ARGENTINA FACTS...
Argentina (Argentina Republic) is the 2nd. largest country in South America after Brazil.
A federation composed by 23 provinces and an autonomous city: Buenos Aires, its capital.
Located in Southern South America, share borders with Chile (5,308 km) to the West, Brazil (1,201 km) and Uruguay (580 Km) to the East, and Bolivia (832 km) and Paraguay to the North.
Total territorial area: 2,706,890 square km (1,068,303 square miles), with 4,665 km of coastline.
Main cities include Buenos Aires,Cordoba, Rosario, Mendoza and La Plata.
Portrait of a young child wih the Argentinian flag painted - © Duncan Walker / Istockphoto
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Argentina Map
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Its name comes from the Latin word "Argentum" and could be translated as "Land of Silver".
Argentina is a true paradise for the adventure traveller and tourists in general, from Tierra del Fuego (Ushuaia) in the far South, to the majestic Iguazu (Iguassu) falls in the border with Brazil and Paraguay, plus everything in between.
Visit Argentina Attractions for a quick glance at Argentina tourist destinations.
A land of extremes, Argentina boasts the highest literacy rate in South America, the highest point in the Southern Hemisphere - Mount Aconcagua (6,962 m.) - in Mendoza porvince and the lowest point - Laguna del Carbon (-105 meters) - in Santa Cruz province.
If coming from abroad you are most likely to land at Aeropuerto Internacional Ministro Pistarini, about 45 minutes drive from downtown Buenos Aires.
Visit Argentina Airports for a complete list.
Argentina Geography:
Argentina can be roughly divided in several geographical areas...
- Cuyo:
The wine region par excellence, particularly in San Juan and Mendoza provinces.
Melting waters from high in the Andes mountains form the backbone of irrigated lowland oasis. San Juan province is home to the magnificent Valley of the Moon (Ischigualasto).
Further North the region gets hotter and drier with more geographical accidents in La Rioja Province.
Don't miss Talampaya National Park, about 200km from La Rioja city. - Gran chaco:
The Gran Chaco region in the North of the country covers the provinces of Chaco and Formosa. Dotted with sub-tropical forest, scrubland and some wetlands. - Northwest:
An area of high peaks and fertile valleys, such as the Calchaquies valley in Salta Province. Salta is well known for its wines and tren de las nubes (train of the clouds). - Mesopotamia:
It runs between Parana and Uruguay rivers embracing Entre Rios, Corrientes and Misiones provinces. This area attracts many fishing entusiasts from all over the world. Corrientes features the amazing Ibera wetlands (Esteros del Ibera) as main tourist destination. Misiones has the superbIguazu falls. - Pampas:
In the central-eastern part of Argentina, including the provinces of Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, La Pampa and part of Cordoba. Formed by vast expanses of plains and pastures, agriculture and cattle grazing are the region's most important activities.
Its further subdivided in humid pampas and dry pampas.
Read more about it in the gaucho page. - Patagonia:
Covering Neuquen, Rio Negro, Chubut and Santa Cruz provinces. Mostly semiarid, the Patagonia steppe gets arid to the South.
The imposing Perito Moreno glacier and Mount Fitz Roy in Glaciers National Park it's a worldwide famous tourist mecca.
To the West, by the Andes mountains, forests grow in opulence and many lakes are found throughout. It's called the great lakes area, with Nahuel Huapi National Park at its epicenter.
Major rivers include Pilcomayo, Paraguay, Bermejo, Rio Negro, Colorado, Uruguay and Parana (longest river: 4,700km). The later two converge before reaching the Atlantic ocean, forming the estuary of Rio de la Plata.
Argentina Facts:
- Capital:
Buenos Aires (Ciudad Autónoma with 13,349,000 inhabitants) - Climate:
From tropical climates in the North to tundra in the far South. Practically every climate imaginable can be found in some part of the country - Currency:
Argentine Peso (ARS). 1.00 USD=3.72850 ARS (May 2009) - Electricity:
220v, 50Hz. Bring an European-style adapter and a transformer if you plan to use any small appliance - Language:
Spanish, but also Italian, English, French and German - Religion:
Roman Catholic (92%), Protestant (2%), Jewish (2%), other (2%) - Population:
40,913,584 (July 2009 estimate). Ethnic groups are composed by white (97%) mestizo (3%) - Time zone:
GMT-3
Tango, mate and soccer are the biggest Argentinian passions, to a lesser extent, rugby and polo.
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