Location, area and frontiers
Located in South America, and thus, in the southern hemisphere, Argentina has an area of almost 1,467 million square miles (3,8 million square kilometers), 1,081 million square miles/2,8 million square kilometers on the continent – approximately 54% are plains (grasslands and savannahs), 23%, plateaus, and the other 23%, mountains - and the remainder in the Antarctic. It is 2,361 Miles (3,800 Km) long and is located between latitude 22º and 55º. Its border with Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Chile has a perimeter of 5,825 miles (9,376 Km) while the territory bordered by the Atlantic Ocean is 2,935 Miles/4,725 Km long.

When to Travel
Remember that in the southern hemisphere seasons are the opposite to those in the northern hemisphere. In general, the summer is the best time to visit Patagonia and the Southern Andes because of the mild temperatures and long days. Wintertime is recommended for travelling to the North and Northwest as rains are less frequent and tropical temperatures drop a few degrees. Autumn and spring are marvelous in Buenos Aires, Cuyo and the pre-mountain range areas of La Rioja and Catamarca..

Getting Around By Plane
Domestic flights schedule from Buenos Aires to:

Puerto Iguazu > 1 hr 45 mins
Posadas > 1 hr 30 mins
San Salvador de Jujuy > 2 hrs 10 mins
San Miguel de Tucumán > 1 hr 50 mins
Salta > 2 hrs
Córdoba > 1 hr 15 mins
Mendoza > 1 hr 50 mins
San Carlos de Bariloche >2 hrs 20 mins
Trelew > 2 hrs
Mar del Plata > 1 hr 10 mins
Río Gallegos > 2 hrs 55 mins
Ushuaia > 3 hrs 20 mins
El Calafate > 3 hrs 15 mins

Language
Spanish is the official language of the Argentine Republic. In Buenos Aires, some “lunfardo” expressions -city slang - are used.

Religion
There is complete religious freedom in Argentina, although the official religion is Roman Catholic. Other religions practiced in the country are Protestant, Jewish, Moslem, Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox and others.

Currency
The official Argentine currency is the Peso. There are bills of 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 pesos, and coins of 1 peso and 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 cents.

Shopping

VAT return
At the airport you may obtain a VAT reimbursement corresponding to any purchases made within the country for an amount over $70 (per invoice) and in shops operating with the “Global Refund” system.

Payment methods
Although US Dollars are generally taken everywhere, foreign currencies can be exchanged in banks and authorized bureaus. American Express, VISA, Diners and Master Card are widely accepted. There may be difficulties in changing traveler's check outside Buenos Aires.

Opening hours
Banks and Exchange Bureaus: Mondays to Fridays from 10.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m.
Business Offices: generally from 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. and from 2.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m.
Stores: in the big cities from 9.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m., although in the outskirts and the provinces they generally close at midday. Saturdays, from 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m.
Cafés, cake shops and pizzerias: open most of the time except between 2.00 and 6.00 a.m.
Restaurants: lunch is served as from 12.30 p.m. and dinner as from 8.30 hours. Fast-food menus are served in many restaurants at all times.

Tips
10% of the amount of the check is usually left in cafeterias and restaurants. Doormen, porters, and ushers in cinemas and theatres are also generally tipped

General Information

Documents and formalities
Valid passport with or without visa depending on your nationality. Inquire at the closest Embassy or Consulate. Visitors coming from countries not bordering Argentina are exempt from all taxes on travelling articles and new articles up to US$ 300 and an additional US$ 300, if purchased at duty free shops within the national territory.
No vaccination certificate is required to enter the country, except for passengers coming from countries where cholera and yellow fever are endemic.

Telephone
Pay phones work with cards that may be purchased in kiosks and telephone companies’ offices, or with legal tender coins. There are also stores with pay phones (open 24 hours a day) where you can pay in cash.
Calling to Argentina from abroad, dial the country code (54) and then the area code of the place you want to call. For domestic calls, dial 0 before the area code. For international calls, dial 00, the country code and city code.
Note that tariffs are reduced from 10.00 p.m. to 8.00 a.m.

