The city of 684 km2 (264 sq mi), located 500 m (1,640 ft) above sea level, has 159,000 inhabitants (2010 census [INDEC]), with more than 200,000 counting the suburbia, which represents around 70% of the population of the province.

San Fernando del Valle is served by Coronel Felipe Varela International Airport (CTC/SANC), with flights to Buenos Aires-AEP.

The city, which had only 8,000 inhabitants in 1882 and was reached by a railway line in 1888, grew very slowly, and the region remained poor even in the middle of the 20th century.

Agriculture is San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca's chief economic activity; however, low rainfall makes irrigation necessary.

The most successful football clubs in Catamarca are San Lorenzo de Alem, Atlético Policial, Sarmiento, and Villa Cubas.