La Quiaca

La Quiaca is a city in the extreme northwest of Argentina. It is the capital of the department Yavi and is located in the north of the province of Jujuy on the border with Bolivia, just by the bridge over the Río La Quiaca of the Bolivian town of Villazón separately. La Quiaca has about 14,751 inhabitants ( INDEC, 2001), making it the largest city in the Argentine Puna region. The distance to the provincial capital San Salvador de Jujuy is 289 km and the southernmost city in Argentina, Ushuaia, 5121 km.

Geography

The city is located south of the not particularly water-rich Río La Quiaca, which forms the border between Argentina and Bolivia, on the plateau of the Puna steppe liable, at an altitude of 3,442 meters.

Climate

The climate is windy, very sunny and dry. Often there is frost. The differences between the daily extremes ( 15-25 degrees C) beyond that of the seasons (about 8 degrees Celsius ), so that the area is counted among the cold tropics.

History

The founding date La Quiacas is February 28, in 1907. 1908 reached the railway from San Salvador de Jujuy from the border between Argentina and Bolivia. Around the station developed in the course of the century the city of La Quiaca.

Events

In October will be held in La Manca Quiaca the Fiesta, the festival of pots. Many artisans from the province of Jujuy, as well as the nearby areas of Bolivia meet there to display their pots and sell them. The festival has become a major tourist attraction.