Rosario is the largest city of Santa Fe Province, Argentina, and the second most populous in the country, with 1,157,372 inhabitants (1991), a position it shares with Córdoba city (the largest being Buenos Aires). It is located 300 km north of Buenos Aires on the Paraná River, which allows the existence of a 32-feet deep port.

Rosario was a small village until 1850, when it was established as a port of entry. In colonial times, the city was first known as Pago de los Arroyos, and later as Villa del Rosario. Along with Paraná, it is one of the few Argentine cities that cannot point to a particular individual as its founder. The city's patron is the Virgen del Rosario (feast day October 7).

The Flag Memorial marks the site where, on February 27 1812, General Manuel Belgrano first raised the Argentine flag on the shores of the Paraná. Because of this, Rosario is known as the "Cradle of the Argentine Flag".

The city is a major railroad terminal and the shipping center for northeastern Argentina. Ocean steamers reach the city via the Paraná River. The port is subject to silting and must be dredged periodically. Exports include wheat, flour, hay, linseed and other oils, corn, sugar, lumber, meats, hides, and wool. Manufactures include flour, sugar, meat products, and other foodstuffs. A bridge running over the Parana River to connect Rosario with Victoria city was opened in 2003.

The city is modern, with boulevards, parks, and attractive suburbs. It is the seat of the Universidad Nacional de Rosario (founded 1968) and the football teams Rosario Central (founded 1889) and Newell's Old Boys (founded 1903). The International Congress of the Spanish Language was held in Rosario on November 2004.

The city has three notable newspapers: La Capital (Argentina's oldest still-published newspaper, founded 1867), El Ciudadano & la Región (founded 1999) and Rosario/12 (founded 1991).

Following the decline of much of the city's once extensive industry, which occurred during the 1990s, much of Rosario's population lives in various degrees of poverty, mostly in slums lacking toilets or running water. Since the recovery of the national economy that followed the 2001 collapse, Rosario's economic situation has improved. It is the fastest growing city in Argentina, a situation which is improving living conditions for those on the outskirts of the city.

The Mayor of Rosario City as of 2005 was Miguel Lifschitz (Socialist Party).

Notable people from Rosario

• Leticia Cossetini
• Olga Cossetini
• Antonio Berni
• Lucio Fontana
• Roberto Fontanarrosa
• Che Guevara
• Libertad Lamarque
• Alberto Olmedo
• Juan Carlos Baglietto
• Fito Páez
• Liliana Herrero
• Lisandro de la Torre
• Marcelo Bielsa
• Rafael Bielsa
• Valeria Mazza

External links

• Municipality of Rosario (in Spanish)
• Turismo in Rosario (in Spanish)
• Government of Santa Fe Province (in Spanish)
• III Congreso Internacional de la Lengua Española (in Spanish)
• Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR) (in Spanish)
• Diario La Capital (Newspaper from Rosario, in Spanish)
• Diario El Ciudadano & la Región (Newspaper from Rosario, in Spanish)
• Bolsa de Comercio de Rosario (BCR) (Commodities market in Rosario, in Spanish)
• Rosario Alternativo (Short stories for the ilustrated traveller, in Spanish)