Corrientes

For other uses, see Corrientes (disambiguation).

Corrientes (Spanish pronunciation: [koˈrjentes] ^ⓘ; Guaraní: Taragui, literally: "Currents") is the capital city of the province of Corrientes, Argentina, located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, about 1,000 km (621 mi) from Buenos Aires and 300 km (186 mi) 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
City
Above: Panorama view of Manuel Belgano Bridge, Corrientes Carnival on every February Middle:The city of Corrientes with the General Belgano Bridge in the background Bottom: Corrientes Carthedral, Corrientes City Hall (All items were left to right)
Flag Coat of arms
Corrientes Location of Corrientes in Argentina
Coordinates: 27°29′S 58°49′W
Country	Argentina
Province	Corrientes
Department	Capital
Government
• Intendant	Roberto Fabían Ríos (Front for Victory)
Area
• City	500 km2 (200 sq mi)
Elevation	52 m (171 ft)
Population  (2010 census)
• Urban	346,334
Demonym(s)	Correntine correntino/a (Spanish) taraguigua (Guarani)
Time zone	UTC−3 (ART)
CPA base	W3400
Dialing code	+54 379
Website	Official website

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 (70.3 °F). The annual rainfall is around 1,500 millimetres (59 in).

Transportation

Belgrano Bridge during sunset, Corrientes, Argentina.

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 (IATA: CNQ, ICAO: SARC) at coordinates 27°26′20″S 58°46′03″W, 5 km (3 mi) away from the city, serves the city.

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

History

Plan of the city of Corrientes in June 1867 (left) and the church and convent of Saint Francis (right), in Corrientes, built in 1607.

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 or 70.3 °F. The annual rainfall is around 1,500 millimetres (59 in). The Köppen climate classification subtype for this climate is Cfa (humid subtropical climate).^[1] 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.^[2] The highest temperature recorded was 43.3 °C (109.9 °F) on September 30, 2020, and the next day, the all-time record was broken again with 43.5 °C (110.3 °F). The lowest temperature ever recorded was −2.8 °C (27.0 °F) on June 15, 1979.^[3]

Climate data for Corrientes Airport (1991–2020, extremes 1962-present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	42.6 (108.7)	42.8 (109.0)	41.4 (106.5)	37.2 (99.0)	34.6 (94.3)	34.1 (93.4)	33.0 (91.4)	37.9 (100.2)	43.3 (109.9)	43.5 (110.3)	42.4 (108.3)	41.1 (106.0)	43.5 (110.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	33.0 (91.4)	32.0 (89.6)	30.5 (86.9)	27.3 (81.1)	23.4 (74.1)	21.4 (70.5)	21.2 (70.2)	23.8 (74.8)	25.8 (78.4)	28.1 (82.6)	29.7 (85.5)	31.9 (89.4)	27.3 (81.1)
Daily mean °C (°F)	26.9 (80.4)	26.1 (79.0)	24.5 (76.1)	21.6 (70.9)	18.0 (64.4)	16.1 (61.0)	15.2 (59.4)	17.1 (62.8)	19.1 (66.4)	22.1 (71.8)	23.8 (74.8)	26.0 (78.8)	21.4 (70.5)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	21.6 (70.9)	21.1 (70.0)	19.7 (67.5)	17.2 (63.0)	13.7 (56.7)	12.0 (53.6)	10.4 (50.7)	11.6 (52.9)	13.6 (56.5)	16.8 (62.2)	18.0 (64.4)	20.5 (68.9)	16.4 (61.5)
Record low °C (°F)	11.8 (53.2)	11.0 (51.8)	7.2 (45.0)	3.9 (39.0)	−0.4 (31.3)	−2.8 (27.0)	−2.0 (28.4)	−1.7 (28.9)	0.5 (32.9)	2.8 (37.0)	7.2 (45.0)	8.3 (46.9)	−2.8 (27.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	179.5 (7.07)	152.2 (5.99)	155.2 (6.11)	170.8 (6.72)	87.8 (3.46)	65.3 (2.57)	32.2 (1.27)	40.3 (1.59)	60.3 (2.37)	153.8 (6.06)	184.8 (7.28)	172.9 (6.81)	1,455.1 (57.29)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)	9.0	8.9	8.2	9.0	8.1	7.6	5.5	5.4	7.2	10.4	9.6	9.4	98.4
Average relative humidity (%)	71.6	74.1	76.6	78.8	80.3	80.4	75.2	70.0	68.5	72.1	70.7	71.2	74.1
Mean monthly sunshine hours	288.3	240.1	232.5	201.0	195.3	162.0	195.3	204.6	189.0	217.0	267.0	279.0	2,671.1
Mean daily sunshine hours	9.3	8.5	7.5	6.7	6.3	5.4	6.3	6.6	6.3	7.0	8.9	9.0	7.3
Percentage possible sunshine	66	67	61	59	60	54	57	55	54	62	65	67	61
Source 1: Servicio Meteorológico Nacional[4][5][3]
Source 2: NOAA (percent sun 1961–1990)[6]

Education

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

Sister cities

Corrientes is twinned with:

• Encarnación, Paraguay^[7]
• Estepa, Spain^[8]

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

Gallery

• 
  Corrientes, Argentina
• 
  View of the Corrientes waterfront (Playa Arazaty)
• 
  Downtown Corrientes, Argentina
• 
  Corrientes, Argentina
• 
  Saint Sebastian Point, Corrientes, Argentina
• 
  May 25 square, Corrientes
• 
  The Provincial Ministry of the Economy
• 
  Corrientes Cathedral, Argentina
• 
  River otter and toy, Corrientes Zoo

See also

• Argentina portal

• Barrio Esperanza