BAHIA BLANCA, a city and port of Argentina, on the Na posta river, 3m. from its outlet into a deep, well-sheltered bay of the same name. Pop. (1934 estimate) ioo,000, with suburbs. It is situated in the extreme southern part of the province of Buenos Aires and is 398m. by rail S.W. of the national capital. The settle ment of the national territories of La Pampa and Neuquen has contributed largely to the growth and importance of Bahia Blanca. It is the natural shipping-port for these territories and for the southern districts of the province of Buenos Aires, from which great quantities of wheat and wool are exported. The bay has long been recognized as one of the best on the Argentine coast, and since the channel has been dredged, will admit steamers of 3oft. draught at low-water. Bahia Blanca dates from 1828, when a fort and trading post were located here, but its development as a com mercial centre began only in 1885, when its first railway line was opened. There are four main features of the port : the Puerto Militar, a government military and naval station with extensive docks, machine shops, slips and dry-docks, capable of handling the largest battleships; Puerto Belgrano, developed by the Ro sario-Puerto Belgrano railway to handle their exports; Puerto Engineer White, named after the man who built it as a terminal for the Southern railway, and equipped with modern electrical freight-handling devices, fire-proof elevators, freight yards and warehouses ; and the equally up-to-date Puerto Galvin con structed by the Pacific railway for loading and unloading its great cargoes of wheat, oats, wools, cattle and varied merchandise. Though situated near the mountainous section of southern Buenos Aires, the immediate vicinity of the city is low and swampy, its water is brackish, and it has been decidedly unhealthy; but a better water supply with better drainage and street paving, has greatly improved matters. Bahia Blanca is now a modern city in every respect and ranks close to Buenos Aires in commercial importance.