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BahÃa Blanca
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Bahía Blanca is a city located in the south-west of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, by the Atlantic Ocean, head town of Bahia Blanca Partido. It has a population of 274,509 inhabitants according to the . It is the main city in the larger Greater Bahía Blanca urban agglomeration.
The city has an important sea port with a depth of 40 feet (12 m), kept constant upstream almost all along the length of the bay, where the Naposta Stream drains.
Bahía Blanca means "White Bay".
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Encyclopedia
Bahía Blanca is a city located in the south-west of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, by the Atlantic Ocean, head town of Bahia Blanca Partido. It has a population of 274,509 inhabitants according to the . It is the main city in the larger Greater Bahía Blanca urban agglomeration.
The city has an important sea port with a depth of 40 feet (12 m), kept constant upstream almost all along the length of the bay, where the Naposta Stream drains.
Bahía Blanca means "White Bay". The name is due to the typical colour of the salt covering the soils surrounding the shores. The bay (which is actually an estuary) was seen by Ferdinand Magellan during the first circumnavigation around the world on the orders of Charles I of Spain, in 1520, looking for a canal connecting the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean all along the coasts of South America.
Foundation
The city was founded as a fortress on 11 April 1828 by Colonel Ramón Estomba under the orders of Brigadier-General and subsequent Governor of Buenos Aires, Juan Manuel de Rosas, being named Fortaleza Protectora Argentina (Argentine Protective Fortress), intended to protect dwellers and their cattle from native rustling, and also to protect the coast from the Brazilian navy, which had landed in the area the previous year. It was visited by Charles Darwin during his travels through South America in September 1833. The fortress was attacked by malones (incursions of nomadic aboriginals on horseback) several times, most notably in 1859 by 3,000 Calfucurá warriors. It became commercially important after the Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway linked the town to the city of Buenos Aires in 1885. As a result, the transport of grain from the Pampas was much facilitated.
The fast growth of the local economy, the policy of encouragement of immigration from Europe and the abundance of natural resources of the country attracted many immigrants, mainly from Spain and Italy, and a remarkable number from France, who settled in Pigüé, about 125 km to the north of the city (these were visited in 1984 by the President of France, François Mitterrand alongside his host, President Raúl Alfonsín). Another important foreign settlement close to the city was of Dutch settlers, in Tres Arroyos, located about 250 km north east. They were recently visited by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, her heir Prince Willem-Alexander and her daughter-in-law Princess Máxima, née Máxima Zorreguieta, in Argentina, raised and educated in Buenos Aires. Important groups of immigrants from Germany and Jews from Eastern Europe did also arrive in the city and in the area at the beginning of the XXth century, and also during and after World War II.
European immigrants brought their uses and customs that combined and fused with the already existing social conceptions. There were at least five opera houses in Bahía Blanca at the beginning of the 20th century and six cinemas by 1920.
Puerto Belgrano, located 29 km to the south-east, is Argentina's largest naval base. Its construction started with a secret decree signed by Argentine President José Evaristo Uriburu. It was designed and built by the turn of the 19th century (1898-05-12 to 1902-03-08) by Italian engineer Luigi Luiggi, and carried out by a Dutch company named Dirks, Dates & Van Hattem (detailed in the ).
Administration
The municipal government of Bahia Blanca Partido encompasses The Mayor, in charge of the executive, The City Council, in charge of local legislation, approval and audit of the municipal budget, and a local Judiciary System, in charge of administering justice on behalf of the City regarding all the aspects concerned by municipal legislation. The Mayor and the members of the Council are elected by direct vote while the municipal judges are appointed. The Mayor appoints the members of his cabinet of Secretaries who can be summoned by the Council to whom they are mainly accountable.
