Governor Virasoro
Gobernador Ingeniero Valentín Virasoro, commonly abbreviated as Gobernador Virasoro or Virasoro, is an Argentine city in the province of Corrientes, which has a large commercial movement and a significant number of herbal, forestry and livestock companies that have been established in the area, together with the important cultural and educational activity, which have made Gobernador Virasoro the town with the greatest economic and population development in the province of Currents. Known as the Provincial Capital of Mate, Virasoro is the headquarters of the Las Marías Establishment, the main national producer of yerba mate, which not only supplies local commerce but has managed to conquer markets such as Chile, the United States, Spain, Hungary, Italy, Syria, Lebanon, Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Russia and Paraguay. The town is also recognized as the National Capital of Zebu and as the Provincial Capital of the Forest Industry. Livestock activity is traditional in the province, occupying an important role in the town, and the most important breeds are Brangus and Bradford. Regarding afforestation, the main genus planted in the region is pine and eucalyptus. It is worth mentioning that at present the economy of Virasoro has diversified even more with the installation of a large power plant based on biomass and the start-up of "La Gloriosa S.A", with 200 hectares dedicated to the production of blueberries. The University of Salvador has the "San Roque González de Santa Cruz" campus in the city, with the degrees of Veterinary Medicine and Agronomist, in addition to running a veterinary clinic and houses for students in the city. Another aspect to take into account is that it is strategically located on National Route 14; It is 329 km from the capital of Corrientes and 969 km from the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.
Historical aspects
It was founded on the bases of a cattle ranch called "Vuelta del Ombú", a place name that had been maintained since the time of the Company of Jesus (Jesuits), which was located on the so-called Camino Real that linked the Hormiguero ports (currently Santo Tomé) on the Uruguay River, with Trinchera San José (currently Posadas), on the Paraná. Inhabitants of the different Jesuit-Guaranés Missions traveled along this route, which today are divided into territories belonging to Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. These people traded, most of the merchandise consisting of cane honey, tobacco, cassava and, above all, yerba mate.
El Camino Real had its heyday between 1823 and 1835, after which the political and warlike vicissitudes of the time paralyzed the activity until 1850. A courier service established in 1880 gave the Vuelta post a certain legal character of the Ombu.
The arrival of the Ferrocarril del Nordeste Argentino, and the eventual foundation of the "Vuelta del Ombú" station, motivated the installation of the first stable settlers in its surroundings. In 1911, the government of Corrientes decided to carry out the first survey tasks in the area, for which the surveyor Francisco Fouilland was appointed.
By 1918 the first school had already been installed, to which the police station, the justice of the peace, the promotion commission and the civil registry were added in 1922.
The official name of Governor Engineer Valentín Virasoro was assigned on September 23, 1923, by Law No. 541. At that time, the productive activity of the town and the region was focused almost exclusively on livestock. However, and thanks to the pioneer Víctor Navajas Centeno, around 1924 the first agricultural exploitations began, especially yerba mate. Despite the difficulties, in a few years he set up the manufacturing industry for this product, which was initially marketed under the "Las Marías" brand, later to be called "Taragüí".
Currently, this city is characterized by a large commercial movement and by the significant number of herbal, forestry and livestock companies that have been established. All this, together with the important cultural and educational activity, have made Gobernador Virasoro the town with the greatest economic and population development in the province of Corrientes, according to the last three national censuses.
Urban layout
Virasoro does not have a planned urban layout, since it grew over time without any type of control. Therefore, in its plan, it can be seen that the first batched blocks follow an octagonal plan shape, but later it can be distinguished that the urbanized area extended following National Route 14, therefore the shape of the plan in that part of the city is linear. A very peculiar feature that Virasoro has is that the main church is not in front of the main square, but these two are two blocks away.
Demographics
Area of the municipality of Gobernador Virasoro
Gobernador Virasoro is the town with the highest demographic growth in the province of Corrientes, which has been characterized by the almost doubling of the population every ten years in the last five decades.
According to the last national census carried out in 2010, the total population of the municipality amounts to 45,090 inhabitants. Which means that it represents 4.84% of the total population of the province of Corrientes and a growth rate of 8.09%.
The city has 30,666 inhabitants (Indec, 2010), which represents an increase of 20% compared to the 26,018 inhabitants (Indec, 2001) in the previous census.
| Graphic of demographic evolution of Virasoro Governor between 1947 and 2010 |
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Source of National Censuses of INDEC |
Project for the head city of a new department
It is a demand of more than two decades supported by economic, population and geopolitical data, which set the tone that the city deserves to be the head of the department; As symbolic data, it should be noted that it contributes almost 20% of the total GDP of the province. In 2012, the project was presented and approved by the Senate of the province of Corrientes, however, by not giving a sufficient quorum for the treatment of the law in the Chamber of Deputies, the project was not dealt with and fell into forgotten to date.
