La Rioja

La Rioja, provincia (province), northwestern Argentina, extending southeastward from Chile. The northeast-central city of La Rioja is the provincial capital. The province’s southeastern half is an arid to semiarid plain, while the northwestern section is crossed north to south by alternating mountain ranges and semiarid valleys associated with the cordillera of the Andes Mountains. Saline marshes and lakes of the southeast are formed by intermittent streams flowing out of the mountains. Talampaya National Park in...