A Quick Tour of Argentina's Provinces Quiz

Answer: No

Just like some other capital cities in the world, like Washington DC and Mexico City, Buenos Aires City is an autonomous district within the country.

It was formerly the capital of Buenos Aires province until 1880, when it federalized and seceded from the province.

Through a constitutional amendment in 1994, it was granted full autonomy, and renamed formally to "Autonomous City of Buenos Aires". Most significantly, it was granted the right to choose its own Head of State, which remained a faculty of the National Government up to that point. The first election for Chief of Government took place in 1996, with Fernando De La Rua emerging as the victor.

Answer: Patagonia

Most of Buenos Aires province is part of the Pampas geographic system, with mostly flat terrain (with the exception of the small mountain ranges of Tandil and Sierra de la Ventana, towards the south), and hot, humid, subtropical climate. Its proximity to the ocean makes for a more moderate climate in the coastal zones.

Shaped roughly like a "P", its southern tip becomes colder and more arid, therefore being often considered as part of the Patagonia, the largest desert in South America. This distinct region within the province is comprised by the "partidos" (administrative divisions) of Villarino and Patagones.

Answer: Córdoba

Cordoba is the fifth largest province in Argentina, and the second most populated, as of the 2022 census. Its landscapes are quite varied, with the western part covered by mountain ranges that form the Sierras de Córdoba, and the central and eastern parts covered with plains and valleys, some of them surrounding the Sierras. Of those valleys, two in particular, Calamuchita and Punilla, contain many of the touristic destinations, some of which were mentioned in the question text.

Being one of the main economic and financial centers of Argentina, Córdoba is also notable in terms of education, with the National University of Córdoba, founded in 1613, being the first one in Argentina, and the third oldest in the Americas. It is currently the second biggest university in the country, behind the University of Buenos Aires.

Answer: Parana

Parana River is the second South American river in length, after the Amazon. It starts at the confluence of the Rio Grande and Paranaiba, in Brazil, and flows generally southward, with a few bends around its course. After merging with the Iguazu river, it marks a natural boundary between Argentina and Paraguay. Eventually it joins the Uruguay river and empties into the Rio de la Plata.

It was on its shoreline, at the current location of the city of Rosario, that the national flag was hoisted for the very first time, in 1812. An enormous monument, resembling a large ship, is erected near that place in Rosario.

Answer: (Land) Between Rivers

Entre Rios might be the only Argentinian province named after its geographical layout: it is entirely bordered by rivers, with the Paraná River to the west and south, the Uruguay River and the Mocoretá River to the east, and the Guayquiraró River to the north.

With a mostly flat terrain, and numerous sources of water traversing it, Entre Rios' economy is also primarily based on agriculture due to the excellent conditions for its development. Even the manufacturing sector is mainly linked to agricultural products.

It also draws significant revenue from tourism, as it contains two National Parks within its limits, and several hot spring complexes along the basin of the Uruguay River.

The cradle of civilization is of course Mesopotamia, which also means "between rivers".

Answer: Postage stamps

I know this question departs heavily from the Geography theme, but it's worth mentioning.

Corrientes' stamps were the first issued in the country back in 1856, and are among the earliest issued in the world. They are based on the first issue of stamps from France, with a depiction of Ceres, Roman goddess of agriculture. They were issued until 1880, when a National Postage Stamp was introduced.

As for the province itself, Corrientes, just like its southern neighbor, Entre Rios, is bordered by the Parana and Uruguay rivers, which provide a significant flow of water. This, paired a very plain and low terrain, plus a subtropical climate with abundant rain throughout the year, makes for the existence of many wetlands (with the Esteros del Ibera being most notable) and frequent flooding.

Answer: Mount Aconcagua

Aconcagua, at 6,961 m, is the tallest mountain in the Americas, and the highest peak outside of Asia. It is located in the Las Heras department of Mendoza, in the northwest zone of the province, 15 km (9 mi) away from the border with Chile, and it's part of the Aconcagua Provincial Park.

Though it is considered relatively easy to climb, compared to other top peaks of the world, it still requires a decent period of acclimatization. Many casualties have been recorded while trying to ascend Aconcagua.

The three incorrect options are the next highest mountains in Argentina: Ojos del Salado (6,893 m) is located in San Juan Province, right at the border with Chile (it is also Chile's highest peak); and Monte Pissis (6,792 m) and Cerro Bonete (6,759 m) are both located in La Rioja. These four are also the highest separate mountains in the Andes, together with Nevado Huascaran in Peru, which ranks 4th at 6,768 m.

Aside from mountaineering, Mendoza is also famous for its wine production, due to the excellent climatic conditions of the region. Together with San Juan, they are the leading producers of wine in Argentina, with some of their varieties being highly regarded in the world.

Answer: Moon Valley

The "Moon Valley" (Spanish: Valle de la Luna) is located in the northeastern part of San Juan province, and it's part of a single massif that is shared with the province of La Rioja, where it's called the Talampaya National Park.

Both the San Juan and the La Rioja sections feature enormous canyons and very attractive rock formations, product of wind erosion (and of water erosion, in a smaller scale). The two parks were included among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the year 2000.

