Sarmiento, Chubut
| Sarmiento | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
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|
 Sarmiento
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| Coordinates: 45°36′S 69°5′W / 45.6°S 69.083°WCoordinates: 45°36′S 69°5′W / 45.6°S 69.083°W | |
| Country |  Argentina |
| Province | Chubut |
| Department | Sarmiento |
| Population | |
| • Total | 8,292 |
| Time zone | ART (UTC-3) |
| CPA base | U9020 |
| Dialing code | +54 297 |
Sarmiento is a town in the province of Chubut, Argentina. It has about 8,000 inhabitants as per the 2001 census [INDEC], and is the head town of the department of the same name. It is located on the so-called Central Corridor of Patagonia, in a fertile valley amidst an otherwise arid region, 140 km west from Comodoro Rivadavia, in the south of Chubut. It sits between two lakes, Lake Musters and Lake Colhue Huapi. Notable attractions are the Petrified Forest and caves with Aborigine hand paintings.
The coldest temperature at low elevation ever recorded in South America, -33°C (-27°F), was recorded in Sarmiento on June 17, 1907.[1]
[edit] History
Sarmiento was born as a colony of immigrants, mainly from Wales (see Welsh settlement in Argentina). In the early 1900s it also experienced an influx of immigrants from Lithuania.
In 1903 600 Afrikaner families arrived in Argentina following the loss of the Second Boer War. They settled in the region as it had access to water unlike the coastal city of Comodoro Rivadavia where they first settled. The descendants of these colonists make up a large portion of the population of Sarmiento and still speak Afrikaans and attend a Dutch Reformed Church to this day. As recently as the 1960s Afrikaans was the most commonly spoken language however this has changed as the town's Afrikaans population has become more assimilated into Argentinian culture and society.[2]
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Lowest Recorded Temperatures". http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001377.html. Retrieved 2007-02-20.
- ^ Hunt, Ricky (4 February 2011). "The last Boers of Patagonia". Mail & Guardian. http://mg.co.za/article/2011-02-04-the-last-boers-of-patagonia/. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
[edit] References
- Municipal information: Municipal Affairs Federal Institute (IFAM), Municipal Affairs Secretariat, Ministry of Interior, Argentina. (Spanish)
- Colonia Sarmiento — Official website (includes tourist information in English).
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