Quilmes () is a city on the coast of the Rio de la Plata, in the , on the south east of the Greater Buenos Aires. The city was founded in 1666 and it is the seat of the eponymous county. With a population of 630,810 (2022 census), it is located south of the capital of Argentina, the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. History The Quilmes were a native tribe who lived in the surroundings of Tucumán. In the 17th century, after repeated attempts by the Spanish invaders to control their lands, the Quilmes were defeated and were forced to settle in a restricted colony (reducción) near Buenos Aires, where the authorities could control them. The settlement was thus established in 1666 as Exaltación de la Santa Cruz de los Kilme. The journey from Tucumán was made on foot, causing hundreds of Quilmes to die in the process. The colony had been abandoned by 1810 and had become a ghost town. The land was divided in parcels and the town of Quilmes was established in 1818. During the first British invasion, lasting 46 days in 1806, the British arrived from Montevideo through Quilmes and went to Buenos Aires from there. Quilmes was also inhabited by British immigrants. Juan Clark, born in Yorkshire, England, was president of the municipality in 1855. The Clark' were owners of land in Quilmes, and were linked to the Irish and Scottish community, established in the area since 1830s. In 1898 was established in the area the St. George's College, a private educational institution run by the Reverend Joseph Thomas Stevenson. The town's development accelerated during the wave of immigration in Argentina during the late 19th century, and Quilmes was considered as the location for a new provincial capital during the Federalization of Buenos Aires of 1880 (ultimately established in La Plata). The Argentine Air Force established a 220 ha (540 acre) base in East Quilmes in 1943. In 1944, Impa (Industria Metallurgica y Plastica Argentina) opened Argentina's first airplane plant at Quilmes. Impa had been blacklisted by the United States government due to its connections to Nazi-occupied Austria and fascist figures within Argentina itself. The airplanes were considered of "antiquated design" according to the New York Times. Quilmes proper consists of two main parts, east and west, which are divided by the tracks of the Metropolitano passenger train line. East Quilmes has several relatively wealthy