It is believed that the department would encompass only the current jurisdiction of the municipality.
Many consider the creation of the new department as something inevitable, especially when taking into account that Virasoro has been one of the cities with the highest economic and demographic growth in the province in recent years, surpassing the current capital of the department,"Santo Tome", in inhabitants, productivity and work.
Strategic location
From the transnational integration processes, border spaces, formerly strips of separation and detachment, became dynamic integration regions.
The Development Corridors of Argentina are insinuated in the West-East direction, with bioceanic characteristics, and North-South, as integrators of the national territory.
MERCOSUR constitutes a dynamic axis that is reflected in the strategic importance of the central bioceanic corridor, from Rio-São Paulo to Santiago de Chile, passing through the cities of Curitiba and Porto Alegre in Brazil, Montevideo in Uruguay, and Buenos Aires. Aires, Rosario, Santa Fe-Paraná, Córdoba and Mendoza in Argentina.
However, the needs for territorial rebalancing make it advisable to promote the development of the South Bi-Oceanic Corridor, as an articulator of Northern Patagonia (uniting the cities of Concepción and Valdivia in Chile, with those of Neuquén, Bahía Blanca and Mar del Plata in Argentina), and that of the northern bioceanic corridor, of integration between the northwestern and northeastern regions.
This last Development Corridor, which links the cities of Arica, Iquique, and Antofagasta in Chile, with Salta, Tucumán, Resistencia-Corrientes, and the province of
Misiones, has the particularity of being the only one that communicates directly with four countries in the region: Chile, Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil, additionally having a strong connection to a fifth, Bolivia.
Climate
The climate of the region where the city of Virasoro is located can be classified as tropical humid, according to the Thornthwaite system, and as type Cfa2, also called tropical or Virginian, according to Koeppen.
The rains are abundant, with an average annual rainfall of 1923 mm in the last ten years, the years with the highest rainfall (2400 mm) coinciding with the occurrence of the phenomenon known as El Niño.
The rainiest months are April and October and the dry periods are January and August. In the summer there are generally strong isolated showers, noticing great differences between one place and another. In winter the rains are softer and more constant.
The average annual temperature is 21.5º, registering average absolute maximum temperatures in the month of January of 37.2º and average absolute minimum temperatures in the month of July of 0.9º.
Meteorological frosts (>= 0º) are recorded in the months of June, July and August, with July being the month with the highest number of frost days with an average of 3 days throughout the winter
Prevailing winds are from the southeast with an average speed of 11km/h. In the spring, the highest records are recorded, with a predominance of northerly winds that provide a large mass of warm air from the cyclonic center located in the Paraguayan Chaco. Generally there are cycles of 2 to 3 days and then a cold front enters from the south - southwest with rain and storms. The maximum speeds are recorded in the month of September with an average maximum speed of 39.6 km/h.
 Average climate parameters of Governor Virasoro | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Ene. | Feb. | Mar. | Open up. | May. | Jun. | Jul. | Ago. | Sep. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. | Annual |
| Average temperature (°C) | 32.5 | 30.0 | 29.3 | 26.0 | 22.8 | 20.6 | 20.4 | 23.2 | 24.1 | 26.5 | 28.9 | 31.6 | 26.3 |
| Average temperature (°C) | 26.7 | 24.8 | 23.8 | 20.7 | 17.8 | 15.8 | 15.5 | 17.7 | 18.6 | 21.2 | 23.1 | 25.7 | 20.9 |
| Temp. medium (°C) | 20.9 | 19.7 | 18.4 | 15.5 | 12.8 | 11.1 | 10.6 | 12.2 | 13.2 | 15.9 | 17.3 | 19.9 | 15.6 |
| Total precipitation (mm) | 166.4 | 214.3 | 146.8 | 218.3 | 159.2 | 87.8 | 118.9 | 76.4 | 122.7 | 246.5 | 176.8 | 169 | 1907.7 |
| Source: I.A.N.C.: INSTITUTO AGROTECNICO VICTOR NAVAJAS CENTENO. average 1992-1999 | |||||||||||||
Economy and production
Agriculture
Mate and tea crops are part of an important segment of the total area of the province. The production of Yerba Mate reaches about 13,000 hectares and that of tea about 2,000, both being associated with medium and large producers. Until the beginning of the 1990s, the production of raw materials and their industrialization were concentrated in a single establishment. This activity attracted swallow labor from the neighboring province of Misiones, mainly for manual harvesting. With the incorporation of new technology, reflected in the mechanization of the harvest, a large number of workers who went to the forestry sector were expelled from the system.
