Corrientes
[key], city, capital of Corrientes prov., NE Argentina, a port on the
Paraná River. It is the commercial center of a rich pastoral and
agricultural region. The city exports the timber and agricultural products
of the province. An important cultural center, it has several institutions
of higher education, museums, and historical monuments. Corrientes was
founded in 1588 and survived fierce attacks by the indigenous people during
the late 16th and early 17th cent. In 1762 an uprising of the
comuneros [townspeople] against the colonial governor
foreshadowed the wars of independence from Spain. The city and province were
among the first to rebel (1844) against Juan Manuel de Rosas.
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