In March 2006 there was local political crisis from which the elected Mayor requested time-off leave which was allowed by the City Council on March 27 2006 at the time that a judiciary process has started -and continues being carried on by the Judiciary system- . The President of the City Council then took over as Interim Mayor. However, on August 24 2006 the City Council decided , for the first time in the institutional history of the city, that the former elected Mayor be dismissed. The interim Mayor and former President of the City Council is then in charge up to completion the present term. Subsequently, from then onwards the interim Mayor became The Mayor . The Supreme Court of Justice of Province of Buenos Aires sanctioned ratifying the decision of the City Council.
Some present features
Bahía Blanca is an important trans-shipping and commercial center, handling the large export trade of grains and wool from the southern area of Buenos Aires Province, oil from Neuquén Province, and fruit from the Río Negro Valley. Its group of sea ports is one of the most important in the country as the only ones that are naturally 33 feet (10 metres) deep, although the depth of the main channel is kept at 40 feet (12.19 metres) by regular maintenance. Along the northeastern shore of the bay, these ports are for grains and containers , and Puerto Galván, a smaller one specialising in sunflower and soy oil, and chemicals such as urea. One of the largest urea industrial producers in the world, , is located there. Between these two main ports, several industrial and chemical plants operate their own piers. The petrochemical pole of the region made the port a very convenient one. Competence between Puerto de Bahía Blanca and those located in the shores of Patagonia (subsidized by provincial governments through the National Treasury ) made it stronger and very well organized having received investments from the private sector like that upgraded facilities in the 1980s. The combination of a railroad network for grains linking Rosario (Santa Fe Province, by the shore of Paraná River) to Bahía Blanca, its trade potential, linking also Bahía Blanca to Zapala, very close to the border to Chile and then to the Pacific Ocean shores avoiding days of navigation through , the availability of energy (natural gas and electricity) and human resources make the area quite an interesting one from the industrial and commercial perspectives .There are several local reputed societies representing the myriad of related economic activities taking place in the region such as Sociedad Rural, Corporación del Comercio y de la Industria, and Sociedad Industrial, all of whom organize conferences and exhibits linked to the branch of trade, commerce or industry their associates carry out. Some of the exhibits are quite traditional and have taken place for many years, such as "Exposición Nacional de Ganadería e Industria de la Sociedad Rural de Bahía Blanca", mainly grouping those devoted to cattle husbandry and sheep breeding, who up to 2006 account for 122 annual displays when there is a contest awarding prizes to the best presented animals.
Transportation
Bahía Blanca is served by Comandante Espora Airport (BHI/SAZB). There are two daily short-haul flights from Bahía Blanca (BHI) to the domestic flights airport at Buenos Aires (AEP) named "Aeroparque" during weekdays and once a day on Saturday and Sunday, whose carrier is just one: . The local airport's runways belong to the Navy Aviation (BACE, standing for Base Aeronaval Comandante Espora). There is a civilian terminal supported by the City Council apart from the military one.
The bus terminal of the city, recently remodelled and redesigned, services the whole country. The bus transportation system has a wider range of short, medium and long haul connections and destinations offering lots of overnight trips from Bahía Blanca to Buenos Aires, to hundreds of cities and towns throughout the country and also to neighbouring countries such as Chile.
A net of motorways merge in the city linking it to the region and rest of the country. In recent years different administrations have tried to create and improve an outer ring road by which traffic is facilitated avoiding unnecessary congestion allowing lorries or trucks, as well as automobiles to directly enter and exit the area of the port. Those vehicles passing by can also avoid entering the city via this ring road. There are also projects to improve the road link between the city and the airport. Multiple local bus lines form the city transportation system. The main route, Ruta Nacional 3, is divided there into 3 North, leading to Olavarría and Buenos Aires, and 3 South leading to Viedma, Trelew, Comodoro Rivadavia, Río Gallegos, Río Grande and Ushuaia. Another routes are Ruta Nacional 35 leading to Santa Rosa and Río Cuarto and Ruta Nacional 33 leading to Trenque Lauquen and Rosario.