Constitution and Government
Argentina consists of 23 provinces plus a federal district, the City Buenos Aires. The Argentine Constitution establishes a Republic under a representative and federal system, and three separate branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial.
The executive branch is exercised by the President and Vice-president of the Nation, elected for a 4-year term, and who may be reelected for a single additional term. The legislative branch is bicameral: the Senate (composed of three senators from each province and from the City of Buenos Aires) and the House of Representatives (composed of representatives elected directly and in proportion to each district’s population). The judicial branch “is vested in the Supreme Court and lower courts of justice”.

Each province has adopted its own Constitution in accordance with the National Constitution, to rule its administration.
The current National Constitution dates from 1853. Nevertheless, it was amended in 1860, 1898, 1957 and 1994. The last amendment made in August 1994, allows the President’s reelection for an additional term.

Two historic dates
May 25, 1810. The first "Gobierno Patrio" or National Government Assembly was constituted.
July 9, 1816. Proclamation of Independence by the “Provincias Unidas del Río de la Plata”.

National emblems
The Argentine flag has three horizontal stripes: the one in the middle is white and bears the golden sun, and the two outside stripes are light blue. The national flower is the ceibo, and the national stone is the manganese spar (rodocrosita) or "Inca Rose".
Holidays

Argentine national holidays:
January 1st > New Year
March/April * > Easter - Good Friday
April 2 ** > Veterans’ Day and tribute to the fallen in the Malvinas War
May 1st > Labor Day
May 25 > Anniversary of the First Independent Argentine Government
June 20 *** > National Flag Day
July 9 > National Independence Day
August 17 *** > Anniversary of the death of General José de San Martín
October 12 ** > Columbus Day
December 8 > Immaculate Conception Day
December 25 > Christmas Day

* Floating Holiday.
** If the date falls on a Tuesday or Wednesday, the holiday will be effective on the preceding Monday; if it falls on Thursday or Friday, the holiday will be effective the following Monday.
*** Holiday effective the third Monday of the month.

The Northeast
This is a region of large rivers, humid tropics, red earth, magnificent forest, a virgin forest full of huge trees and extraordinary flora and fauna. Great Waters – “Iguazú” in the Guaraní language – overflowing into one of the world’s wonders: the Iguazú Falls.

A scenery of exuberant beauty spreading along the Iguazú National Park, Saltos del Moconá (Moconá Falls), Río Pilcomayo National Park, El Palmar National Park, Esteros del Iberá (Iberá Swamps) or the Chaco plains.

Apotheosis of Nature, where the Jesuit ruins, declared World Heritage by the UNESCO, are a vivid testimony of the Society of Jesus’ fruitful work.

Iguazu Falls
The Iguazú Falls on the border with Brazil are one of the world's natural wonders. Lined with dense forests, the Iguazú river flows into 275 waterfalls, plunging more than 70 meters with a deafening noise. As this huge volume of water reaches the bottom, spray rises, and lots of rainbows are formed in the sky.

An incredible variety of fauna and flora completes the perfect setting for the waterfalls within the protection of the Iguazú National Park.

The Northwestern
Northwestern provinces feature traces of pre-Columbian cultures, mingled with ruins of natives’ villages, as well as forts and constructions dating back to the time of the Conquest and Colonization.

Time seems to stand still in the high plateau of the Puna, a land full of mountain ranges, steep mountain paths, and gorges. Villages have been built in the small valleys. Multi-coloured and monochromatic hills covered with huge cactuses on the slopes surround the village.

This region offers landscapes full of contrast for tourists to enjoy, from the high peaks to the plains, the salt pans, and the subtropical rain forests, where Latin American culture took root.

Quebrada de Humahuaca
Departing from San Salvador de Jujuy, we reach this natural road leading to the altiplano (high plateau). Colourful hills frame villages of whitewashed adobe houses and historical chapels, such as Purmamarca, Maimará, Tilcara and Humahuaca (126 Km), and the Pre-Hispanic ruins of Pucará de Tilcara.

The Central Region
The Pampas plains are amongst the richest areas in Argentina. They have the magic of wide-open spaces with an unlimited horizon, and they are the land of the gauchos, traditional Argentine country men.

The estancias (ranches) in the Argentine Pampas are remarkable because of their varied architecture. They were built in widely differing styles such as colonial Hispanic-American, English Tudor, and classic French. Many of them have been transformed into tourist accommodations.

