Start free associating on the word ‘Argentina,’ and it’s quickly apparent why the country has...

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ARGENTINA

Transcript of Start free associating on the word ‘Argentina,’ and it’s quickly apparent why the country has...

ARGENTINA

Start free associating on the word ‘Argentina,’ and it’s quickly apparent why the country has long held travellers in awe: tango, beef, gauchos, fútbol, Patagonia, the Andes. The classics alone make a formidable wanderlust cocktail.

Patagonia The Andes

FACTS ABOUT ARGENTINA Current President, Cristina Fernández de

Kirchner, was the first woman President to be elected in Argentina.

Argentina is the 30th largest country in the world by population, with just over 40 million people.

Argentina is divided into 23 provinces. The official currency of Argentina is the

peso. Average life expectancy in Argentina is

76 years.

The official language of Argentina is Spanish, although many people speak Italian and German. Some indigenous populations still speak their native languages.

Pato is the official national sport of Argentina. It is a combination of polo and basketball.

Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Argentina.

A major export of Argentina is wine.

The Teatro Colón, located in Buenos Aires (the capital and largest city of Argentina), is one of the great opera houses in the world.

Argentina produces a lot of honey, soybeans, sunflower seeds, maize and wheat.

The hottest and coldest temperatures ever recorded in South America have occurred in Argentina.

CITY LIFE –BUENOS AIRES Sites to see: Argentina's presidencial palace:

the Plaza de Mayo San Telmo, birthplace of the tango,

even as the area modernizes itself. Cobblestone streets, shops brimming with antiques, and a lively Sunday flea market

The Plaza de Mayo Sel Telmo

CORDOBA Paseo del Buen Pastor is a cultural

center/performance space, which was built in 1901 as a combined chapel/monastery/women’s prison. Now shows young artists and has cafes

USHUAIA Home to 57,000 residents, Ushuaia,

Argentina is the southernmost city in the world. Despite its unique geographical positioning, Ushuaia is not subjected to extreme weather conditions.

NATURAL WONDERS While Argentina’s big cities have a lot of

urban pleasures to offer, their real purpose is to get travellers into the country’s greatest attraction: the natural world.

Examples: Iguazú Falls in the subtropical north Perito Moreno Glacier in the south Andes’ highest peaks, several of which top

6000m near Mendoza and San Juan. massive ice fields and arid steppes in

Patagoniacool lichen-clad Valdivian forests

IGUAZÚ FALLS

PERITO MORENO GLACIER

PATAGONIA

ARGENTINE CULTURE Tango is possibly Argentina’s greatest

contribution to the outside world, a steamy dance that’s been described as ‘making love in the vertical position.’

In Buenos Aires especially, you’ll find endless venues for perfecting your tango moves, from dance salons to milongas (dance events) to atmospheric cafes.

TANGO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbPZ

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Satisfying that carnal craving for juicy steaks isn’t hard to do in the land that has perfected grilling those wonderfully flavourful sides of beef.

Parrillas (steak houses) are on practically every corner and will offer up any cut you can imagine.

Add an exhilarating passion for fútbol – Argentines are truly devoted to this sport and experiencing a live match should be on your itinerary – and you have a rich edgy culture, part Latin American and part European, that you can’t help but fall in love with.