CORRIENTES

province, northeastern Argentina, bounded by the Ro Paran (north and west), which forms the border with Paraguay (north), and by the Ro Uruguay (southeast), which borders Uruguay and Brazil. Its area of 34,054 sq mi (88,199 sq km) forms part of a region known as the Argentine Mesopotamia. Corrientes is a low-lying subtropical province of plains, channels, lakes, and marshes ascending to slightly higher elevations in the east. A dominating feature is the expansive Esteros (marshes) del Iber in the north centre. The area was settled by Jesuits who established reducciones (work missions) in the 16th century. In 1865 Paraguayan forces invaded the province and were defeated at the city of Corrientes (q.v.), the provincial capital. Economic activities are based on agriculture (rice, cotton, citrus fruits, tobacco, and cattle raising), and logging is also important. Tourism, based on hunting and fishing facilities throughout the province, is an additional source of income. There is little industry. Rivers provide the chief means of communication in the northeast, but the chief towns are connected by rail and road. Pop. (1983 est.) 697,000. city, capital of Corrientes province, northeastern Argentina, and river port on the east bank of the Ro Paran, opposite Resistencia. It originated in 1588 when Juan Torres de Vera y Aragn, governor of the Ro de la Plata viceroyalty, built a fort there named San Juan de Vera de las Siete Corrientes (meaning seven currents) for the seven rapids upstream. In 1865 the city was the site of the decisive defeat of a Paraguayan invasion force. The city's economy is based on the processing and exporting of agricultural products, including cotton, rice, tobacco, firewood, and citrus fruits. Its river port is one of the most important for steamers between Buenos Aires and the upper reaches of the Ro Paraguay. Corrientes has retained much of its colonial architecture, including the Church of La Cruz, a pilgrimage centre where the 16th-century cross of Torres de Vera is venerated; it is located on the Plaza Juan Torres de Vera y Aragn, which was established as a national monument in 1945. The National University of the North-East (founded 1957) is located there. The city was the setting for Graham Greene's The Honorary Consul (1980). Pop. (1980 prelim.) 179,590.