
Neuquén is the capital city of the Argentine Province of Neuquén, located in the east of the Province, at the confluence of the Limay and Neuquén rivers. The city has a population of more than 265,000, making it the largest city in Patagonia. There is a wide variety of hotels in Neuquen as well as other types of accommodations.
The greater part of the territory is mountainous, with fertile, well-watered valleys and valuable forests. The eastern part, however, contains large barren plains, showing some stunted vegetation, and having numerous saline deposits. Long drouths prevail in this region and there is no inducement for settlement, the nomadic Indians visiting it only on their hunting expeditions. Guanacos and Argentine hares are found in abundance in Neuquen, and to a lesser degree the South American ostrich.
Neuquén is both an important agricultural center, surrounded by fertile lands irrigated by the waters of the Limay and Neuquén rivers in the otherwise arid Province, and a petrochemical industrial center that receives the oil extraction of different points of the Province. It belongs economically and geographically to the Alto Valle region that produces apples, pears, and other fruits.
Neuquén is an inevitable stop if you travel by car from Buenos Aires to San Martin de los Andes, Bariloche, Villa La Angostura or any other places in the Province of Neuquen or Río Negro. Tourists have various types of hotels in Neuquen to select from.