Towards the Northwest of these plains are the Sierras of Córdoba. The highest peak, Mount Champaquí, towers some 2,790 meters above its surroundings. Its fertile valleys contrast with deserts and salt pans, a particularly appealing landscape. Towards the North, scattered chapels and “estancias” begin to appear. These constructions date back to the 17th and 18th centuries, and many of them are a Jesuit legacy.

The Pampas
Does the term Pampa refer to the Indian tribe which used to live in these never-ending prairies, or did men make use of the name which identified the land? Opinions are divided between the two hypotheses, and there are others who state that Pampa means "flat land" in the Quéchua language. And thus, visitors will see the flat and level Pampas for hours or even days while looking at vast cultivated areas and sleepy towns which still preserve 19th century brick mansions.

For many people, gaucho means orphan since they come from two civilizations (the European and the Indian). Possibly the first gauchos were people who broke their ties with the past and chose the loneliness of the great Pampa, where there was water and grass for the cows introduced by the European colonists to graze.

Only an hour away from Buenos Aires, visitors will be able to learn about the typical tasks in the Argentinean countryside, the life of the gaucho and his incredible skill with the "boleadoras" (three stones tied together with a rope which, when thrown, tangle with the legs of the cows and prevent them from escaping), the knife, the lasso, and the use of the correct techniques for salting the best meat in the world.

Dressed with baggy knee-length trousers, a sombrero or beret, a handkerchief round the neck, spurs, and a sharp knife hanging from his belt (which is changed for a silver-coin belt for festivities), the Gaucho skillfully rides through the endless prairies. In the evening, by the light of a campfire and with a delicious roast , the Gauchos like singing their songs.

Cuyo
Cuyo is “desert country” in the Indian language - is the region of the high peaks, the snow-covered volcanoes, and the large wilderness spreading from the Andes mountain range and foothills to the steppe.

The visit to Ischigualasto - Talampaya Natural Parks, is a true journey to the dinosaurs era. Ischigualasto, also known as “Valle de la Luna” (Moon Valley) because of the amazing diversity of forms and colours of its landscape shaped by erosion, is one of the world’s most important paleontologic sites. The Talampaya River Canyon reveals amazing multi-shaped layers in its high red walls.

Pink flamingos, Andean ducks, “vicuñas” and “guanacos” cohabit freely in parks and natural reserves, while condors fly over the area.

The region displays the full splendour of the Central Andean Range. The Aconcagua (6.959 m) is the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere, and its steep slopes are renown and respected by mountain climbers from all over the world.

In the valleys of La Rioja, Mendoza and San Juan, among leaves of grapevines, farms and wineries, visitors can go along the Wine Road, an attraction of international renown.

Patagonia
The Andes mountain range shows its beauty in the Patagonian provinces. Millennial silent forests with native vegetable species are extended along the shores of glistening waters. On top of the mountains, nature overflows with granite peaks and ice fields spreading their glacier tongues into lakes of unsurpassable beauty.

Imposing mammals and sea birds, half-way between real life and fantasy, spend certain seasons on the rough coasts of Patagonia where they complete part of their life cycle. Seals colonies play on the islets and sandbanks. The world’s most important southern elephant seal continental colony is located in Peninsula Valdés. Every year, southern right whales come to Nuevo and San José gulfs to breed. Patagonian hares, “ñandúes” (South American ostrich) and “guanacos” run about the steppes, and the largest colony of Magellanic penguins in the world is located in Punta Tombo. This life cycle repeated since time immemorial, unfolds itself in front of the astonished visitors’ eyes.

In the south, Tierra del Fuego and the World’s southernmost city, Ushuaia, are the gateway towards the vast and mysterious Antarctica.

Perito Moreno Glacier
Something you cannot miss during your visit in Argentina is the Perito Moreno glacier, which, together with other twelve glaciers, makes up the biggest sliding masses of ice and snow of Los Glaciares National Park. This 4-Km-wide glacier, which is 60 meters above Lake Argentino, is balanced. Throughout the year, 60-meter-high ice towers detach from the glacier and plunge into the water as small icebergs. Perito Moreno glacier can be reached from El Calafate. Sailing across Lake Argentino, among white and blue icebergs, you can see 60-Km-long Upsala glacier. Onelli and Agassiz glaciers can be admired after walking 1,5 Km from Onelli bay