Population: 622,094 (2001).

Main Cities: San Juan City, Caucete, San José de Jáchal and Calingasta.

Description:

The province of San Juan, situated in the region of Cuyo, is bounded by the province of La Rioja on the north; the provinces of La Rioja and San Luis on the east; the provinces of San Luis and Mendoza on the south; and the Republic of Chile on the west.

Total area comes up to 89,651 square kilometers (2.4% of the national total).

Eighty percent of this area is occupied by steep relief with mountains of considerable height, from which descend the waters that feed the province’s scarce rivers. Only Jáchal and San Juan, especially the latter, have significant flows, and along their courses, productive oasis and population are organized.

Due to the climatic conditions, artificial irrigation is vital to agriculture. Therefore, San Juan has been carrying out irrigation works, building canals, dams, and secondary canals, making use of hydroelectric power, achieving an efficient system of irrigation and drainage, which is roughly 2,000 km long.

Climate is dry because the Andes block the humidity coming from the Pacific Ocean. Total annual rainfall is very poor, approximately 93 mm. Maximum temperature is 43.8°C/110.8°F and the minimum, of -8°C/25.8°F, while average temperature is 17.2°C/63°F.

Political Organization and Demographic Structure:

This province, whose capital is San Juan city, is divided into 19 departments, with separate political and administrative powers.

Annual growth rate is 12‰, while density is 6 inhabitants per square kilometer. Urban population comes up to 80%. (1991).

Economic Structure:

In 1995, the primary sector contributed 14% to the value added of the total supply of goods and services. The secondary sector generated 25%, while the remaining 61% of the global economic activity corresponds to the supply of financial, transport and communications, commerce, tourism, and government services.

The traditional activities of San Juan, grape-growing and wine-making are being partially replaced by fruit production (grapes, melon, olive trees, quince and apricot) and export-oriented crops (garlic, onion, corncob with gains, asparagus and tomato). Industrial promotion policies have favored this sector, expanding from the traditional agroindustries to engineering industry, plastics, chemicals, paper and textiles.

Mining is also significant, the major outputs corresponding to ornamental rocks (marble, bentonite, basalt, etc.), and non metalliferous minerals (aluminium sulphate, calcite, gypsum, bentonite, etc.).

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