Aside from wine-making, San Juan's economy has a strong presence of the mining industry, with gold, lead, graphite and clay being the main products. Also, several important paleontological sites are located in San Juan.

Answer: San Luis

San Luis was not too frequently considered when discussing touristic circuits in Argentina, but in recent years, Villa de Merlo (locally shortened as just "Merlo") started receiving increasing attention for that matter.

A small town near the Cordoba border, it has several resorts, swimming holes, rivers and creeks, natural reservoirs, viewpoints, aside for being suitable for numerous activities such as trekking, swimming, and even paragliding.

The other three options are also cities located in the province.

Answer: It was the point of origin for the other colonizing waves

The date of foundation is uncertain, but it is estimated to be around 1553. The expeditions that led to the founding of many of the important cities, including several provincial capital cities, departed from Santiago del Estero.

As with most of the other provinces, Santiago's economy is based mainly on agriculture; however, it's less significant than those in the Pampas region. The soil is much more arid, and the climate can be rather extreme, with temperatures that rise up to an average of 34°C (93.2° F) in summer, and almost no rainfall during winter.

Santiago del Estero is also one of the most culturally rich provinces, especially regarding traditional music. Styles such as the chacarera and zamba have deep roots in its territory, with many of the notable names in folklore hailing from Santiago.

Answer: Chilecito

Chilecito (which is Spanish for "Little Chile") is the second most populated city in La Rioja, as of 2022, and the head of the eponymous department. It is located towards the north of the province, in the valley that is formed between Sierras de Velazco and Sierras de Famatina, to the east and west respectively.

As is the case with most of the country, Chilecito's economy is predominantly based on agriculture, since the city is surrounded by an irrigation oasis that greatly helps the activity. Vineyards are the main production, with walnuts and fruit trees as complementary crops.

In past times, the city was a very important mining center, due to the discovery of gold and silver in the proximity of the Cerro General Belgrano. As a testimony of its mining past, Chilecito still preserves the old cable-car of the former "Mina La Mejicana" ("The Mexican Mine"), which has been reconverted into a notable tourist attraction in the region.

Answer: Pumice

Catamarca is not among the most visited or well-known provinces of Argentina, due to its relative lack of attractions. The capital city, San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, receives a massive flow of religious tourism in the first days of December, to participate in the festivities of the Patron Saint of the province, the Virgin of the Valley ("Virgen del Valle"; formally "Our Lady of the Valley", "Nuestra Señora del Valle").

However, if you're more into adventure and scenic tourism, make sure to pay a visit to the western region of Catamarca. The mountainous, desert land, which is also a volcanic zone, makes for a quite difficult drive, but the landscapes you'll find along the way are absolutely worth it. Aside from many volcanoes, sand dunes, lagoons and salt flats, you can find this stunning scenery made entirely of pumice stone, from a massive volcanic eruption that took place a long time ago.

(For additional reading about this place, be sure to check out the website Ruta del Mate, it contains a lot of information on this and other routes and attractions on the different regions)

Answer: Sugarcane and lemons

Tucuman has been the leading producer of sugarcane in Argentina, representing 60% of the country's total production. Many of its manufacturing industries also revolve around sugarcane and its derivatives, such as paper and alcohol.

During the '60s, the military government forced the closure of several sugar mills in the province, leading to a severe social and economic crisis, due to sugar production being a major source of revenue for the domestic economy. Tucuman started diversifying its economy, and lemon production arose as one of the most significant, with the province becoming the leading producer and with its production being exported to many countries.

Answer: Salta

Salta is the sixth biggest province by area, at 155,488 km2 (60,034 sq mi). Its territory stretches across part of the Andes chain in the west, low valleys in the central part, and low plains in the east, giving it a wide range of climates throughout all of its territory.

Cafayate is located at the south, near the border with Tucuman, and is widely visited by tourists, not only for its wines, but also for its beautiful landscapes, featuring large reddish canyons and open semi-arid valleys.

The clue in the question was the word "jump". "Salta" is Spanish for "jump". However, the origin of the name of the province is uncertain, and doesn't derive from that verb. The incorrect options are all towns located in Salta.

Answer: Inca

While it wasn't one of the original 13 provinces of Argentina, Jujuy, which claimed its independence from Salta in 1834, was one of the 13 that signed the National Constitution in 1853, since Buenos Aires originally refused to do so until 1861.

Jujuy is located in the northwest extreme of Argentina, sharing borders with Bolivia and Chile. The province contains the northernmost point of the whole country, at the union of the Mojinete and Grande de San Juan rivers.

Roughly shaped like a shoe, its mid section is home to the beautiful Quebrada, a semi desert mountain valley that serves as a transition zone between the mountainous, desert west, and the more fertile valleys and the subtropical jungle in the east. There are several important landmarks in the zone, one of those being the Pucara, that was originally built by the Omaguaca tribe (from which the Quebrada took its name). In the late 15th century, all of the tribes in the region were conquered by the Inca empire, and the Pucara was used as a military outpost to secure the supply of the nearby mined metals.

On a final note, I was born in Jujuy, so there's plenty I would like to say about it :) But, for the sake of brevity, I'll leave it here for now.