The city is located in Malvinas Argentinas Partido (county), and its population was 41,390 inhabitants as of the 2001 Census.

Part of a vast estancia in colonial times owned by Alonso de Escobar, the land was bought in 1925 by the Blas País family when the Córdoba Central Railway was built though the area in 1925.

Despite being located near the northwest end of the Greater Buenos Aires metro area, Tortuguitas benefited from direct access to the city via Route 8, which was converted into a freeway in the 1980s.

The 88 hectares (220 acres) Tortuguitas Industrial Park, formally designated in 1999, includes the local affiliates of BASF, GE Plastics, and Unilever, as well as Molinos Río de la Plata's Lucchetti pasta plant.

The contiguous El Triángulo District includes among others the SKF Argentina plant (1972) and the Tortugas Open Mall (2010).