Cipolletti is a city in north of the Patagonia

Patagonia

Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...

n , with 75,078 inhabitants as of the .

The city is located on the north-eastern shore of the Neuquén River

Neuquén River

The Neuquén River is the second most important river of the province of Neuquén in the Argentine Patagonia, after the Limay River.The river is born at the northwest of the province at an altitude of 2,300 metres, to be feed by a number of streams through valleys of the lower Andes while advancing...

, just before it is joined by the Limay River

Limay River

The Limay River is an important river in the northwestern Argentine Patagonia . It is born at the eastern end of the Nahuel Huapi Lake and flows in a meandering path for about 380 km, collecting the waters of several tributaries, such as the Traful, the Pichileufú and the Collón Curá. It then meets...

 to form the Negro River, a short distance upstream from the city of General Roca

General Roca

General Roca may refer to a number of things and places named after Argentine military Julio Argentino Roca:Places;Argentina*General Roca, Río Negro*General Roca Department, Río Negro*General Roca Department, Córdoba...

. Opposite Cipolletti, across the river, lies Neuquén

Neuquén

Neuquén is the name of the following things:* Neuquén, Argentina* Neuquén Province* Neuquén River* Neuquén Group...

, capital of the province of the same name

Neuquén Province

Neuquén is a province of Argentina, located in the west of the country, at the northern end of Patagonia. It borders Mendoza Province to the north, Rio Negro Province to the southeast, and Chile to the west...

, linked to it by a road/railway bridge

Bridge

A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...

.

Cipolletti was founded as a fort called Confluencia by General Lorenzo Vintter, in 1881. The name was changed later, after César Cipolletti, one of the forerunners of the study of the irrigation system of the Negro River, and heart of the apple

Apple

The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...

 and pear

Pear

The pear is any of several tree species of genus Pyrus and also the name of the pomaceous fruit of these trees. Several species of pear are valued by humans for their edible fruit, but the fruit of other species is small, hard, and astringent....

cultivation zone of the Alto Valle.