Map of La Rioja
La Rioja is a first-level division of Argentina. Its largest mapped city is La Rioja, with about 162,620 people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on La Rioja, and the tables list its 4 mapped cities along with the World Heritage Sites nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 4
- Largest City
- La Rioja
- Country
- Argentina
Interactive Map of La Rioja
About La Rioja
La Rioja ( Spanish pronunciation: [la ˈrjoxa], locally [la ˈʂjoxa]), founded as the City of All Saints of New Rioja (Spanish: Ciudad de Todos los Santos de Nueva Rioja), is the capital city of the eponymous La Rioja Province, located in the Argentine Northwest at the foot of the Sierra de Velasco. Founded in 1591 by Spanish conquistador Juan Ramírez de Velasco under the original name Todos los Santos de Nueva Rioja, the settlement was named after his home region in Spain. Situated 600 meters above sea level, the city had a population of 178,872 inhabitants as of the 2010 census.
The city experiences a semi-arid climate characterized by hot summers, where temperatures frequently exceed 45 °C (113 °F), and mild winters, with rainfall occurring almost exclusively during the summer months. As the provincial cultural and economic hub, La Rioja features notable historical sights such as the 17th-century Museo Folklórico, which showcases local traditions like chaya music and the Tinkunaco festival, and the 23,000-capacity Estadio Carlos Augusto Mercado Luna. The city's regional transportation network is anchored by the Capitán Vicente Almandos Almonacid Airport, which provides commercial airline connectivity to the rest of Argentina.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: La Rioja, Argentina (CC BY-SA 4.0).
La Rioja in Depth
History
It was founded in 1591 by Spanish conquistador, Juan Ramírez de Velasco.The city and its eponymous province are named after La Rioja, a region in Spain after Velasco came to named the city after his home town and called it Todos los Santos de Nueva Rioja and was shortened to be only La Rioja.
Geography
It was located in the northeast of Argentina, specifically 600 meters above sea level, at the foot of the Sierra de Velasco. It was also the capital city of La Rioja Province, Argentina with 178,872 inhabitants in 2010.
La Rioja has a semi-arid climate (BSh, according to the Köppen climate classification), with average temperatures of 5 °C (41 °F) to 19 °C (66 °F) in winter and 21 °C (70 °F) to 35 °C (95 °F) in summer, but with maximum temperatures of more than 45 °C (113 °F). The average annual rainfall is 411.4 mm (16 in), falling almost exclusively during the summer when moist tropical air from the northeast enters the region. The highest recorded temperature was 46.4 °C (115.5 °F) on 28 December 1971 while the lowest recorded temperature was −7.2 °C (19.0 °F) on 5 August 1966.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: La Rioja, Argentina (CC BY-SA 4.0).
La Rioja: Key Facts
| Population | 211,651 (2022) |
|---|---|
| Area | 13.6 km² |
| Established | 20 May 1591 |
Facts from Wikidata Q44236 (CC0).
History of La Rioja: Empires and States
The atlas records 5 polities whose mapped territory included part of La Rioja, from The Inca Empire (Tawantinsuyu) in 1497 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| The Inca Empire (Tawantinsuyu) | 1497–1539 CE |
| The Spanish Empire | 1540–1810 CE |
| Río de la Plata | 1811–1833 CE |
| Argentine Confederation | 1834–1929 CE |
| Argentine Republic | 1930–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of La Rioja
La Rioja on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Largest Cities in La Rioja
4 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Rioja | 162,620 | La Rioja | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Chilecito | 20,343 | La Rioja | Populated place |
| 3 | Chamical | 8,989 | La Rioja | Populated place |
| 4 | Chepes | 6,020 | La Rioja | Populated place |
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in La Rioja
1 World Heritage Site mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ischigualasto / Talampaya Natural Parks | 2000 | Natural | (viii) |
La Rioja: Quick Answers
- Where is La Rioja?
- La Rioja is a first-level division of Argentina, in South America. Its mapped cities centre on 30.0688° S, 66.8166° W.
- What is the largest city in La Rioja?
- La Rioja is the largest city mapped in La Rioja, with a metropolitan population of about 162,620.
- How many cities are in La Rioja?
- YearMaps maps 4 cities and towns in La Rioja, with a combined metropolitan population of about 197,972. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.