Rail
There is a daily train from Bahía Blanca to Buenos Aires city served by Ferrobaires, and another every weekend to Carmen de Patagones. Prices are around $35 (US$11) Bahía Blanca-Buenos Aires and 10$ (3U$S) Bahía Blanca-Carmen de Patagones. Train to Buenos Aires leaves daily at 21:30 arriving in BUE at 07:15. To Patagones, Fridays at 17:00.
Architecture
The city has the common features of all those founded by the Spanish and their descendants: a main square at the centre surrounded by main buildings. The City Hall and the Church are on opposite although facing sides. Buildings of administrative importance also surround the main square or are located nearby. The planning which took place before its foundation and during its early beginning conceived streets parallel to the sides of the main square. Almost all the blocks are then rectangular in shape. As the city developed the streets were extended and more rectangular blocks were added at the edges. The Administration of the City decided then to observe a plan of development probably about 1960s, when it might have been ruled that further developments would follow established criteria according to their purpose: permanent dwellers, public places, industries.
Most of the city has terraced houses although detached houses surrounded by extensive gardens are well developed in some areas such as "barrio Palihue", with an adjacent golf course at . "Barrio Patagonia" and country clubs for permanent and also for week-end dwellers were designed and developed at the outskirts of the city.
The architecture of Bahía Blanca is notable as well. Public buildings such as the seat of the Banco de la Nación, Bolsa de Comercio de Bahía Blanca(Chamber of Commerce, the stock exchange), the main Post Office, the former building of the local newspaper , the City Hall, the Rectorate and academic departments of Universidad del Sur, its 'Casa de la Cultura', Teatro Municipal (Opera House of the city), and Club Argentino, amongst others, are well-considered pieces of architecture, most of them extremely well preserved. Some of them are of French neoclassical influence (L'École des Beaux Arts, Paris).
There are excellent monuments and pieces of sculpture scattered all along the city: in the streets, main buildings and green spaces such as Caronti's bust, facing the City Hall, the Memorial to Bernardino Rivadavia, at the centre of the main square, Fuente de los Ingleses and Memorial of the Israeli community, in the same square. The statue of José de San Martín, in Parque de Mayo, the sculpture group of Lola Mora in the fountain at the front of Universidad del Sur, the memorial to Giuseppe Garibaldi, the statue of Isabel I of Castile in front of the bus station, donated by the Government of Spain (no such pieces are donated to non capital cities as it has been this case, enhancing the importance of the local Spanish descendants), the pieces which decorate the frontispieces of Banco de la Nación, Edificio Banco Provincia, to the side of the City Hall, Saint George and the Dragon of the former electrical power plant of Ingeniero White in the Port, the ones of the former building of La Nueva Provincia and those of the Cathedral are unique, as well as the modern art ones which form the group of Paseo de las Esculturas, indeed remarkable. Although not a sculpture, the mural mosaic of Colegio Don Bosco, on the corner of Vieytes and Moreno streets, by Aurelio Friedrich -a local plastic artist- is to be mentioned. All of them do enrich the architectural, artistic and cultural patrimony and heritage of the City.
Multiple green spaces have been created in the city: Plaza Rivadavia (its main square), Parque de Mayo, Paseo de las Esculturas, Parque Independencia, Plaza 9 de Julio, and Plaza Villa Mitre, are the most familiar ones.
Besides the usual areas included when the city is to be shown to somebody who is unfamiliar with it, other areas of interest include the Barrio Inglés ('English Quarter') where the British foremen and technicians who built the railways and ports lived, and Villa Harding Green, a suburb where the railway and port managers dwelled.
Culture and education
The city is a developed one including cultural and educational aspects. It has a permanent Symphony Orchestra and a Company of Classical Ballet (Ballet del Sur) with an associate School of Classic Dances.
