DESCRIPTION
Located in the southeastern part of South America, Argentina is the 2nd largest country in South America and the 8th largest in the world. Argentina is also home of the highest and lowest points in all of America. The Cerro Aconcagua is the tallest mountain in the Americas as well as outside of Asia at over 6,960 meters and the Salinas Chicas is the lowest point in the Americas at 40 meters below sea level. A few of the largest cities in Argentina are: Cordoba, La Plata, San Miguel de Tucuman, Rosario, Mendoza, San Juan- the center of quality wine production, and finally Buenos Aires, which is the capital. Just fewer than 40 million people called this large country, Argentina, home as of July 2006. A few of the most popular tourist destinations are the amazing Iguazu Falls, the Nahuel Huapi National Park, and the Perito Moreno Glacier, which is a “must see” when visiting Argentina. Skiing is very popular in the Andes as well as visiting the wonderful wine regions of Mendoza and Salta. The national language in Argentina is Spanish. The climate varies throughout Argentina depending on where you’re located; for instance, in Buenos Aires and the Pampas it is cold in the winter, and hot and humid in the summer. The deserts of Cuyo are extremely hot and dry in the summer and moderately cold and dry in the winter. The region of Patagonia and the Andes Mountains are both cool in the summer and cold in the winter. DON’T FORGET that the seasons are reversed from those of the Northern Hemisphere.