A place to enjoy all four seasons and every type of scenery imaginable. Each and every region in this country can offer something different, as Argentina has most of the physical conditions known to man: heat, cold, forest, desert, mountains, endless plains and big cities. Yet, the most remarkable feature in this wide variety of areas is its unspoiled nature, making the country a very attractive touristic destination. Located in the southern extreme of the American continent, Argentina is the eighth largest country in the world and one of the most exquisite, too. The beauty of the jungle of the Northeast gives way to the grassy Pampas (sprawling westward from the city of Buenos Aires) and to the windswept Patagonian desert further south. From the Northwest, the semi-arid area of the Puna, inhabited by llamas and alpacas, turns South into the Patagonian Andes, a land of forests, lakes, and glaciers, narrowing towards Antarctica.

It comes from the Latin “argentum”, that means silver. The origin of this name goes back to the trips of the first Spanish conquerors to El Río de la Plata (The River Plate). The shipwrecked people of Juan Díaz de Solís’s expedition found aborigens who gave them silver objects. Near 1524 they spread the news about this Plate Hill, a mountain full of that precious metal. From that moment on the Portuguese called Solis’s river as “El Río de la Plata”. Two years later, the Spanish also started to use that name. The National Constitution passed in 1853 included the name “The Republic of Argentina” as the official name of the government and territory of his Nation. Situation, extension and limits Placed in South America (therefore in the south hemisphere of the planet), Argentina has an extension of almost 3,8 million Km, 2,8 belong to the continent - with approximately 54 % of plains (meadows and savannah), 23 % of tableland and the other 23 % of hills and mountains. The rest is in the Antarctic sector. Its 3.800 kilometres of surface go from 22º up to 55º Latitude South. Argentina borders on Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Chile on a perimeter of 9.376 kilometres. The Atlantic Ocean side accounts for 4.725 kilometres.

The main characteristic of Argentine geography is the immense contrast offered between its huge oriental plains and the impressive Andes mountain chain in the west, which includes the highest summit of the western hemisphere: the Aconcagua, (6959 meters).

From Jujuy to Tierra del Fuego, the mountain chain shows a wonderful variety of landscape: altiplanes on the northwest (desert, valleys, ravine and coloring hills) and lakes, forests and glaciers of the Patagonia in the south.

Chaco, in the north of the country is a forest area limited by three rivers: Bermejo, Salado and Pilcomayo.

Between the rivers Parana and Uruguay we find the Argentine Mesopotamia (which includes Entre Ríos, Corrientes and Misiones provinces). It is formed by hills, lagoons and swamp that mark the former tracings of those big rivers. In the middle of the subtropical jungle, cliffs look as spectacular as Iguazú Falls. In the center of Argentina, the pampeana region is the most extensive and famous plain. We find strong agricultural and cattle development, in Buenos Aires, in the north-east of La Pampa and south of Cordoba and Santa Fe. The area is located between Tandil and La Ventana hills on the south, and Cordoba hills in the west. Towards the south, from the Andes to the sea, the sterile and stony Patagonian plateaus go down affected by the wind most time of the year. The Atlantic littoral bordered by high cliffs, creates amazing figures, as Peninsula Valdés, with its spectacular state-run of marine animals.  

Argentina has a great weather variety: mild and humid in the pampeana plain, cold and humid in the extreme west of the Patagonia, subtropical in the north Mesopotamia and hot in the Northwest. From November until March, the average temperature is 23ºC and, from June to September, 12ºC. In June the temperature goes from 18°C to 9°C.

Nowadays, Argentina has a population of over 40 million inhabitants. The majority of the population is Spanish and Italian descendants. But there are also French, Swiss, Polish, Jewish, Armenian, German and British communities. With the massive European immigration, native blood was diluted to a point that the pure aborigine population (Mapuches, Collas, Tobas, Matacos and Chiriguanos) represents nowadays 0.5% of the country’s total inhabitants

The official religion is Roman Catholic Apostolic, though there is total freedom of worship. Besides Protestantism, Judaism, Islamism, orthodox Greek religion, the orthodox Russian one and others are practiced as well.

The official language of Argentina is Spanish.

All countries in the world are accepted to enter Argentina. No delegates will be denied a visa to enter our country and the entry formality is only the current passport with or without Visa, depending on the passenger nationality. No vaccination certificate is required, except for passengers coming from countries where cholera and yellow fever are endemic. A number of subte stations have free WiFi access.