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The inside of Salta's main cathedral

Salta is a city in northwestern Argentina and the capital city of the eponymous province, situated at the foothills of the Andes mountains.

It has more than 464,000 inhabitants as of the 2001 census [INDEC], making it Argentina's 8th largest city. The city is located in the Lerma Valley, 1,152 meters above sea level. The weather is warm and dry, with annual averages of 756 mm of rainfall and an average temperature of 16.4 °C (20.4 °C in summer, 10.8 °C in winter). January and February are the months with greatest rainfall. During the spring, Salta is occasionally plagued by severe, week long dust storms.

Nicknamed Salta la Linda ("Salta the Beautiful"), it is a tourist destination in part due to its architectural attractions, such as the 18th century Cabildo, the Cathedral, and the Plaza 9 de Julio city park. It has also a number of museums, including the Museo de Arqueología de Alta Montaña, which houses the bodies of 3 Inca children found frozen at the summit of Mount Llullaillaco. Salta is also the starting point of the "Train to the Clouds" (Tren a las nubes), and on the way to red-soiled Cafayate, as well as to other nearby tourist destinations.

The Martín Miguel de Güemes Airport (IATA: SLA, ICAO: SASA), at coordinates 24°51′S, 65°29′W, 6 kilometres southeast of the city, has regular flights to Buenos Aires, Tucumán, Jujuy, Córdoba and Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia).

Salta was founded on April 16, 1582 by the Spanish conquistador Hernando de Lerma, who intended the settlement to be an outpost between Lima (Peru) and Buenos Aires.

During the war of independence, the city became a commercial and military strategic point between Peru and the Argentine cities. Between 1816 and 1821, the city was led by local military leader General Martín Miguel de Güemes, who under the command of General José de San Martín, defended the city and surrounding area from Spanish forces coming from further north.

Saint Francis Church

Salta emerged from the War of Independence politically in disarray and financially bankrupt, a condition that lingered throughout much of the 19th century. However, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the arrival of Italian, Spanish and Arab immigrants, particularly Syrians and Lebanese, revived trade and agriculture all over the area while further enhancing the city's multicultural flavor.

View of the city from top of San Bernardo Hill.

Salta residents, just like most Argentinians, are very enthusiastic about football; the most important local clubs are: Juventud Antoniana, Gimnasia y Tiro de Salta and Central Norte. All three of them are followed by many faithful fans. Juventud Antoniana and Central Norte currently play at third division, while Gimnasia y Tiro plays in the fourth division. Other popular sports are baseball (a game in which Salta players excel nationally), basketball, volleyball, rugby and mountaineering.

Balcarce street (Salta)

Another particular feature of Salta is the way it has preserved its traditional Hispanic heritage. Folklore activities - cuisine, colonial architecture, music, dancing, and other customs - are widely spread and practised by its people.

One of the main activities in Salta is the April Culture Festival, which lasts the entire month and offers a wide variety of activities, such as culture display performances, handcrafts exposition, and live orchestra performances.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Salta

• Argentina Salta Photos, travel (English) (Spanish)
• http://www.iruya.com - Oldest web portal about Salta, its history, tradition and current events since 1997.
• Municipality of Salta — Official website.
• Government of Salta Province — Official website.
• City history at the Chamber of Deputies website.
• Salta Province Tourism Office
• Aventura Argentina Tours Info on some of the National Parks and other sites around Salta. Great images.
• Destino ExoticoAdventure Tourism and Services in North of Argentina