Sunchales is located in the most fertile part of Argentina, at the core of the Humid Pampa, and within the so-called "central milk basin", which manufactures most of the country's production of dairy and exports it through the ports on the Paraná River (mainly Rosario and San Lorenzo).

It is named the Provincial Capital of Cooperativism, and holds important celebrations of the International Day of Cooperatives during the first week of July.

Sunchales is also the seat of the National Festival of Children's Soccer in October, and celebrates the feast of its patron saint, Charles Borromeo, on November 4.

A fort was established in the site of Sunchales on 11 April 1796 to prevent attacks by aboriginal tribes and guard the road used to carry mercury from Buenos Aires to be at the mines in present-day Peru.

A few years later, sponsored by governor Mariano Cabal, a group of immigrants (Italian, French, Swiss, German, Spanish, British and Belgian) came into the area, but bad harvests, food shortages and native attacks caused the settlement to fail once again.