NationStates Jolt Archive

Buenos Aires (NUP)- 31 May 2004

The national government has let its citizens decide where whether Nova Ushuaia's capital be moved to a new city or remain in the city of Buenos Aires. A referendum has been put in place which will allow all registered votes to chose which city is best suited to become the new capital city of Nova Ushuaia.
One porteno (local of Buenos Aires) had this to say, "If it were up to me, all these politicians should be sent to Antartica to go live with the penguins. We'll see then how much of the people they will be when the penguins listen to what they have to say."
Another resident mentioned that the Buenos Aires should remain as the capital because it gives the city a level of calls and prestige that it would not have otherwise.
Some politicians have suggested the concept of building a completely new city whose main purpose would be to serve as the nation's new capital. Several nations throughout the course have launched such projects with Nigeria being the most recent when it trasferred its capital city from Lagos to the newly built city of Abuja, located in the interior of that country.
Once the votes are decided and tallied, the final decision will be made shortly thereafter. If voters decide to move the capital to an exisiting city, the transition of government offices and entities will be done within a two to three year period. If the voters decide on building a completely new capital, construction and foundation of that city will take approximately six to ten years.

Can we have some info on the citys?

The information about these cities is going to be extensive so everyone be patient and tolerant. The cities will be covered one by one.

ASUNCION-
Location: Situated in the central part of South America, located on the
Rio Paraguay.

Population: 510,910

Asunción is built on a rise overlooking a large bay, to the northwest, formed by the Río Paraguay. The zona centro (city center) runs south-southeast from the bay for about 10 blocks to Teniente Fariña, and it stretches 17 blocks from Colón in the west to Estados Unidos in the east. Most hotels, restaurants, shops, and offices can be found in this rectangle.

Asunción's streets follow a grid; downtown they are narrow and generally have one-way traffic. Three downtown squares, each with its own personality, provide cool resting places in the shade of jacaranda trees -- Plaza de los Heroes, Plaza de la Democracia, and Plaza Uruguaya.

Visitors can easily explore the city's well-preserved architecture and will be able to see the zona centro in one day. Many of the attractions are free. Expect unbearably hot temperatures October through March; plan outdoor activities only in the early morning and evening. The rest of the year, Asunción has a pleasant, springlike climate.

http://www.cnn.com/interactive/us/0003/drug.cert/paraguay.asuncion.gif
Location of Asuncion on the map

http://www.webtecinternacional.com/hasengruber/asuncion.gif
Map of Asuncion and surrounding area

Buenos Aires

Location: Situated on swamplands next to the Rio De La Plata basin

Population: 11,655,725 (est.)

The beautiful and culturally rich city of Buenos Aires is suffering from the collapse of the Argentine economy. While political leaders search for solutions to the country's default on its public debt, some portenos (as residents of the city are known) hold their breath, hoping things don't get too much worse. Others beat on pots and pans from their windows or in the streets -- a common form of nonviolent protest called the cacerolazo. Even though things have calmed down, the city remains tense and there are occasional protest marches.

The effects that years of recession have had on the city are painfully obvious to visitors. In the cosmopolitan and oh-so-European metropolis, many sidewalks are unkempt and cafes are empty. But it's still possible to drink in the city's beauty and charm, and do so with the added benefit of favorable exchange rates.

Buenos Aires continues to be a wonderful combination of sleek skyscrapers, ornate friezes and turn-of-the-last-century grandeur -- at once ultrachic and tumbledown, up-to-date and firmly planted in the past. Even before the recent financial troubles, there was always a spirit of malaise in B.A., as it is affectionately known locally, which may help explain the devotion to that bittersweet expression of Argentine popular culture, the tango. Performed in the streets, on stages, in cafes, the sorrowful and romantic nature of the dance is integral to the city.



http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/travel/dg/maps/13/750x750_buenosaires_city_m.gif
Map of Buenos Aires

Link to map of surrounding Buenos Aires area:
http://maps.picturesargentina.com.ar/maps/buenos-aires.gif
Note: Map is not posted here because it is too large to load on most
computers.

CORDOBA-

Located: Situated in central Argentina

Population: 1,267,774 (est.)

Cordoba is Argentina's colonial capital, a picturesque city of a million on the edge of a mountain range known as the Sierra Chica. Because of its proximity to the mountains, Cordoba is a perfect base for excursions into the natural beauty of the Andes, or even the Pampas 100 km to the south.

Prior to the rise of Buenos Aires, Cordoba was Argentina's center of arts and learning, a place of scholars and priests, churches and universities. Though in terms of national importance the city has fallen behind the capital, it still retains and independent spirit and distinctive grace. Its name comes from the surrounding province, which embraces an unusually scenic section of the Andes, the Sierras de Cordoba.

