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Browse All : Images of Bolivia and Victoria
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Description
ISS011-E-06422 (19 May 2005) --- Rosario, Argentina is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 11 crewmember on the international space station. The Paran? River in the center of the view is the principal transportation artery of central South America, and consequently gave rise from the times of early colonization to the growth of river port cities such as Argentina?s second city, Rosario, now a major industrial center (population greater than 1.1 million; lower left). Rosario is the center of a vibrant local agricultural economy?intensive agriculture is visible on the left margin of the view. As such, Rosario is one of the key cities in South America?s MERCOSUR common market (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay). Other cities have expanded along the river bank especially northwards (for example, Capitan Bermudez, top left). Not only is the region around Rosario targeted for local economic development, but it is now a transportation hub. Rosario?s port facilities (center bottom), and facilities along the length of the Paran?-Paraguay river systems (the traditional north-south transport route), have been improved to give efficient river barge access to landlocked regions upstream?Paraguay, Bolivia and southwestern Brazil?connecting them to Buenos Aires, 300 kilometers to the south. East-west transport connections are becoming increasingly important for MERCOSUR trade with products from Argentina and southern Brazil moving by road and rail, via Rosario, to Pacific ports in Chile and then even to Asia. The great Rosario-Victoria bridge (center), completed in 2002, facilitates this east-west movement of goods. The bridge casts a shadow where it crosses almost two kilometers of open river. Viaducts and earth-filled sections continue the new highway to the city of Victoria to the east another 57 kilometers across the great swamplands of the Paran? floodplain?part of which is visible in the right half of the view. The bridge is one of very few road or rail connections between the east and west banks of South America?s second largest river. It allows the economic center of Argentina to communicate for the first time directly by road not only with Argentina?s remote northeastern provinces, but also with Uruguay and Brazil.
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