El Maitén
{{Infobox settlement
| name = El Maitén
| native_name =
| native_name_lang = es
| settlement_type = Town
| image_skyline =
| image_alt =
| image_caption =
| image_shield =
| shield_alt =
| nickname =
| motto =
| image_map =
| map_alt =
| map_caption =
| pushpin_map = Argentina
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of El Maitén in Argentina
| coordinates = {{coord|42|03|S|71|10|W|region:AR_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint =
| coordinates_footnotes =
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = Argentina
| subdivision_type1 = Province
| subdivision_name1 = Chubut
| subdivision_type2 = Department
| subdivision_name2 = Cushamen
| established_title = Founded
| established_date = 22 December 1942
| founder =
| government_footnotes =
| leader_party = Justicialist Party
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = Oscár Rubén Currilén
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 =
| area_note =
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m = 625
| population_footnotes =
| population_total = 3782
| population_as_of =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_note =
| population_demonym = Maitenense
| timezone1 = ART
| utc_offset1 = -3
| timezone1_DST =
| utc_offset1_DST =
| postal_code_type = CPA base
| postal_code = U9210
| area_code_type = Dialing code
| area_code = +54 2945
| blank_name_sec1 = Climate
| blank_info_sec1 = Csb
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
El Maitén is a town in Argentina in Cushamen Department on the margins of the Chubut River, on the northwest of Chubut Province, in Patagonia. In older times it was the intermediate point in the railroad tracks of the Old Patagonian Express between the towns of Ingeniero Jacobacci and Esquel.
Location
The town is located {{convert|5|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} south of the 42 parallel (inter-province border between the provinces of Río Negro and Chubut), at {{convert|720|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} AMSL. Ex-Provincial route 40 runs through it on a north–south direction, which connects to the city of Esquel {{convert|135|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} south.
Other connecting routes to El Maitén are National Route 243 towards El Bolsón and Bariloche in Río Negro Province, and Provincial routes RP 4 and RP 71, connecting to Cushamen and Epuyén respectively.
El Maitén lies {{convert|35|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} south of Ñorquincó, {{convert|55|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} east of El Bolsón, and {{convert|70|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} northwest of Cushamen, and {{convert|30|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} northeast of Epuyén.
Geography and climate
The town of El Maitén lies on the right bank of the Chubut River. The river's valley is of glacial origin, and in this region it runs in a north–south direction on the first highlands of the Andes to the west, and the ancient formations of Patagonia to the east. The topography is mountainous, but of lower elevation, always under {{convert|2000|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}.
This geographic region is a clear example of the transition between the humid wooded Andes areas to the West, and the classic more arid steppes of central Patagonia. Typical native trees of the area are the Austrocedrus chilensis, Coihue (Nothofagus dombeyi), Ñire (Nothofagus antarctica), and over 2,000 meters AMSL the Lenga (Nothofagus pumilio).
The climate is semi-steppe, with humid winters with occasional strong snows and an annual precipitation between, {{convert|300|and|500|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}.
