Travel Argentina

Location

Argentina is located in the Southern end of South America.  It is the second largest country in South America, and the eighth in the world.  It covers an area of land surface of 2,791,810 square km., with the Falklands, and other islands of the South Atlantic Ocean; and a portion of Antarctica.  
Together with Antarctica, the total area covered by the country is 3,761,274 square Km.  It is 3,800 km. from North to South, and 1,425 km. from East to West.  It is bounded by Bolivia and Paraguay on the North, by Brazil, Uruguay, and the Atlantic Ocean in the East, and by Chile in the West and South.

Orography

To the West of the country are the Andes, the great mountain chain of South America.  In it we can find the Aconcagua (6,959 m.) the highest in the world after the peaks of the Himalayas.  The highest peaks after that are: Pissis (6,882 m.), Ojos del Salado (6,879 m), Bonete Chico (6759 m), and Llullaillaco (6,739 m).
To the East of the Andes, there are several mountain groups, such as the Eastern mountain chain, and the Subandinas Hills, to the North, the Pampeanas Hills, to the North and Center, from the Aconquija to the Hills of Córdoba and San Luis, and hilly systems in the province of Buenos Aires, such as Tandilia and Ventania.
Save for the groups of mountains parallel to the Andes, that we mentioned before, the center and East of Argentina formed by a big plain with soft windings.

Climate

Argentina has a great variety of climates: warm and humid in the pampeana plain, cold and humid in the west of the Patagonia, subtropical in the northern part of the Mesopotamia and hot in the North West.  From November to March the average temperature is 23ºC, and from June to September, 12ºC.

Population

Argentina is not a densely populated country, with 36,223,947 inhabitants (according to a census carried out in 2001), mainly located in the urban centers.
Unlike the rest of most of Latin America, 97% of its population is white, 85% of which are descendents from Europeans (mainly Italians and Spanish).  Argentina has very few half-breed (people of a mixed origin European or Indian), only 4,5% of the population; and the pure Indian population (mapuches, collas, tobas, matacos, chiriguanos, and so on) amounts to only 0.5% o the population.  
Around half of the population lives in Buenos Aires.  Eighty-eight per cent of the population lives in the cities, while the remaining 22% lives in the country.
The density of the population is of  9.63 inhabitants per square km. with an annual growth of 1.5%.

Language

Spanish is the official language, and it is spoken all throughout the country.
English, French, and Italian are well spread languages, especially in some areas of the country.

Culture

The cultural roots of the people are mainly European, and that is evidenced in the architecture, music, literature, and life style.
The cultural activity is intense in the main cities, and it is shown in the festivities, fairs, shows, cinemas, theaters, recitals, and concerts.
The Colón Theater, which is amongst the three best opera houses in the world, outstands by its architecture, and it has a perfect acoustic.  The most important names of the world of classical music, ballet, and opera meet there.
The characteristic music of the city of Buenos Aires is the world wide known Tango. The folk music has several different rhythms, and styles, according to the different regions of the country.
The typical Argentine food is the "asado" (charcoal-grilled meat), apart from "empanadas" (a kind of individual pie filled with minced meat, or other fillings), the "tamales", "humita, and "locro".  The Argentine restaurants also called "parrillas" are well known. There you can taste the exquisite Argentine meat.
However, due to the huge amount of immigrants that populated our country, there is a variety of international cuisine: Spanish, French, German, Scandinavian, Greek, English, Swiss, Hungarian, Dutch, Chilean, Mexican, Basque, Arabian, Jewish, Russian, Ukrainian, Chinese, Japanese, and Thai.
In every shopping mal there are fast food restaurants.
The characteristic beverage of our country is "mate" (infusion; a kind of tea).

Religion

The official religion is the Roman Catholic, but there is a total religious freedom.  In fact, there are protestants, Jews, Muslims, and Greek and Russian orthodox Catholics, although to a lesser extent. The percentages of the distribution are as follows:

ROMAN CATHOLIC: 93 %
PROTESTANT: 2,5 %
JEW: 2 %
OTHER RELIGIONS: 2,5 %

Currency

The Argentinean peso is the official currency.  
There are 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 pesos bills.  One peso equals to 100 cents.
There are 1 peso, 50, 25, 10, 5, and 1 cent coins.

Incoming Requirements

Foreign tourists from bordering countries only need an identification to enter the country. Tourists from other countries must present their valid passport, with or without a visa, as the case may be. Consult at the nearest embassy or consulate.
Visitors from not bordering countries are free from all encumbrances on travelling items and new items not exceeding the US$ 300, and another US$ 300 in case those items were bought in "free shops" within the national territory.  The longest permanence time for tourists is 90 days.
No vaccination certificate is required to enter the country, save for vaccinations against cholera and yellow fever to those passengers coming from countries where those illnesses are endemic.

How to get here

All the airlines flying to Argentina arrive at International Airport Ministro Pistarini (Ezeiza), located 35 km. away from the city of Buenos Aires, the Federal Capital of the country; and the highway Lieutenant General Ricchieri, leads to the city.

When to travel

Remember that in the Southern hemisphere, seasons are inverse to the Northern hemisphere.  In general, summer, with mild temperatures and long days is the best season to visit Patagonia, and the Southern Andes.  In winter it is better to travel around the North and North West, since there is less rain, and the tropical temperatures go down a bit.  The Fall and Spring are perfect to visit BuenosAires and the areas near the mountains in La Rioja and Catamarca.

Plane

Due to the huge dimensions of the country, the plane is the most suitable means of transport for long distances, changing then, to land services, such as buses or trains. Get "Visite Argentina" or "Discover Argentina" in your country, which enable you to travel around the country in an economical way.  The domestic flights are covered by Aerolíneas Argentinas, Austral, LAN Argentina y LADE. Domestic flights to Uruguay depart from Jorge Newbery Airport, located to the North of the city, right by the River Plate, just a few minutes from downtown.

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Times of the domestic flights from Buenos Aires

Puerto Iguazú: 1 h 45 min
Posadas: 1 h 30 min
San Salvador de Jujuy: 2 h 10 min
San Miguel de Tucumán: 1 h 50 min
Salta: 2 hs.
Córdoba: 1 h 15 min
Mendoza: 1 h 50 min
San Carlos de Bariloche: 2 h 20 min
Trelew: 2 hs.
Mar del Plata: 1 h 10 min
Río Gallegos: 2 h 55 min
Ushuaia: 3 h 20 min
El Calafate: 3 h 15 min
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