Currently, there are two large establishments with mills and yerba mate and tea dryers in the Municipality that it is appropriate to highlight given their contribution to the acceleration and revitalization of the local economy. These establishments supply not only domestic trade but have also managed to conquer markets such as Chile, the United States, Spain, Hungary, Italy, Syria, Lebanon, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Korea, Russia, Paraguay
The rural agricultural sector is also made up of different farms dedicated to subsistence agriculture and as a complement to their other activities. The most important crops are rice (1,500 ha), soybeans, wheat, sorghum (10,000 ha) and other minor annual crops. We must also mention the existence of 3,000 hectares of pasture for the breeding and fattening of cattle. There is also a balanced food factory that adds value to primary products and a rice packing plant.
Afforestation
The main genus planted in the study region is Pinus (pine), where the main species stand out: P. elliottii and P. taeda, and in a minor scale P. caribaea. Forestations with the genus Eucalyptus (eucalyptus) also occupy a prominent position, in this case predominating as the main species E. big. Other species are used marginally, such as E. saligna, E. viminalis and E. dunnii, these species cover a total of 70,000 ha belonging to small and medium-sized owners.
Regarding the industrialization of wood, there are currently 30 sawmills located, mostly dedicated to sawing wood, with the exception of one plant that also produces compensated. Some of the companies add value to their products by manufacturing hardwood floors in various designs. Markets range from regional to export to large markets in North America and Europe.
There are also a dozen carpentry shops that work with both wood and phenolic.
Livestock
Livestock farming is the traditional activity of the province, occupying an important role in the town.
This is a traditional activity in the province, with currently 148,000 cattle in the jurisdiction.
The most important breeds are: Brangus and Bradford, since this area is home to the largest number (6 six) of Brangus Colorado cabins in the country, and the best quality. It is also representative of the Brahman Breed, which at the time was the most important in the area, and which today is still found in many establishments in the region, currently having this breed with two cabins.
The stocking rate is taken according to the quality of the field, and the improvements that exist in each of them. There are many livestock farms that have pastures, and that greatly increases the stocking rate. Taking a breeding field in the area as an average, the stocking rate is (0.5 cow equivalent), that is, an average of one (1) cow every 2 ha.
The mandatory health plans by SE.NA.SA., are the Anti-foot-and-mouth disease vaccination 2 times a year. And the vaccination of Brucellosis in calves from 3 to 8 months of age for the only time in their lives. The annual cost per head is approximately $3.50.
It is worth noting the installation in the city of Gobernador Virasoro of the Regional SE.NA.SA starting this year, for the entire province of Corrientes and Misiones.
Various activities
Several enterprises can be observed and from different items, the most numerous in this section being remises agencies, cybers, the others are not significantly important in relation to the quantity.
It emerges from the diagnosis made that the locality has an installed investment in the different items, lacking support ventures for the local industrial and commercial activity, which is why it is desired to strengthen the items described below:
a) Carpentry: b) Textile industry: c) Housework services: d) Integral service for the home: e) Miscellaneous industry support services: f) Forest services:
In addition, several sports are practiced in the city, of which soccer, hockey and rugby are the most popular. In soccer, the teams compete in the Virasoreña Soccer League, made up of various teams from the city and surrounding areas. In hockey, they are not currently competing in any tournament, but from time to time they do sporting events with other clubs in the area. In rugby, Club Atlético Virasoro is competing in the Misiones Rugby Union (URuMi) tournament, while an emerging club called Cebu Rugby Club is looking to participate in the Northeast Rugby Union (URNE) tournament.).
Communication
Within Virasoro there are different types of spreading the news: through radio, television, newspapers, magazines and Internet pages.
FM stations
These are the most important ones:
- 90.7: Radio Boing (Retransmitted Rosario)This is where you are.
- 91.1: Radio María (Retransmitted)
- 92.9: Fm Vuelta del Ombú--LRH 744--WEB www.fmvolvdelombu.com.ar
- 96.5: FM Mercosur Region
- 96.9: Free FM [1]
- 97.9: FM Confluence
- 99.5: The Voice FM
- 102.1: Radio Victoria
- 103.1: FM Despertar
- 103.5: Radio La Mónica
- 104.1:TU FM Radio del Pueblo
- 106.3: Radio Sonica. fm https://web.archive.org/web/20180923163117/http://sonica.nvradios.com/
- 107.5: FM Vida http://fmvida.ga/ Archived on August 13, 2018 at Wayback Machine.
Television
In the city there is only one channel that is its own: "Canal 8" Virasoro Video Cable. It also provides cable television service.
Daily
The local newspapers are: Diario "Valentín", Ombú & N.E.C.
Parishes of the Catholic Church in Gobernador Virasoro
| Diocese | Sao Tome |
|---|---|
| Parishs | San Antonio de Padua, Our Lady of Itatí |