For further education there are two tertiary institutes and two national universities. The first ones are (probably linked to the future UNISAL (standing for Universidad Salesiana) of the Salesians) and Instituto Avanza (tertiary institute of humanities). National Universities are , devoted mainly to exact sciences and intended for students who do have a job for making a living, with formal activities in the evening; and (National University of the South), founded in January 1956. This last one has associated internationally-known institutes of research in biological, biochemical and technological sciences such as INIBIB and Instituto de Oceanografia, among others. One of its Directors, has been recently appointed as a member of the Executive Council of the Academy of Sciences of Latin America for the term 2006-2012. He is a reputed and well known scientist whose research on proteins of the Central Nervous System is considered as a reference for many of his international and national colleagues. Both national universities are free of tuition fees for all students.
Nobel laureate César Milstein was born and raised in Bahía Blanca. He studied at the Colegio Nacional and graduated as "Bachiller" in 1944. Then he moved to Buenos Aires where he completed his education and university degree, starting his research in Biochemistry at Instituto Malbrán, after which he moved to the United Kingdom, becoming Professor at Cambridge University, where he was awarded Nobel Prize for the discovery and development of monoclonal antibodies for which he did not register any patent, which may otherwise have made him very rich. He thought his discovery was intellectual property of mankind and as such he left his intellectual legacy: of no financial but only scientific interest.
Initial and basic education depend on the Province of Buenos Aires although there is a locally elected Municipal Educational Counselor holding some degree of influence and supervision on both. The system was transformed about ten years ago through the . What used to be a system with primary (mandatory) and secondary (non-mandatory) education before continuing university studies (the 'French model') became Basic General Education (mandatory) and Polimodal Education (the 'Spanish-Catalan model') although nowadays it is being reviewed and likely to be modified again. Free education is granted by the state although there are semi-private and private schools.
There are reputed provincial Schools of Plastic Arts and Music, free of tuition fees. Foreign languages are taught at public schools at a rather basic level. However, there are local foreign language schools such as the Asociación Bahiense de Cultura Inglesa (English, also taught by many other institutions), the Alliance Française (French), the Dante Alighieri Society (Italian) and Goethe-Institut (German), all of them private although with a good number of students. Portuguese is also taught. There used to be a school of Basque language at "Unión Vasca" also named "Euzkadi" with a much smaller group of students.
There are several Non-governmental organizations such as The International Red Cross, Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs and multiple cultural and community associations, some of them intended to group descendants of immigrants promoting their respective culture, strengthening links between them and those already established with the Argentine society.
Libraries
There is a main public one, whose building has been already named: , one of the oldest of the area with a superb collection of about 160,000 books, some of them priceless, newspapers and magazines, the library of Universidad Nacional del Sur , also remarkable and open to the public, not only to the students, and smaller libraries in the different neighbourhoods, most of them assisted and supported by the City Council.
Museums
There are several museums in the city which include the Port Museum, the History Museum, the Fine Arts Museum and the Contemporary Arts Museum, these last two ones headed by Betiana Gerardi, where permanent and temporary exhibits take place. Pieces of art from reputed local and Argentinian artists belonging to the City patrimony are shown. There are at least two known large oils on canvas by Benito Quinquela Martín, one there -at the Museum- and the other in the Mayor's Office. Other exhibits do regularly take place at Biblioteca Rivadavia, Chamber of Commerce, Casa de la Cultura and Alliance Française, where frequent vernissages are organized on the responsibility of different curators. There are at least two excellent associations of local and regional plastic artists, Asociación de Bahiense de Artistas Plásticos and Asociacion de Artistas del Sur, both of them quite active promoting workshops and exhibits throughout the year, also in charge of the organization of multiple cultural activities.
