Villa Unión

Villa Unión is a city in northwestern Argentina and the main settlement of Departamento Coronel Felipe Varela with a population of 12,263.OverviewThe city is strategically located in the heart of the Bermejo Valley, 1,153 meters above sea level, at the foothills of the Andes mountains. Beautifully set midst the intense red mountain ranges of Sierra de Famatina and Sierra de Maíz, surrounded by local, traditional wineries and the Bermejo River running, often brutally in the rainy season, through the city.The weather is hot and rainy during the summer, January and February being the wettest months, while it is dry and cold during winter. As the soil can't easily get rid of the heavy rainfall, the area commonly floods during the rainy season. The area represents a typical climate of the mountain desert, with a soaring difference in temperatures between day and night. Villa Unión is affected by a climate phenomenon called the "Zonda wind" - a dry wind often carrying dust, which comes from the polar maritime air, warmed by descent from the crest, which is some 6,000 m (18,999 ft) above sea level. It may exceed a velocity of 40 km/h (25 mph) and may lead to changes in air pressure, commonly causing people headache.The nearest airport is the Capitán Vicente Almandos Amonacide Airport in La Rioja, 3 kilometers from the city center of the city of La Rioja. Three weekly flights are offered between Buenos Aires and La Rioja by Aerolíneas Argentinas.Nearby towns from Villa Unión are Los Palacios, Banda Florida, Villa Casteli, Vinchina, Guandacol, Aicuña and Patquía. Nearest major cities from Villa Unión are San Juan, La Rioja, Chilecito, Catamarca and Córdoba.