San Luis Province

San Luis (Spanish pronunciation: [san ˈlwis]) is a province of Argentina located near the geographical center of the country (on the 32° South parallel). Neighboring provinces are, from the north clockwise, La Rioja, Córdoba, La Pampa, Mendoza and San Juan.

San Luis
Province
Province of San Luis Provincia de San Luis (Spanish)
View of the Cerro Negro
Flag Coat of arms
Country	Argentina
Capital	San Luis
Divisions	9 departments
Government
• Governor	Claudio Poggi (JxC)
• Vice Governor	Ricardo Endeiza
• Senators	Bartolomé Abdala, Ivana Arrascaeta, Fernando Salino
Area [1]
• Total	76,748 km2 (29,633 sq mi)
Population  (2022 census[2])
• Total	540,905
• Rank	19th
• Density	7.0/km2 (18/sq mi)
Demonym	Puntano
GDP [3]
• Total	US$ 7.0 billion
• Per capita	US$ 13,500
Time zone	UTC−3 (ART)
ISO 3166 code	AR-D
HDI (2021)	0.843 very high (10th)[4]
Website	sanluis.gov.ar

History

Juan Saá, early advocate for provincial autonomy.

The city of San Luis was founded in 1594 by Luis Jufré de Loaysa y Meneses, but was subsequently abandoned. It was refounded by Martín García Óñez de Loyola in 1596 under the name San Luis de Loyola.^[5]

San Luis Justicialist Party officials confer under the images of Juan and Evita Perón. The Rodríguez Saá brothers are seated in the middle.

Since Argentina's return to democratic rule in 1983, in particular, the Rodríguez Saá family (of Peronist affiliation) has occupied the governor's seat. Former governor (now Senator) Adolfo Rodríguez Saá has overseen investment by light manufacturers (mostly food processors and bottling plants) and advances like the construction of Argentina's most extensive expressway network.^[6] Since 2023, Claudio Poggi has been the governor of San Luis Province, a position he previously held from 2011 to 2015.^[7]

Economy

San Luis' economy has, over the past generation, been among the most improved in Argentina. Its 2006 output, estimated at US$3.386 billion, yielded a per capita income of US$9,203 (somewhat above the national average).^[8]

Demographics

Historical evolution of the population of the province:

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1778 6,956[9] —     1815 17,000[10] +144.4% 1820 20,000-25,000[11] —     1847 20,000[12] —     1853 30,000[12] +50.0% 1869 53,294[13] +77.6% 1895 81,450[14] +52.8% 1914 116,266[15] +42.7%

Year Pop. ±% 1947 165,546[15] +42.4% 1960 174,316[15] +5.3% 1970 183,460[15] +5.2% 1980 214,416 +16.9% 1991 286,458 +33.6% 2001 366,900 +28.1% 2010 432,310 +17.8% 2022 540,905 +25.1%

Government

The provincial government is divided into three branches: the executive, headed by a popularly elected governor, who appoints the cabinet; the legislative; and the judiciary, headed by the Supreme Court.^{[citation needed]}

Political division

The province is divided into nine departments (departamentos).

American Palace Hotel and Casino in Villa Mercedes.

Department	Capital
Ayacucho	San Francisco del Monte de Oro
Belgrano	Villa General Roca
La Capital	San Luis
Chacabuco	Concarán
Coronel Pringles	La Toma
General Pedernera	Villa Mercedes
Gobernador Dupuy	Buena Esperanza
Junín	Santa Rosa
Libertador General San Martín	Libertador General San Martín

Source for department names:^[16]

Villages

• Desaguadero