Santa Fé

River port and capital of Santa Fé province, northeast Argentina, on the Salado River 153 km/95 mi north of Rosario; population (2001) 368,700. It is a leading distribution centre for the area and an export outlet for its agro-industrial and processed products. There are shipyards, timber, cattle, and wool are exported. It has a 17th-century cathedral, several churches such as the mid-17th century Templo de Santo Domingo, and the Litoral University (founded 1919). Santa Fé was founded in 1573, and the 1853 constitution was drafted here.

Santa Fé

Province in north-central Argentina; area 133,007 sq km/51,354 sq mi; population (2001) 3,000,700. The capital of the province is Santa Fé, but its most important town is Rosario, the second city of Argentina, where ocean-going vessels load the agricultural produce of the northern provinces. Santa Fé is bounded on the east by the River Paraná, which plays an essential part in its economic life. The terrain is comprised of a vast well-watered alluvial plain with heavily forested areas, particularly in the north. Santa Fé is one of the richest agricultural areas of Argentina, its main products being cattle, wheat and other cereals, sheep, vegetable oils, sugar, timber, and quebracho extract (a wood bark used for tanning and dyeing).