La Plata is a partido (department) in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, some southeast of the city of Buenos Aires. It has an area of , and a population of 774,369 (). Its capital is La Plata, which also serves as the capital of the province. La Plata is the centre of the Greater La Plata urban conurbation. Many of the suburbs have train links to both Buenos Aires and La Plata, and also good road access via the Buenos Aires-La Plata toll highway. There is also an extensive network of buses serving the Greater La Plata area. The city of Manuel B. Gonnet features the República de los Niños theme park. Several parks lie along the Camino General Belgrano road, which crosses the department north-to-south, notably the Parque Pereyra Iraola. Education The city has a good number of educational institutions at various levels, both public and private. The most renowned public schools are three of the four members of the UNLP: the Colegio Nacional Rafael Hernández, the Liceo Víctor Mercante and the Bachillerato de Bellas Artes. La Plata is a symbol of a distinguished and prolific academy. Sports La Plata is home to one of the fiercest derby matches (clásicos) in Argentine football, contested between Estudiantes and Gimnasia y Esgrima. Settlements Abasto City Bell El Peligro Joaquín Gorina Lisandro Olmos La Plata (capital) Los Hornos Manuel B. Gonnet Melchor Romero Ringuelet Tolosa Villa Elvira Villa Elisa References External links La Plata at Observatorioamba.org Visita La Plata Partidos of Buenos Aires Province 1882 establishments in Argentina