Buenos Aires

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History

In 1516, navigator and explorer Juan Díaz de Solís, navigating in the name of Spain, was the first European to reach the Río de la Plata. His expedition was cut short when he was killed during an attack by the native Charrúa tribe in what is now Uruguay. The city of Buenos Aires was first established as Ciudad de Nuestra Señora Santa María del Buen Ayre A second (and permanent) settlement was established on 11 June 1580 by Juan de Garay, who arrived by sailing down the Paraná River from Asunción (now the capital of Paraguay). He dubbed the settlement "Santísima Trinidad" and its port became "Puerto de Santa María de los Buenos Aires." with the foreign powers eventually desisting from their demands. During most of the 19th century, the political status of the city remained a sensitive subject. It was already the capital of Buenos Aires Province, and between 1853 and 1860 it was the capital of the seceded State of Buenos Aires. The issue was fought out more than once on the battlefield, until the matter was finally settled in 1880 when the city was federalized and became the seat of government, with its mayor appointed by the president. The Casa Rosada became the seat of the president. In addition to the wealth generated by customs duties and Argentine foreign trade in general, as well as the existence of fertile pampas, railroad development in the second half of the 19th century increased the economic power of Buenos Aires as raw materials flowed into its factories. In 1888, by Law 2089, the national government of Argentina expanded the City of Buenos Aires by annexing the towns of Belgrano, Flores, and parts of General San Martín Partido, such as today's Villa Devoto. A leading destination for immigrants from Europe, particularly Italy and Spain, from 1880 to 1930,…

Geography

The city of Buenos Aires lies in the pampa region, with the exception of some areas such as the Buenos Aires Ecological Reserve, the Boca Juniors' "sports city", Jorge Newbery Airport, the Puerto Madero neighborhood and the main port itself; these were all built on reclaimed land along the coasts of the Rio de la Plata (the world's widest river). The region was formerly crossed by different streams and lagoons, some of which were refilled, and others tubed. Among the most important streams are the Maldonado, Vega, Medrano, Cildañez, and White. In 1908, as floods were damaging the city's infrastructure, many streams were channeled and rectified; furthermore, starting in 1919, most streams were enclosed. Most notably, the Maldonado was tubed in 1954; it currently runs below Juan B. Justo Avenue. Buenos Aires has over 250 parks and green spaces, the largest concentration of which are on the city's eastern side in the neighborhoods of Puerto Madero, Recoleta, Palermo, and Belgrano. Some of the most important are: *Parque Tres de Febrero was designed by urbanist Jordán Czeslaw Wysocki and architect Julio Dormal. The park was inaugurated on 11 November 1875. The subsequent dramatic economic growth of Buenos Aires helped to lead to its transfer to the municipal domain in 1888, whereby French Argentine urbanist Carlos Thays was commissioned to expand and further beautify the park, between 1892 and 1912. Thays designed the Zoological Gardens, the Botanical Gardens, the adjoining Plaza Italia and the Rose Garden. *Botanical Gardens, designed by French architect and landscape designer Carlos Thays, the garden was inaugurated on 7 September 1898. Thays and his family lived in an English style mansion, located within the gardens, between 1892 and 1898, when he served as director…

Most-observed species

• Picazuro Pigeon

  Patagioenas picazuro (Temminck, 1813) · Aves
  24,874
• Great Kiskadee

  Pitangus sulphuratus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  24,427
• Rufous Hornero

  Furnarius rufus (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  24,312
• Rufous-bellied Thrush

  Turdus rufiventris Vieillot, 1818 · Aves
  24,207
• Monk Parakeet

  Myiopsitta monachus (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  21,844
• Eared Dove

  Zenaida auriculata (Des Murs, 1847) · Aves
  21,833
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  19,551
• Southern Caracara

  Caracara plancus (J.F.Miller, 1777) · Aves
  19,155

Most recent

• M 3 — 2018-11-30
  61 km S of Adrogué, Argentina