Salta is a city located in the Lerma Valley, at 1,152 meters (3780 feet) above sea level in the north west part of Argentina and it is also the capital city of the Salta Province. Along with its metropolitan area, it has a population of 535,303 inhabitants according to the 2010 census [INDEC], which makes it Argentina's eighth largest city and the second in the northwest. Within Argentina, Salta is the city which has preserved its colonial architecture the best.