Río Negro Province

, a prominent explorer and academic. Ferdinand Magellan was the first European explorer to visit the coasts of the provinces in 1520. Italian priest Nicolás Mascardi founded the Jesuit mission Nuestra Señora de Nahuel Huapi in 1670 at the shore of the Nahuel Huapi Lake, at the feet of the Andes range. Originally part of the Argentine territory called Patagonia (in 1878 the Gobernación de la Patagonia), in 1884 it was organised into the Territorio Nacional del Río Negro and General Lorenzo Vintter was appointed as the territory's first governor. It was only in 1957, that Río Negro acquired status of a province; its first provincial governor was Edgardo Castello of the Radical Civic Union (UCR). ==Geography==

Río Negro is one of the five provinces that make up Argentine Patagonia (together with the most southern partido of Buenos Aires Province - Patagones Partido). It is bounded to the north by the Colorado River which separates it from La Pampa Province, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean and to the west by the Andes and the Limay River (serves as the natural border with Neuquén Province). Climate The climate of the province is temperate at low elevations, and very cold in the higher Andean peaks. Temperature The mean annual temperatures in the province are relatively cold for its latitude owing to the marine currents to the east and higher altitude to the west. Mean annual temperatures in the province can vary, depending on altitude and distance from the sea. The northern parts of the province are the warmest, with a mean annual temperature of more than while the coldest areas are found in the Cordillera where the mean annual temperatures are less than . At the highest peaks, the mean annual temperature is less than freezing. Summer temperatures can exceed although the mean January temperatures range from . In contrast, the Andean region has milder summers with mean January temperatures of or less, depending on the altitude. In July, mean temperatures range from on the coast in the north to around in the central plateau.{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102083013/http://www.mineria.gob.ar/estudios/irn/rionegro/r-2.asp |archive-date=November 2, 2014|url= http://www.mineria.gob.ar/estudios/irn/rionegro/r-2.asp#m1 Humidity and precipitation . map for the province of Río Negro Relative humidity is lower in the central plateau where they average 50%. Along the coastal regions, humidity is higher with a mean annual humidity of 60% while the Andean region has the highest humidity with an average annual humidity exceeding 65% due to the lower temperatures there. In all locations, humidity is lower in the summer and higher in the winter owing to the higher temperatures in the summer. The Andes block most of the moisture from the Pacific Ocean from coming in, causing it to release most of the precipitation on its western slopes and as such, most of the province is dry, with a mean annual precipitation around . Coastal areas and northern parts of the province receive a slightly higher precipitation, where it can average above a year. The Andean region receives the most precipitation with areas receiving a mean annual precipitation of in which the precipitation gradient is very strong and increases westwards. In some places, precipitation can exceed a year. Most of the Andean region has a rainfall pattern that is Mediterranean like, similar to Central Chile in which most of the precipitation falls during the winter months and summers are dry. Wind and sunshine near Bariloche. One dominant characteristic of the climate is the strong winds that are observed throughout the province. Summers tend to be windier than winters. Winds coming from the west, southwest and northwest are common, occurring 50% of the time (60% if calm winds are not included). There is some tendency for the winds to come from the east, particularly on the coastal regions when sea breezes from the east can occur when westerly winds are weak, which can be felt up to from the coast. The mean wind speed throughout the province varies with the northern parts having the lowest wind speeds while the highest altitude areas being the windiest. Except for the northern parts of the province, mean annual wind speeds exceed . Cloud cover varies throughout the province, ranging from more than 60% in the Andean region to about 40% in the coastal areas. The central plateaus have intermediate amounts of cloud cover between these 2 regions. As such, the Andean region is cloudier than the rest of the province. Sunshine ranges from 10–11 hours of sunshine/day in January to about 5 hours of sunshine/day (less cloudier areas) to less than 3 hours of sunshine/day (more cloudier areas) in July. ==Demographics==

According to the results from the , the province had a population of 638,645 with 316,774 males and 321,871 females. This represented a 15.5% increase in the population compared to which had 552,822 inhabitants. The province's population rose to 750,768 at the 2022 Census. The province is home to four indigenous groups: The Tehuelches, the Puelches, the Pehuenches, and the Mapuches. Almost all of the indigenous population in the province are the Mapuches with the rest being small in number where their few descendants live in the neighbouring provinces. Originally agricultural people, the Mapuches became nomadic upon arrival in the province due to the utilization of horses. . The province received immigrants mostly from Chile, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom during the last years of the 19th century and the first years of the 20th century. ==Government==

The provincial government is divided into the usual three branches: the executive, headed by a popularly elected governor, who appoints the cabinet; the legislative; and the judiciary, headed by the Supreme Court. As of December 2019, Arabela Carreras became governor of the province, following the retirement of Alberto Weretilneck due to term-limit. She is the first woman elected governor of the province. The Constitution of Río Negro Province forms the formal law of the province. In Argentina, the most important law enforcement organization is the Argentine Federal Police but the additional work is carried out by the Río Negro Provincial Police. ==Political division==

The province is divided into 13 departments (Spanish: departamentos), listed below with their areas and populations at the Censuses of 15 May 1991, 17 November 2000, 27 October 2010 and 16 May 2022: Source for department names: . ==Economy==

, on Lake Nahuel Huapi. Tourism adds at least 10% to Rio Negro's economy. Argentina's ninth-largest, Rio Negro's economy is a diversified service-based one with vigorous agricultural and light manufacturing sectors. Its 2006 output was an estimated US$5.420 billion, or a per capita income of US$9,805. In 2013, its output increased to $43.349 billion Pesos (about US$7.939 billion) at current market prices. There is a gold mine located at Calcatreu, near Ingeniero Jacobacci, owned by Pan American Silver. in December 2011 the provincial government repealed a law banning the use of cyanide in mineral processing, and the mine's owners regarded this as a positive development which is likely to bring increased investment. ==Tourism==

, the most famous among the Andes range's many lakes. There are two main areas of tourism in the province; the Andes and the Atlantic coast. :The Andean Area The most visited area is that of the lake district near San Carlos de Bariloche inside the Nahuel Huapi National Park, and neighbouring Neuquén Province. This includes the Isla Victoria, Camino de los Siete Lagos, Los Arrayanes National Park, and many trekking paths among lakes. :The Atlantic Coast beach Returns of southern right whales are possibly the biggest of tourism attractions. They swim and rest very close to shore, and the San Matías Gulf is the only place in the world where swimming with this kind is commercially permitted. ==Villages==