Rio Gallegos - City of Argentina

Río Gallegos is the capital of the Patagonic province of Santa Cruz, Argentina. It has a population of about 79,000 as per the 2001 census [INDEC]. The city sits on the estuary of the Gallegos River, 2,636 km (1,638 mi) south from Buenos Aires.

In 1888, then-governor Ramón Lista decided to move the Territorial Capital from Puerto Santa Cruz to Río Gallegos. Official ratification of this decision came on 19 May 1904. In 1957, the Territory of Santa Cruz was declared a Province, with Mario Cástulo Paradelo as its first Governor.

In the 1982 Falklands War (Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas/Guerra del Atlántico Sur), the city airport was base of Argentine Air Force Mirage III interceptors and A-4 Skyhawks strike aircraft.

Argentina's former president, Nestor Kirchner, was mayor of Rio Gallegos between 1987 and 1991.

Today, Río Gallegos is an important city of the far south Argentina, with military bases and an international airport. Flights between Chile and Mount Pleasant airbase at the Falkland Islands stop at Río Gallegos once a month.