Mar del Plata

From Free net encyclopedia

Mar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in the Buenos Aires Province, 400 km south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is one of the major fishing ports, and the biggest seaside beach resort in Argentina. With a population of 541,733 (2001 census), it is the 7th largest urban area in Argentina.

1 Economy
2 History
3 Culture
4 External links

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Economy

As an important fishing port, industry concentrates on fish processing. The area is also host to other light industry, such as textile and food manufacturing. Located nearby are stonemasons which are used in construction.

As part of the Argentine recreational coast, tourism is one of Mar del Plata's main economic activities. Between four and six million tourists visit Mar del Plata every year, occasionally quadrupling the number of residents. Mar del Plata has sohpisticated tourist infrastructure to cater to the industry and as such, casinos, theatres and other tourist attractions are all located there.

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History

Image:Mar del Plata.jpg In 1746, by order of the Spanish Kingdom, a Jesuit Order order was installed near what is now Laguna de los Padres, but it was abandoned after a series of Indian attacks. It was not populated again by Europeans until 1856, when a meat-salting facility was built, and a stable population remained there.

The town was founded on February 10 1874 by governmental decree, and by initiative of Patricio Peralta Ramos. It is said that it was Pedro Luro, a Basque merchant, who had the idea of turning the growing town into a European-style bathing resort three years later. As the railway began to expand into the province, previously isolated settlements became accessible to visitors from the capital; the first passenger train arrived here from Buenos Aires in September of 1886. The subsequent opening of the town's first hotel - the luxurious Hotel Bristol - in 1888 was a great occasion for the Buenos Aires elite, many of whom travelled down for the opening on an overnight train.

The Mar del Plata's initial success aside, the richest of Argentina's very rich continued to make their regular pilgrimages to Europe. It took the outbreak of war in Europe to dampen Argentine enthusiasm for the journey across the Atlantic and to establish the town as an exclusive resort. Mass tourism began to arrive in the 1930s, helped by improved roads, but took off in the 1940s and 1950s, with the development of union-run hotels under Perón presidency putting the city within the reach of Argentina's middle and working classes.

The Fourth Summit of the Americas took place in Mar del Plata on November 3 and November 6, 2005. The meeting of 34 countries in the Americas was marked by large-scale protests and a conflict between Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and the U.S. President George W. Bush centering around the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas.

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Culture

Mar del Plata is the most popular destination for conventions in Argentina after Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata's has a wide range of services in this sector. Mar del Plata's vivdly life assures activities going on every week of the year when it comes to entertainment. The Fiesta Nacional del Mar ("National Sea Festival") with the election and coronation of the Sea Queen and her princesses; the Premios Estrella de Mar ("Sea Star Awards") which honor the best shows during summer season; the Valencian Falla week; the Mar del Plata Moda Show, the numerous fashion shows that gathers the best haute couture designers, and two great international film festivals, the Mar del Plata International Film Festival, and the Mar del Plata Independent Film Festival.