A very peculiar and quite interesting museum is the one organized by the Army at its local See at which a miniaturized recreation of the original Fortress is on display, made by César Puliafito, as well as a quite interesting collection of ancient maps, documents and pieces alongside one of the most important -and rather unknown- libraries of history in the region: this one and the one of the Salesians, at Inspectoría San Francisco Javier (Head of the Salesians of Don Bosco for the whole Patagonia) have fantastic collections with many priceless documents related to the conquest and civilization of Patagonia, almost completely carried out by the Army and the Salesians. The Army Museum of History of Bahía Blanca is open to the public with guided tours being available on appointment. All museums in the city have free admission.
Publications
There is one local and regional newspaper, -already cited- and regularly published indexed scientific journals such as (Bahía Blanca Medical Association Scientific Journal) in Spanish with abstracts in both Spanish and English. EDIUNS, the publisher of Universidad Nacional del Sur, produces what Scientists, Professors and Lecturers edit facilitating them all the processes related to publishing including copyright procedures which is beneficial for both editors and readers. CREEBBA publications (standing for Centro Regional de Estudios Económicos de Bahía Blanca-Argentina) are indeed remarkable and independent ones regarding financial and economical aspects of the city and its area of influence. Written in Spanish, they also comment on macroeconomic aspects of the Nation .
Shopping
Two shopping centres are located at the outskirts of the city and many shops in the centre itself are quite active and offer a variety of first line goods and products. On week-ends, mainly on Saturday there is a craftmanship fair in the street at Plaza Rivadavia, the main square, where all kind of hand made goods are available. There is also a variety of megastores, some of them locally and regionally developed competing with branches of international companies. Most of them are open even on Sundays, although this is now under review and local unions have lobbied for businesses and shops to close on Sundays . The interim City Mayor also seems to favour this initiative.
Entertainment, leisure and tourism in the region
Cinemas, discos, a variety of restaurants and pubs are available, many of them overnight. Frequent pieces of theatre, ballet and concerts are offered.
Bahía Blanca has also two zoos: a municipal one, with a variety of species and permanent veterinarians and personnel looking after the animals, and a private one in the outskirts of the town.
At the shores close to the city there are recreational places such as "Balneario Maldonado" and "Colón" . The Estuary has been graded and listed as The Natural Reserve of Bahía Blanca, Bahía Falsa and Bahía Verde, including the Islands Zuraitas, Bermejo, Trinidad, Embudo, Wood and smaller ones accounting for an area of 300 square kilometres, by Provincial Law 12101 effective since 1998 . Fishing sharks is becoming an attraction for an increasing number of people, some of whom travel from all along the country to do it, in determined areas of the Estuary where it is permitted whether it be on boat or from small piers in the islands of the bay.
Those who are keen of pleasant beaches with sand and given the characteristics of the estuary -the soil is bay mud instead of sand or pebbles- must reach its south east limits located about 100 km (62 mi) away by road, where Pehuén-Có and Monte Hermoso are located. Both are popular beaches with warm water and available facilities for tourism, restaurants, hotels and properties to let during the summer.
People who prefer the mountains can easily travel to Sierra de La Ventana about 100 km (62 mi) to the North by road. The highest peak of this mountain range is Cerro Ventana of 1,134 metres (3720 ft) above the sea level. Parque Provincial Ernesto Tornquist , a natural reserve encompasses it. The area offers an interesting variety of touristic activities as well as restaurants, hotels and alpine-style cottages to let.
Sports
Facilities for playing football, tennis, rugby, golf, indoors swimming, indoors and outdors basketball and some other sports are easily available throughout the area.
There are two large indoors basketball stadiums with about 3000 to 3500 seats each and three important football stadiums close to the city centre, the largest one with facilities for hosting about 15,000 people . There is one golf club with three courts of 9 holes each, driving range and putting green where courtesy for visitant players is observed. Two more golf courses are available in the area, one in a country club and the other in Puerto Belgrano. There is a variety of very good tennis courts and at least four rugby leagues. Swimmers can count on both ourdoors and indoors swimming pools, some of which have olympic dimensions being available the whole year. A variety of facilities for gymnastics, fitness, aerobics and other sports can be easily found.
