Сан-Хуан қаласы: Аргентинаның оазисі мен тарихы

the village in Salta Province

San Juan (saŋ ˈxwan) is the capital and largest city of the Argentine province of San Juan in the Cuyo region, located in the Tulúm Valley, west of the San Juan River, at above mean sea level, with a population of around 112,000 as per the (over 500,000 in the metropolitan area). It is a modern city with wide streets and well drawn avenues with wide sidewalks and vegetation of different species of trees irrigated by canals, from which it derives its nickname oasis town. It has an important accommodation infrastructure and transportation. It highlights modern buildings and the surroundings, the reservoir and Ullum dam, spas, museums, large plantations of vines, and various types of agriculture, with wine being the most important.

Before the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadores, the Huarpe Indians inhabited this area. San Juan de la Frontera was founded on June 13, 1562, by Juan Jufré at the shore of the San Juan River. In 1593 flooding damaged the town, for which reason its setting was moved south to its current location. San Juan was a sleepy, provincial town during colonial times (1562–1810) and took practically no part in the internal wars that devastated Argentina in its so called Organizational Period (1820–1860.) Two of the most prominent members of the 1816 Congress of Tucumán which declared Argentina's independence from Spain, however, came from San Juán: Francisco Narciso de Laprida, who was president of the congress, and San Juan's bishop Friar Justo Santa María de Oro, a Dominican friar and an eloquent speaker whose persuasive oratory was largely responsible for Argentina becoming a republic and not a monarchy like Brazil. Probably the most important and famous city son was Fray Justo's nephew, and president of Argentina between 1868 and 1874, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, whose birthplace was turned into a National Historical Monument in 1910, during the administration of president Roque Sáenz Peña. On January 15, 1944, a powerful earthquake devastated the city, killing around 10,000 people and leaving half of the provincial population homeless. Another quake, 7.4 on the Richter magnitude scale, struck 80 km northeast of the city on November 23, 1977, causing considerable damage and killing 65 people around the province. After the disaster of 1944, the city was reconstructed on concentric boulevards, with straight, well lit, tree lined avenues and modern housing. It has mostly lost its colonial aspect, but retains an open, sunny Mediterranean look.

The city of San Juan is located in a fertile valley within a rocky mountainous area. Winter temperatures are generally mild, averaging between 1 °C (34 °F) and 16 °C (61 °F), but can drop below 9 °C (16 °F). Summers are hot, with average temperatures between 19 °C (66 °F) and 35 °C (95 °F), and a record maximum of 46.7 °C (116 °F) on December 20, 1995. The range of the mean monthly temperatures is 19.4 °C, possibly the highest in all South America. Sunny weather is common in all months and San Juan averages about 3,361.3 hours of bright sunshine, or about 76% of possible sunshine, ranging from a low of 68% in June to a high of 81% possible sunshine in May. Under the Köppen climate classification, San Juan has a desert climate (BWh/BWk). Since very little rain falls in the region, the San Juan River has been dammed to provide a regular source of water to the city. The resulting reservoir is located in Ullum, and is known as the Quebrada de Ullum Dam. The dam also provides electrical power to the region. Sixty five percent of the surrounding area's agricultural production is related to wine production.

The city has modern transport infrastructure and is accessible via a ring road, and the South Access Freeway, among others. The city's outward growth has made a second ring road necessary, and the project is under construction. The motorway will reduce commuting times from Greater San Juan to downtown, and will also facilitate large freight truck traffic (diverting it from the city proper). It also calls for a complementary project for another motorway called South Corridor, connecting downtown San Juan with Rawson and other southern suburbs. The urban public transport passengers from the City of San Juan consists of bus lines marked with numbers and letters (19 or 26A), linking the city centre with the various neighbourhoods and the rest of the Great San Juan. The city also has taxi service and remises. The rapid growth of the city has necessitated new means of transportation, and a feasibility study was recently commissioned on the development of a trolley service between downtown and Greater San Juan. The proposed routes would unite Chimbas San Juan (Center) Villa Krause and Rivadavia San Juan (Center) Santa Lucia, as well as one circulating downtown. Long distance public transport is provided by the modern Bus Terminal, with more than 6,000 sq metres (64,000 Sq ft) of area in platforms. The terminal also includes administration offices, ticketing, information, a police precinct, a first aid room, telephone booths, shops, a restaurant, and other facilities. Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Airport is located 15 kilometers from the city in 9 de Julio Department, more precisely in the village of Las Chacritas. This airport serves routes from San Juan to Buenos Aires. The city is situated on National Route 40, connecting it with Mendoza (168 km) to the south and La Rioja (449 km) to the north; National Route 20 connects San Juan to San Luis (323 km to the east). Distances to other important cities are as follows: Córdoba (585 km), Catamarca (623 km) and Buenos Aires (1110 km).

San Juan is ranked second among the wine producing provinces of Argentina. It has a cultivated area of 116,700 acres at altitudes of between 1,970 (601m) and 4,590 feet (1399m) above sea level. This region specializes in Syrah, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bonarda, Chardonnay and Torrontés. Because of this area's semi desert climate, viticulture is dependent on irrigation from the San Juan and Jáchal Rivers.

San Juan is renowned internationally as a stronghold of roller hockey, providing most of the players for the Argentina national roller hockey team (both men and women). It has hosted the Roller Hockey World Cup 6 times. San Juan has also been a host of the 2022 World Skate Games, the 2002 FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship, the 2014 International Six Days Enduro and the 2017 Canoe Freestyle World Championships.