Punilla Department

Punilla is a department in the western center of zentralargentinischen province of Córdoba. It gets its name from the Valle de Punilla, which is located in the east of the area.

The department runs a few kilometers west of the provincial capital Córdoba elongated in north-south direction along. Its area is 2,592 square kilometers. Capital is Cosquín, largest city, however, Villa Carlos Paz, both among the best known resorts of Argentina at all.

Geography

Main article: Valle de Punilla

The department Punilla lies to the east of the Sierras de Córdoba and occupies the entire area of the Punilla Valley, with the exception of the extreme north- west one. Furthermore, it has a share in the high plains of the Pampas Serranas in the West. The boundaries of the department fall approximately to the highest peaks of the Sierra Grande ( in the west) and the Sierra Chica in the East.

The highest point is the Cerro Los Gigantes ( 2,374 m ) in the west, another famous mountain is the Uritorco ( 1,979 m) in the northeast. The Punilla valley is situated at an altitude 550-1100 m, the high plains of the Pampas Serranas 1500-1900 m.

In the department Punilla there are several reservoirs, Lake San Roque is the largest in the south between Villa Carlos Paz and Cosquín. This lake is the most important drinking water reservoir of metropolitan Gran Córdoba.

Population

The population of Punilla in 2001 was 155 124 ( census INDEC ), which meant an increase of 28 % over 1991. This makes it one of the fastest growing departments in the province. The population density is 59.8 inhabitants per square kilometer.

The population is very unevenly distributed. They are clustered in the East Punilla Valley on the Ruta Nacional 38, which extends in a north-south direction the main route between the region, five urban centers: Villa Carlos Paz - Tanti, Cosquín, La Falda, La Cumbre and Capilla del Monte. In these areas, slightly more than 5 % of the total, live 149 834 people, or more than 95 % of the department 's population, with a population density that is especially in the south of the valley well over 1,000 inhabitants per square kilometers. Especially the inhospitable plateaus in the west, however, are almost uninhabited.

Cities and towns

All cities over 1,000 inhabitants according to the 2001 census:

Economy

As the region is one of the important tourist centers in Argentina is, the service sector dominates the local economy. The second pillar is the food production of meaning, especially sweets ( and especially the so-called alfajores filled cookies), are mainly produced in small to medium-sized businesses. On the high plains in the west extensive cattle breeding.