Wednesday 3 August 2011

Argentina - Did you know?

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.
  • 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.

Facts about Argentina:

Here're some quick facts about Argentina...
  • 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. Visit weather in Argentina for more info.
  • 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. attract a considerable crowd as well.

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