The Primero, or Suquia River forms Cordoba's main natural landmark. The physical center is the Plaza San Martin, named after Argentina's great liberator and the site of the city's cathedral. South of the Plaza is Calle Obispo Trejos, an easily walkable avenue filled the some of the city's most illustrious colonial buildings including the Church Compania de Jesus, which was built in 1645 and is known for its unique roof.

http://maps.picturesargentina.com.ar/maps/cordoba.gif
Map of Cordoba and surrounding area

http://enciclopedia.us.es/upload/C%F3rdoba%20(Argentina)%20Localizaci%F3n.png

OOC: i once had a story placed near cordoba

MONTEVIDEO-

Location: Situated on the Rio De La Plata some 100 miles (90 kms) from Buenos Aires.

Population: 1,330,405 (est.)

It has a surface of 530 kilometers square (approximately 60% are rural area and rest 40% urbanized or potentially urbanizeable area) and a population of 1,330,405 inhabitants.

Montevideo is the youngest capital city of Latin America, was founded between years 1724 and 1730 by the Governor of Buenos Aires, Don Bruno Mauricio de Zabala.

It was born for strategic reasons of Spanish Crown, that it looked for to consolidate the second fortress of America there (first it was Cartagena de Indias )

It is the most austral capital of America, like door of the River of the Silver and access to the inner rivers Uruguay, Parana and Paraguay, consolidated as military bastion in the border in dispute between Spain and Portugal.

The city of San Felipe and Santiago of Montevideo, as Zabala Governor called was populated by inhabitants of the Canary Islands that added to other families comings from Buenos Aires, its original design was the one of the typical city colonial in form of checkerboard and surrounded by walls.

By his cattle wealth and its superb geographic situation, it grew like a city-port until becoming the capital of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay.

Its metropolis is so contemporary that a high proportion of the economic activity agglutinates, the commercial interchange and the services, the bank and the tourism in the country.

It has the best natural harbor of South America.

Within the parceled out area of Montevideo there are 2,600 hectares of green spaces, of which 900 are yielded to institutions that offer services and benefit the community. More than 150,000 trees line and populate the streets and avenues, around which they circulate more than 300,000 vehicles.

Montevideo is a city with acceptable environmental quality levels, controlable focuses of infection and a population that is highly educative with a high cultural level.

It is the seat of the three powers of the State and the public companies.

Montevideo is located in a neuralgic point of the geography of the Mercosur , whose geopolitical relevance can be seen increased still more, in case that indeed important works of regional interconnection are made, like the road axis Santiago-Buenos Aires-San Pablo, the Colonia-Buenos bridge Aires on the River of Silver and hydroway Parana-Paraguay .
From the signing of the Treaty of Asuncion, Montevideo has been involved in an accelerated process of regional integration, expressed in the creation of the Mercosur, with its neighbors. From the agreements of Ouro Preto, in 1994, our city has been designated like seat of the administrative organisms of the Treaty.

http://www.rau.edu.uy/uruguay/iconos/puerto.jpg
Aerial view of downtown Montevideo

http://www.trans-ocean.org/maps/montevideo.jpg
Map of Montevideo and surrounding area

SANTIAGO-

Location: Situated in the Pudahuel Valley, surrounded by the Andes, situated 90-96 miles (Aprox. 100-110 km) from the Pacific Ocean.

Population: 6,061,185 (est.)

Over the past decade, this capital city -- like Chile in general -- has undergone a rebirth of cultural, intellectual and business activity. In fact, it has all the hallmarks of a true metropolis, from its modern subway to its high-rise towers to its obnoxious traffic and air pollution. The city's downtown is dotted with Spanish colonial buildings and old churches, while other neighborhoods house international restaurants, upscale boutiques and active nightlife venues. Best of all, overlooking the eastern edge of the city are the Andes mountains, whose snowy peaks provide a spectacular backdrop to Santiago's daily life -- at least on days when the smog is thin.

Although perhaps not as dashing and dynamic as Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paolo, Santiago has the advantage of being relatively small, safe and orderly -- and its residents, the Santiaguinos, are calm, helpful people with a wry sense of humor.

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/travel/dg/maps/fc/750x750_santiago_city_m.gif
Map of Santiago

http://home.swipnet.se/conchile/imagenes/mapaSantiago1.jpg
Map of Santiago and surrounding area

Note:This map is too large to load on most computers.

OOC: i once had a story placed near cordoba


Cool. What was the story about? I bet its probably good and interesting to read.