Paraná, Argentina

Paraná, capital city of the Argentine province of Entre Ríos. On the left bank of the Paraná River, it has a population of 235, 931 (2001). Established in 1730 as Bajada de Santa Fé, an outpost of the Santa Fé region to halt the incursions of the Charrúan peoples, the small settlement became a resting station on the route between Buenos Aires and Asunción. In defiance of the primacy of Buenos Aires, General Justo J. de Urquiza declared Paraná the capital of United Provinces of the Río De La Plata in 1853 and it remained so until 1862. After the war against Paraguay, Buenos Aires was reinstated as the national capital. In 1883 Paraná became the capital of Entre Ríos and entered a period of moderate growth based on the raising of cattle and the production of wheat, wood manufactures, and leather products. The port of Bajada Grande is the main outlet for the agrarian and forestry products of Entre Ríos. A railroad line secures connections with Ibicuy and Posadas, and a tunnel passing under the Paraná River leads to the city of Santa Fé. It is the site of the Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos, a former affiliate of the Universidad Nacional del Litoral in Santa Fé.

See alsoEntre Ríos; Livestock.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

R. E. Reina, Paraná: Social Boundaries in an Argentine City. Austin: University of Texas, 1973.

Ofelia Sors, Paraná: Dos siglos y cuarto de su evolución (Paraná, 1981).

Additional Bibliography

Rolandi de Perrot, Diana. Cultura tradicionál del área del Paraná Medio. Buenos Aires: Fundación F.G. Bracht Editor, 1984.

Pellizzetti, Bruno. El Paraná y sus hombres: Memorias de un baqueano. Buenos Aires: Editorial Pleamar, 1991.

                                           CÉsar N. Caviedes