Salta (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈsalta]) is the capital and largest city in the Argentine province of the same name. With a population of 618,375 according to the 2010 census, it is also the 7th most-populous city in Argentina. The city serves as the cultural and economic center of the Valle de Lerma Metropolitan Area (Spanish: Área Metropolitana del Valle de Lerma, AMVL), which is home to over 50.9% of the population of Salta Province and also includes the municipalities of La Caldera, Vaqueros, Campo Quijano, Rosario de Lerma, Cerrillos, La Merced and San Lorenzo. Salta is the seat of the Capital Department, the most populous department in the province.

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Salta
City
(From top to bottom; from left to right) View of the city from top of San Bernardo Hill; Colonial Cabildo; Cathedral of Salta; Ninth of July Plaza and the Victoria Theatre.
Coat of arms
Salta Location of Salta in Argentina Show map of Salta Province Salta Salta (Argentina) Show map of Argentina
Coordinates: 24°47′S 65°25′W
Country	Argentina
Province	Salta
Department	Capital
Founded	1582
Government
• Intendenta	Bettina Romero (SNU)
Area
• City	120 km2 (50 sq mi)
Elevation	1,152 m (3,780 ft)
Population  (2010 census)
• Urban	535,303
• Metro	619,000
Demonym	Salteño
Time zone	UTC−3 (ART)
CPA base	A4400
Dialing code	+54 387
Climate	Cwb
Website	www.gobiernodelaciudad.gob.ar

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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. The origin of the name Salta is a matter of conjecture, with several theories being advanced to explain it.

During the war of independence, the city became a commercial and military strategic point between Perú 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.

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, British, and Arab immigrants, particularly Syrians and Lebanese, revived trade and agriculture all over the area while further enhancing the city's multicultural flavor.^[1]

The city centre features a number of buildings dating back to the 18th and 19th and early 20th centuries. Clockwise around the Ninth of July Square are the neoclassical Cathedral Shrine, the French style Museum of Contemporary Art, the Cabildo (in former times, the city's town hall, nowadays a historical museum) and the neoclassical Museum of High Mountain Archaeology, which houses artifacts from the Inca civilization, including the mummies of three Inca children. The Plaza is almost completely surrounded by a gallery.

Within walking distance of the July 9th Square are the Saint Francis Church and the city's three pedestrian streets: Alberdi, Florida and "Caseros". The three blocks in Balcarce street closest to the train station are now the centre of night life in Salta, with restaurants, pubs and cafés on both sidewalks and concerts every night.

Rising in the east is San Bernardo Hill. Its summit, from which visitors can get a view of the city and the entire valley, can be reached by car, cable car or stairway.

• A cable car (gondola) in Salta near Plaza del Lago
• The Church of Saint Francis
• The main cathedral
• Inside the cathedral
• Mitre Street
• The Colonial Hotel
• Ninth of July Plaza
• Corner newsstand in Salta
• Waterfountain and paddleboats to rent at Plaza del Lago in Salta

Salta is probably the most Spanish city in Argentina by physical appearance: so much so that tourists visiting from Spain often find a strong resemblance between Salta and Andalucian cities.^{[citation needed]} The local culture, however, is a blend of Spanish and gaucho (mestizo, criollo, both indigenous and non-indigenous) traditions, lending the city a distinctive identity, somewhat different from the more European-like metropolises to the south.

The city boasts three theatres, several museums (one of which exhibits the perfectly preserved bodies of c.500 year old Inca children sacrificed in the Andes to Inca gods^[20]), and a busy calendar of art exhibitions, shows, music festivals, and other cultural events.

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 cultural performances, a handcraft exposition, and live orchestral performances.

Salta residents, like most Argentines, are very enthusiastic about football. The most important local clubs are Juventud Antoniana, Gimnasia y Tiro de Salta, and Central Norte; many faithful fans follow each. These three clubs currently play in the third national division.

Other locally popular sports include baseball (a game in which Salta players excel nationally^{[citation needed]}), basketball, volleyball, rugby, and mountaineering.

The main sporting venue in Salta is the Padre Ernesto Martearena Stadium; the Gimnasia y Tiro and Juventud Antoniana stadiums also see many athletic matches. The largest roofed facility in the city is the Ciudad de Salta Stadium, chiefly used for basketball, volleyball, and boxing.

Over the last forty years, Salta has played host to such high-profile international sporting events as the 1990 Basketball World Cup, the 1994 Camel Trophy, the 2002 Volleyball World Cup, and the 2009 Hockey Champions Challenge. The Argentina national rugby union team, the "Pumas", have played in Salta against Italy (2005),^[21] England (2009),^[22] (2013),^[23] South Africa (2016.)^[24] and Scotland (2022)^[25] Top football clubs, including Boca Juniors, River Plate and Racing, have played friendly games in Salta in summer, off-season matches.

The city was used as a stage on the route of the 2014 and 2016 Dakar Rally.

Salta is governed by a city council of 21 members. Following the elections of November 2013, the Workers' Party has 9 seats, the Justicialist Party has 6 seats, and there are 6 others.^{[citation needed]}

• The film Taras Bulba, starring Yul Brynner and Tony Curtis, was largely shot in the hills west of the city, near San Lorenzo.^[26]
• Actor John Schneider (The Dukes of Hazzard and Smallville) was part of the cast of Cocaine Wars,^[27] another film shot in Salta.
• Two Hollywood celebrities have married Salta natives: Matt Damon (to Luciana Bozán Barroso), and Robert Duvall (to Luciana Pedraza).^[28]

The city's commercial airline needs are served by Aeropuerto Internacional Martín Miguel de Güemes, with service on three domestic airlines, including Aerolineas Argentinas, which is Argentina's largest domestic and international air carrier, and low cost airline Flybondi.

• 2010 Salta earthquake
• Argentina wine
• Salta–Antofagasta railway
• Torrontes

• Di Fabio Rocca, Francisco; Albeza, María Virginia; Bárbara Postillone, María; Acreche, Noemí; Lafage, Lucía; Parolín, María Laura; Dejean, Cristina; Carnese, Francisco Raúl; Avena, Sergio (2016). "Historia poblacional y análisis antropogenético de la ciudad de Salta" (PDF). Andes (in Spanish). 27. Salta, Argentina. ISSN 0327-1676. Retrieved January 28, 2020.