| Melincué | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
  Melincué Location of Melincué in Argentina | |
| Coordinates: 33°39′S61°27′W / 33.650°S 61.450°W Coordinates: 33°39′S61°27′W / 33.650°S 61.450°W | |
| Country | Argentina |
| Province | Santa Fe |
| Department | General López |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Oscar Pernigotti (Socialist Party) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 277 km2 (107 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 2,228 |
| • Density | 8.0/km2 (21/sq mi) |
| Time zone | ART (UTC-3) |
| CPA base | S2728 |
| Dialing code | +54 3465 |
Melincué is a town (comuna) in the south of the province of Santa Fe , Argentina, 287 km from the provincial capital. It has about 2,200 inhabitants as per the 2001 census [INDEC] and it is the head town of the General López Department. It was founded in 1872 and recognized officially as a town on 1886-09-03.
Argentina is subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city, Buenos Aires, which is the federal capital of the nation as decided by Congress. The provinces and the capital have their own constitutions, but exist under a federal system.
The Province of Santa Fe is a province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco, Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Santiago del Estero. Together with Córdoba and Entre Ríos, the province is part of the economico-political association known as the Center Region.
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country located mostly in the southern half of South America. Sharing the bulk of the Southern Cone with Chile to the west, the country is also bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, Brazil to the northeast, Uruguay and the South Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Drake Passage to the south. With a mainland area of 2,780,400 km2 (1,073,500 sq mi), Argentina is the eighth-largest country in the world, the fourth largest in the Americas, and the largest Spanish-speaking nation. The sovereign state is subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city, Buenos Aires, which is the federal capital of the nation as decided by Congress. The provinces and the capital have their own constitutions, but exist under a federal system. Argentina claims sovereignty over part of Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
Melincué is located immediately north of an endorheic lake ( Laguna Melincué ) and an associated wetland area that is included in a nature reserve. The fluctuating level of the Melincué Lake and the lack of hydrical infrastructure have often caused the town to suffer floods.
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is inundated by water, either permanently or seasonally, where oxygen-free processes prevail. The primary factor that distinguishes wetlands from other land forms or water bodies is the characteristic vegetation of aquatic plants, adapted to the unique hydric soil. Wetlands play a number of functions, including water purification, water storage, processing of carbon and other nutrients, stabilization of shorelines, and support of plants and animals. Wetlands are also considered the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems, serving as home to a wide range of plant and animal life. Whether any individual wetland performs these functions, and the degree to which it performs them, depends on characteristics of that wetland and the lands and waters near it. Methods for rapidly assessing these functions, wetland ecological health, and general wetland condition have been developed in many regions and have contributed to wetland conservation partly by raising public awareness of the functions and the ecosystem services some wetlands provide.
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research. Nature reserves may be designated by government institutions in some countries, or by private landowners, such as charities and research institutions, regardless of nationality. Nature reserves fall into different IUCN categories depending on the level of protection afforded by local laws. Normally it is more strictly protected than a nature park.
