Victoria, Entre Ríos

Victoria is a city in the southwest of the province of Entre Ríos, Argentina. It is located on the eastern shore of the Paraná River, opposite Rosario, Santa Fe, to which it is connected since 2003 by the Rosario-Victoria Bridge (which spans almost 60 km over the flood plain of the Paraná Delta).

The city's patron is the Virgin of Aranzazú. The church (started in 1872) is dedicated to this patron. The city also features an abbey ("Abadía Los Monjes del Niño Dios"), founded by Benedictine monks who arrived in 1899.

The Victoria region is at the core of the fishing industry of commercially very important species like sábalo ("Prochilodus lineatus") and surubí ("Pseudoplatystoma spp."); it produces 95% of the annual 27,000 tonnes of sábalo captured in the province. Concerns about over-exploitation of this resource has been raised lately.

The city has a beach resort, and the river at this point is appropriate for the practice of sports such as kayak sailing and windsurf. The municipality claims jurisdiction over 3,700 km² of islands and islets on the Paraná. Several fishing areas are reserved for sports purposes, while others are protected.

Every year Victoria hosts an extended Carnival Season; in 2005, for example, parades and dances were held on weekends from January to the beginning of March.

Victoria has seen increased touristic affluence since the opening of the connection with Rosario and the Greater Rosario area. A year later, the high-class Casino was opened on the river front, and being one of the biggest in the country, it has bought in much wealth for Victoria's tourism industry attracting gamblers on a national scale.

References

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* [http://www.AquiVictoria.com.ar AquiVictoria.com.ar] (in Spanish: Information of City Victoria - Entre Ríos - Argentina)
* [http://www.turismoentrerios.com/victoria/index.htm Turismo Entre Ríos] (in Spanish)
* [http://www.entreriostotal.com.ar/economiasregionales/pescacomercial/especiesytallas.htm Entre Ríos - Economías regionales] (in Spanish)