Argentina Info & Map

I really wanted to travel to Argentina and try to get down as far as Patagonia. A friend of mine told me about a place in the mountains where you could learn to ski for pennies and of course there are whale watching programs on the south east coast to enjoy. The plan was to travel back from Buenos Aries but in the end I got sidetracked and emded up in bangor. I will go back one day I am sure !

Currency
The Argentine currency is the Argentinean peso. The Argentinean peso is printed in bills of 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100; and in coins of 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 cents and 1 peso. I was told not to worry there are cash machines everywhere.

Argentina is situated in the southeast of South America. Its limits are in the north with Bolivia and Paraguay; and with Brazil and Uruguay in the east; to the west and part of the south with Chile, and the south and part of the east with the Atlantic Ocean.

Argentina occupies a continental surface of 2.791.810 square kilometers, with an extension of 3.800 km from the north to the south and 1.425 km from east to west.

Its population is 37 million habitants, 11 of which are concentrated in Buenos Aires. The majority of the  Argentine population have European origin, principally Italian and Spanish, with an indigenous minority that represents only 0.5% of the population.

Politically , Argentina is a federal republic, divided in 23 provinces and a federal district, that corresponds to the Federal Capital or the center of Buenos Aries. This system recognizes three governments; executive (practiced by the president of the republic), Legislative (Congress of the nation) and Judicial (supreme court justice).

The official language in Argentina is Spanish , in which they speak with a different accent than the majority of the Latin-American countries. In where the pronoun "tu" (you) is replaced with "vos". In some areas of Argentina they also speak guaraní and some other particular indigenous dialects. Although the general public does not speak English, people dominate the language in the hotels and tourist companies.

Viedma Glacier.

I would have loved to get as far as the mountains & visit teh glaciers. There are lots of holiday & tour groups that do trips, treks etc to the glaciers. V cool !!

You can reach the Viedma Glacier after 40 minutes of sailing from the dock located at the Hostería. From the Zodiac that carries the passengers you will be able to observe the compressed ice that originated the icebergs. Upon disembarking on firm ground you will have the unique experience of entering the caves that form at the border of the glacier.

Full country name: República Argentina
Area: 2.77 million sq km
Population: 37.81 million
Capital City: Buenos Aires
People: 85% European descent, 15% mestizo , Indian and other minorities
Language: Spanish, Quechua, Guarani, Araucanian
Religion: 93% Roman Catholic, 2.5% Protestant, 2% Jewish, 1.5% Ukranian Catholic, 1% Armenian Orthodox
Government: republic
Head of State: President Néstor Kirchner

(see more info & facts on the lonely planet website!)

Visit Argentina Go Latin website for info on all sorts of places to travel to & see.

http://argentina.gotolatin.com/eng/Attr/Attractions.asp