aníbal Jáuregui & Julio Stortini (2000). Historia Social Argentina En Documentos. Buenos Aires: Editorial Biblos, pp. 108. . 1914: 735,472Argentina: población total por regiones y provincias. Censos Nacionales de 1914, 1947, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1991 y 2001 1947: 1,497,987 1960: 1,753,840 1970: 2,060,065 1980: 2,407,754 1991: 2,766,683 2001: 3,066,801 2010: 3,308,876censo nacional 2010

Largest cities

+ Ranking City Population (2010)1Córdoba1,417,2982Río Cuarto160,0103Villa María89,0004Villa Carlos Paz62,4235San Francisco61,750Cosquín57,4586Alta Gracia48,1407Río Tercero46,4218Bell Ville40,8359La Calera32,22710Villa Dolores31,850

Economy