Since the 1950s, Bahía has been considered the lead city of Argentine basketball. Well internationally known players are Emanuel Ginóbili (NBA, San Antonio Spurs, Texas) and Juan Ignacio "Pepe" Sánchez (who obtained a degree in History from Temple University, US, nowadays settled in Spain to play). Both of them are gold medal winners in the Olympic Games Athens 2004, and members of the Argentine Team who played the FIBA World Championship in Japan 2006 where they obtained the 4th position. Their coach -this last time- has been Sergio Hernández, also from Bahía Blanca. Former players Alberto Cabrera (deceased) and Atilio Fruet (retired) are also well remembered at national and local levels.
The city's main football (soccer) teams are Olimpo and Villa Mitre. The first one played in the Argentine first division until relegation in 2006. Ex-Argentina national football team coach Alfio Basile was born in Bahía Blanca.
Overview of religions
The vast majority of the inhabitants of the city are Roman Catholics although there are Protestant churches and a synagogue. There are also Muslims in the city, but no mosque. There is religious tolerance in the city, a common nationwide Argentine feature, guaranteed by the Argentine Constitution .
The city is the seat of the Archdiocese of Bahía Blanca. Its motherchurch is a neoclassical cathedral (the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mercy). The Archbishop since 2003 is Guillermo José Garlatti. The Archbishop presides the local branch of the relief and social assistance organization Caritas, which supports itself through the help of Catholic and non-Catholic individuals as well as non-governmental organizations.
Weather
It is of continental type favoured by the location of the city by the ocean with warm superficial streams by the shores. Since the city is located in the limit between Pampas and Patagonia, it is warm and more humid to the North and varies rapidly to the South becoming dryer. Average temperatures are warm. Average rainfall is on the threshold of 550 mm/year. It does not snow during winter in the city (the last significant snowfall took place recently in May 2007. The one before was on July 9 1973), although perhaps it sometimes does in Sierra de la Ventana. Summers are hot. March, September, October and November are months when most of rainfall is expected. Autumn and winter tend to be windy. It should be kept in mind that the city is located in the southern (austral) hemisphere: summer starts on 21 December ending 21 March. Winter starts on 21 June ending on 21 September. Local GMT is not adjusted to daylight period according to the season, as it happens in most of the world. Hence, GMT -3 hours runs from the last Sunday in March to the last Saturday in October while GMT -2 hours runs from the last Sunday in October to the last Saturday in March.
Health Care System
The illiteracy rate of the city, as well as the neonatal and infantile mortality rates, are amongst the lowest in the country. Besides the national censuses -which take place every ten years-, the Ministry of Economy carries out periodical regional censuses sampling urban areas collecting data on economic and social indexes, such as Encuesta Permanente de Hogares by INDECamong others.
There are two big hospitals in the city: a provincial one named and a municipal one named , both of them tertiary centres for assistance and referrals throughout the region. The health care system is free of charge to any legal resident of the Nation. Public Health is the responsibility of both the Province of Buenos Aires and the City, which have a network of public clinics throughout the city and the region taking care of people as primary health carers. There are also private health care institutions. There is one physician for every 266 inhabitants. Public health is coordinated between the Minister of Health of the Buenos Aires Province, who has a Delegate in Bahía Blanca (Zona Sanitaria I), and the City Administration under the supervision of the local Secretary of Health appointed directly by the city Mayor.
Aspects of interest about the City and Council Administration can be found on its website in both Spanish and English .
Consulates
The city is the seat of several foreign consulates including the Spanish , Italian and Chilean . There are also Honorary Consulates of France and The Netherlands.
Sister cities
(in alphabetical order according to the sister city)
Ashdod, Israel
Cienfuegos, Cuba
Chios, Greece
Dalian, China
Fermo, Italy
Jacksonville, United States
Piura, Peru
Reus, Spain
Talcahuano, Chile
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