COMODORO RIVADAVIA

port city, Chubut provincia, southeastern Argentina, on the Gulf of San Jorge. It was founded in 1901 by Francisco Petrobelli, a businessman interested in establishing an Atlantic port to handle the products of Colonia Sarmiento, a farming centre 80 miles (130 km) west-northwest. The name honours Comodoro Martn Rivadavia (18521901) of the Argentine navy. The arid, windy plains of the hinterland supported only sheep prior to the discovery of petroleum near the port in 1907. A nationalized corporation administers the oil wells, which produce about one-fifth of Argentina's total output. Oil tankers, a national highway, airlines, and natural-gas lines link the city with La Plata and Buenos Aires, 1,000 miles (1,600 km) to the north. A major base of the Argentine Air Force is located there. Pop. (1980) 96,817.