Neuquén () is a province of Argentina, located in the west of the country, at the northern end of Patagonia. It borders Mendoza Province to the north, Rio Negro Province to the southeast, and Chile to the west. It also meets La Pampa Province at its northeast corner.

History

thumb|left|Reconstructed skeleton of the sauropod [[Argentinosaurus. It is among the largest known dinosaurs found in Neuquén.]]

The Neuquén Province receives its name from the Neuquén River.

The term "Neuquén" derives from the Mapudungun (a local dialect of the Mapuche language) word "Nehuenken" meaning drafty, which the aborigines used for the river. The word (without the accentuation) is a palindrome.

Lácar Department in Neuquén Province has the southernmost known remains of maize before it was further diffused by the Inca Empire. Maize remains were found as far south as 40°19' S in Melinquina, with it being found inside pottery dated to 730 ±80 BP and 920 ±60 BP. This maize was probably brought across the Andes from Peru during the Inca Empire that also reached Chile.

Agriculture was practised in Pre-Hispanic Argentina as far south as southern Mendoza Province just north of Neuquén Province. Agriculture was at times practised beyond this limit in nearby areas of Patagonia but populations reverted at times to non-agricultural lifestyles. The Jesuit missions lasted few years and the last mission in Neuquén was destroyed in 1717. The last royalist armed group in what is today Argentina and Chile, the Pincheira brothers, moved from the vicinities of Chillán across the Andes into northern Neuquén as patriots consolidated control of the Spanish Crown colony of Capitania of Chile. The Pincheira brothers was a large mounted outlaw gang made of European Spanish, American Spanish, Mestizos and local indigenous peoples. This group was able to move to Patagonia thanks to its alliance with two indigenous tribes, the Ranqueles and the Boroanos. Chileans forced about three thousand people back across the Andes to repopulate Antuco.

Temperature

Mean temperatures are relatively cold for its latitude due to the high altitude.

Economy

thumb|[[El Chocón Dam, the third most important in Argentina.]]

Neuquen is one of Argentina's most prosperous provinces, its estimated 47.648 billion Peso (about US$10.495 billion) economy in 2012, or, 80,566 pesos (US$17,744) per capita.

{| class="wikitable"

| align="center"|Map

| align="center"|Name of <br>Department

| align="center"|Capital|| align="center"| Area (km<sup>2</sup>) || align="center"| Census 1991 || align="center"| Census 2000 || align="center"| Census 2010 || align="center"| Census 2022

|-

| 40px

| Aluminé || Aluminé || align="right"|4,660|| align="right"|4,946|| align="right"|6,308|| align="right"|8,306|| align="right"|10,244

|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 40px

| Añelo || Añelo || align="right"|11,655|| align="right"|4,558|| align="right"|7,554|| align="right"|10,786|| align="right"|18,166

|-

| 40px

| Catán Lil || Las Coloradas || align="right"|5,490|| align="right"|2,408|| align="right"|2,469|| align="right"|2,155|| align="right"|2,676

|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 40px

| Chos Malal || Chos Malal || align="right"|4,330|| align="right"|11,109|| align="right"|14,185|| align="right"|15,256|| align="right"|18,368

|-

| 40px

| Collón Cura || Piedra del Aguila || align="right"|5,730|| align="right"|7,865|| align="right"|4,395|| align="right"|4,532|| align="right"|4,835

|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 40px

| Confluencia || Neuquén || align="right"|7,352|| align="right"|265,123|| align="right"|314,793|| align="right"|362,673|| align="right"|468,794

|-

| 40px

| Huiliches || Junín de los Andes || align="right"|4,012|| align="right"|9,679|| align="right"|12,700|| align="right"|14,725|| align="right"|20,973

|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 40px

| Lácar || San Martín de los Andes || align="right"|4,930|| align="right"|17,085|| align="right"|24,670|| align="right"|29,748|| align="right"|39,596

|-

| 40px

| Loncopué || Loncopué || align="right"|5,506|| align="right"|5,206|| align="right"|6,457|| align="right"|6,925|| align="right"|7,698

|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 40px

| Los Lagos || Villa La Angostura || align="right"|4,230|| align="right"|4,181|| align="right"|8,654|| align="right"|11,998|| align="right"|15,555

|-

| 40px

| Minas || Andacollo || align="right"|6,225|| align="right"|5,577|| align="right"|7,072|| align="right"|7,234|| align="right"|9,267

|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 40px

| Ñorquín || El Huecú || align="right"|5,545|| align="right"|4,136|| align="right"|4,628|| align="right"|4,692|| align="right"|5,609

|-

| 40px

| Pehuenches || Rincón de los Sauces || align="right"|8,720|| align="right"|6,538|| align="right"|13,765|| align="right"|24,087|| align="right"|29,753

|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 40px

| Picún Leufú || Picún Leufú || align="right"|4,580|| align="right"|3,333|| align="right"|4,272|| align="right"|4,589|| align="right"|5,087

|-

| 40px

| Picunches || Las Lajas || align="right"|5,913|| align="right"|5,812|| align="right"|6,427|| align="right"|7,022|| align="right"|8,495

|- bgcolor="#f0f0f0"

| 40px

| Zapala || Zapala || align="right"|5,200|| align="right"|31,167|| align="right"|35,806|| align="right"|36,549|| align="right"|45,698

|}

Villages

<!---♦♦♦ Only add a location to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦--->

<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order ♦♦♦--->

  • La Buitrera
  • Mari Menuco

Notable people

<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->

<!---♦♦♦ Only people with an article on Wikipedia ♦♦♦--->

  • Marcos Acuña, football player
  • Gregorio Álvarez, physician and historian
  • Stephanie Beatriz, actor
  • , poet
  • Raúl di Blasio, pianist
  • , poet
  • , poet

<!-- * Jose Ricardo Méndez, hockey player -->

  • , bishop

<!-- * Aldo Nazareno Ríos, boxer -->

  • Rubens Sambueza, football player
  • Felipe Sapag, politician
  • , Mapuche chieftain

<!-- * Blanca Tirachini, politician -->

  • Mario Daniel Vega, football player

See also

  • Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway
  • Ferrocarril General Roca
  • Servicios Ferroviarios Patagónico
  • Neuquenraptor
  • Neuquensaurus

References

  • Neuquen Province Official Website
  • Neuquen Province Official Tourism Website
  • Argentour Neuquen Province