{{Weather box
|location = El Maitén
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 33.7
|Feb record high C = 34.4
|Mar record high C = 32.2
|Apr record high C = 26.1
|May record high C = 21.6
|Jun record high C = 17.7
|Jul record high C = 16.6
|Aug record high C = 19.7
|Sep record high C = 22.6
|Oct record high C = 26.8
|Nov record high C = 29.9
|Dec record high C = 33.6
|year record high C = 34.4
|Jan high C = 23.5
|Feb high C = 22.9
|Mar high C = 20.6
|Apr high C = 15.9
|May high C = 11.4
|Jun high C = 8.6
|Jul high C = 7.6
|Aug high C = 9.0
|Sep high C = 12.5
|Oct high C = 15.2
|Nov high C = 17.6
|Dec high C = 20.5
|year high C = 15.1
|Jan mean C = 16.2
|Feb mean C = 15.1
|Mar mean C = 12.8
|Apr mean C = 8.8
|May mean C = 5.7
|Jun mean C = 4.0
|Jul mean C = 3.0
|Aug mean C = 3.9
|Sep mean C = 6.2
|Oct mean C = 8.7
|Nov mean C = 11.2
|Dec mean C = 13.8
|year mean C = 8.9
|Jan low C = 7.3
|Feb low C = 6.5
|Mar low C = 4.4
|Apr low C = 2.0
|May low C = 0.6
|Jun low C = -0.4
|Jul low C = -1.3
|Aug low C = -0.7
|Sep low C = 0.2
|Oct low C = 1.6
|Nov low C = 3.9
|Dec low C = 5.9
|year low C = 2.3
|Jan record low C = -1.6
|Feb record low C = -1.8
|Mar record low C = -5.0
|Apr record low C = -8.1
|May record low C = -12.4
|Jun record low C = -12.7
|Jul record low C = -19.9
|Aug record low C = -12.0
|Sep record low C = -8.6
|Oct record low C = -7.6
|Nov record low C = -5.2
|Dec record low C = -5.0
|year record low C = -19.9
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 17.9
|Feb rain mm = 18.1
|Mar rain mm = 20.5
|Apr rain mm = 47.7
|May rain mm = 86.6
|Jun rain mm = 99.4
|Jul rain mm = 109.6
|Aug rain mm = 106.2
|Sep rain mm = 38.8
|Oct rain mm = 29.4
|Nov rain mm = 28.7
|Dec rain mm = 40.9
|year rain mm = 606.0
|Jan humidity = 47.3
|Feb humidity = 50.3
|Mar humidity = 54.5
|Apr humidity = 63.5
|May humidity = 68.7
|Jun humidity = 70.6
|Jul humidity = 71.5
|Aug humidity = 67.8
|Sep humidity = 60.5
|Oct humidity = 53.6
|Nov humidity = 50.8
|Dec humidity = 49.9
|year humidity = 59.4
|source 1 = Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria{{cite web
| url = http://anterior.inta.gov.ar/region/pas/sipas2/cmp/agromet/index.html
| language = Spanish
| title = Información de estaciones agrometeorológicas–Potrok Aike
| publisher = Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
| accessdate = December 5, 2015
| archive-date = December 17, 2011
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111217172107/http://anterior.inta.gov.ar/region/pas/sipas2/cmp/agromet/index.html
| url-status = dead
}}}}
History and economy
What started as a rural community was influenced greatly by the arrival of the General Roca railroad to the area in 1939, on a branch that continued to Esquel. This branch was completed and opened in 1945, and El Maitén was selected as the site of its maintenance sheds and locomotive warehouse. This changed the town towards a railroad-based economy until the 1970s, when the Argentine railroad industry started a steady decline.
Even though most of the railroad system on which El Maitén was a waystop closed in 1993, a train still operates out of El Maitén, running a loop from El Maitén to the train station Bruno J. Thomae then back to El Maitén.{{cite web
| url = http://latrochita.org.ar/historia/
| language = Spanish
| title = La Historia del Ferrocarril Patagónico
| publisher = La Trochita
| accessdate = January 11, 2022}}
| url = https://www.eldiario.es/canariasahora/viajarahora/destino_america/la-trochita-esquel-tren-vapor-antiguo-como-llegar-sacar-pasajes-horarios-estaciones-jacobacci-el-maiten-los-alerces-la-hoya-esqui-precios_1_2008705.html
| language = Spanish
| title = El viejo Expreso de La Patagonia: un viaje en la mítica trochita argentina
| date = July 27, 2018
| publisher = elDiaro.es
| accessdate = January 11, 2022}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20081218012222/http://www.elmaiten.com.ar/ El Maitén website]
- [http://www.latrochita.org.ar Old Patagonian Express website]
{{DEFAULTSORT:El Maiten}}