San Fernando

/sahn' ferdd nahn"daw/ for 1; /san' feuhr nan"doh/ for 2

1. a city in E Argentina, near Buenos Aires. 88,432.

2. a city in SW California, near Los Angeles. 17,731.

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▪ California, United States

      city and enclave within the city of Los Angeles, southern California, U.S. It lies in the northeastern San Fernando Valley. Named for the Mission San Fernando Rey de España (established 1797 by Father Fermín de Lasuén), which is now preserved as a historic site, it was promoted in 1874 by two land developers, G.K. Porter and Senator Charles Maclay (who also founded a college of theology there in 1887). The San Fernando Reservoir (just northwest) is the southern terminus of the Los Angeles (Owens River) Aqueduct (1913), which irrigated the valley and gave the city a citrus-based economy. Later, diversified industries developed, chiefly electronics and clothing manufacture. Los Angeles Mission (community) College (1975) is located in nearby Sylmar. Heritage Weekend, which concludes with the San Fernando Fiesta, is a popular annual event. Angeles National Forest is nearby. Inc. 1911. Pop. (1990) 22,580; (2000) 23,564.

▪ Chile

      city, central Chile, lying on the Rapel River, at 1,112 feet (339 metres) above sea level, in the fertile Central Valley. Founded in 1742, it became a provincial capital in 1840. San Fernando's rodeos rank among Chile's best, for the city is in the heart of huaso (“cowboy”) country. In addition to livestock, the surrounding region yields wheat, forage crops, rice, legumes, and grapes. San Fernando is on the Pan-American Highway and on Chile's main longitudinal railroad, both of which have branches running 60 miles (97 km) westward to the coastal resort of Pichilemu. Pop. (2002) 49,519.

▪ Philippines

      town, west-central Luzon, Philippines. Located on a bay of the South China Sea formed by a peninsula that ends in San Fernando Point, it served a tobacco- and rice-growing region as the northern terminus of the Philippine National Railway until the line was extended to Bacnotan in 1955. The town is on Luzon's main western coastal highway. Its outport, Poro, is the only national port of entry in northern Luzon; imported goods are received, and the region's commercially bundled tobacco leaves are exported. The city has a modern cathedral (1976) and a Chinese pagoda; nearby to the south are the ruins of a church built in 1674. Pop. (2000) 102,082.

▪ Spain

      city, Cádiz provincia (province), in the comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) of Andalusia, southwestern Spain. It is situated on a rocky island surrounded by salt marshes that line the southern shore of the Bay of Cadiz, south of Cádiz city. Founded in 1776, it was known as Isla de León until renamed (1813) in honour of Ferdinand VII during the Peninsular War. San Fernando is a Spanish naval headquarters; to the northeast are La Carraca arsenal and dockyard (founded 1790) and an observatory dating from the 18th century (the oldest in Spain). Landmarks in the city include the 18th-century town hall, the Panteón de Marinos (1850), and a Roman bridge rebuilt in the 15th century. Many of its salt-production facilities have fallen into disuse; stone is quarried, and there are some light industries, however. Pop. (2007 est.) mun., 95,026.

▪ Trinidad and Tobago

      city and port of Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago, southeastern West Indies. It lies at the western end of the Central Range of hills, on the flat, shallow coast of the Gulf of Paria (Paria, Gulf of), about 35 miles (55 km) south of Port of Spain. It is an administrative and trading centre for the southern half of the island. The city was once part of a settlement of indigenous Indians and later a Capuchin mission. Its original site was part of a 1786 land grant. The city—named for Fernando (the future Ferdinand VII), the son of Spanish King Charles IV—was destroyed by fire in 1818. Rebuilt, it reached its present boundaries by 1846. It became a borough in 1853 and a city in 1988. The economy is based on San Fernando's central position in the rich oil fields discovered in the early 1900s, and the country's largest oil refinery is located in the suburb of Pointe-à-Pierre. Close by is Point Lisas, a rapidly growing industrial area with petrochemical works, a steel mill, and a modern container port. There are several large liquefied natural gas plants at sites around the city. Pop. (2000) 55,419.

▪ partido, Argentina

      cabecera (county seat) and partido (county) of northeastern Gran (Greater) Buenos Aires, Argentina. It lies north of the city of Buenos Aires, in Buenos Aires provincia (province), on the Río de la Plata estuary. Colonization of the area began with the second and permanent founding of Buenos Aires (1580). During this period the region was known as Costa de Monte Grande. In 1780 the parish of Nuestra Señora del Puerto de Las Conchas (“Our Lady of the Port of the Shells”) was established. A settlement, founded in 1806 as San Fernando de Buena Vista, later became a part of the county established in 1821.

      The town of San Fernando was given city status in 1909. It is a river port and centre for cattle raising. Industries in the present-day county process dairy products, fish, and fruit. Furniture is manufactured from lumber produced by the region's sawmills, and paper products are made. Quarrying is also important.

      The southern region of San Fernando has become part of the north-northwestern suburban area of Gran Buenos Aires. San Fernando's population density is the lowest of all the counties of Gran Buenos Aires because of the relatively unpopulated northern region. Railway lines, the national highway system, and a local airport connect the southern portion of the county to other parts of Argentina. The sparsely populated marshlands of the northern region have few transportation and communication links. Pop. (2001) city, 69,110; county, 148,064.

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