Río Negro (, Black River) is a province of Argentina, located in northern Patagonia. Neighboring provinces are from the south clockwise Chubut, Neuquén, Mendoza, La Pampa and Buenos Aires. To the east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Its capital is Viedma near the Atlantic outlet of the province's namesake river in the eastern extreme. The largest city is in the Andean foothills Bariloche in the far west. Other important cities include General Roca and Cipolletti. History Ferdinand Magellan was the first European explorer to visit the coasts of the provinces in 1520. Italian priest Nicolás Mascardi founded the Jesuit mission Nuestra Señora de Nahuel Huapi in 1670 at the shore of the Nahuel Huapi Lake, at the feet of the Andes range. Originally part of the Argentine territory called Patagonia (in 1878 the Gobernación de la Patagonia), in 1884 it was organised into the Territorio Nacional del Río Negro and General Lorenzo Vintter was appointed as the territory's first governor. It was only in 1957, that Río Negro acquired status of a province; its first provincial governor was Edgardo Castello of the Radical Civic Union (UCR). Geography Río Negro is one of the six provinces that make up Argentine Patagonia. It is bounded to the north by the Colorado River which separates it from La Pampa Province, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean and to the west by the Andes and the Limay River (serves as the natural border with Neuquén Province). The 42nd parallel south marks the southern limit of the province. With an area of , it is the 4th largest province by area. Climate The climate of the province is temperate at low elevations, and very cold in the higher Andean peaks. Temperature The mean annual temperatures in the province are relatively cold for its latitude owing to the marine currents to the east and higher altitude to the west. Mean annual temperatures in the province can vary, depending on altitude and distance from the sea. The northern parts of the province are the warmest, with a mean annual temperature of more than while the coldest areas are found in the Cordillera where the mean annual temperatures are less than . At the highest peaks, the mean annual temperature is less than freezing. Summer temperatures can exceed although the mean January temperatures range from . In contrast, the Andean region has milder summers with mean January temperatures