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Living in Argentina

Cultural Aspects

In Buenos Aires, there are over 100 cinemas and 90 theaters that feature a plentiful entertainment offer. The Capital of Argentina is also famous for the featuring of shows and artists from all over the world. You will also find, among others, cultural centers such as the Borges, Recoleta or San Martin. The Colon Theater is one of the top three opera houses in the world. For more information about classical music offer see “Argentine Classical Music” and “Argentine Mozarteum”

The Tango is a dance discipline and a music style that is internationally spread and linked to Argentina and Uruguay but mostly with Buenos Aires. The standout composers, among others, were Carlos Gardel and Astor Piazzolla. More information in the Tango Site

The Argentine Folklore gathers the artistic expressions from the rest of the country. In each province, the musical style is different (zambas, chacareras, malambo). Atahualpa Yupanqui and Mercedes Sosa are a couple of the most important representatives of this gendre

The Argentine Rock has had a wide development since the 60’s with important exponents like Alberto Spinetta, Charly Garcia, Fito Paez, Gustavo Santaolalla and bands like Seru Giran, Soda Stereo and Redonditos de Ricota

The Argentine Cinema is, historically one of Latin American most developed. The renowned actress Norma Aleandro was the star of the movie “La Historia Oficial” that won an Oscar in 1986 as the best Foreign Language Film. Ricardo Darin is another internationally acclaimed actor. More Argentine movies have been nominated for this award. For more information visit the “Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales” (INCAA) and the “Museo de Cine”.

Food in Argentina

The Argentine cuisine is the result of a combination of the contribution of the European platters from the different immigration trends, seasoned and combined with our native food. The Spanish and Italian dishes are a big part of the daily diet of the Argentineans. The argentine food is mostly known for its beef and wine. The typical Argentne meal is the “Asado” (charcoal-grilled beef), also the empanadas (baked turnover stuffed with beef and other ingredients) , “tamales”, “humitas”, the “carbonada” and “locro”. As far as disserts go, we’d like to highlight the “dulce de leche”, the “arrope”, burned yolk, the goat cheese with cane honey and a delicious variety of regional jams. The special drink that Argentina shares with other neighbor countries is an infusion prepared with the leaves of the “yerba mate” (South American plant) called “Mate”. As far as the wines go, Argentina is positioned among the first wine producers globally, together with France, Italy, Spain and the United States. Also, the Argentine wines have an added value because they are considered as one of the healthiest wines in the world.

Clothing

For the everyday activities, the clothing should be casual and comfortable. Keep in mind that during the winter season it can get cold for a few days and the summer is long and quite hot. Also you should think about rain gear, especially during fall and spring. If you plan on practicing special sports while being here remember to bring the right clothing, like skiing in Patagonia and Mendoza where you can find all kinds of ski resorts. The national sport is the “Pato” game. This sport started being played in the early XVII century. In 1941 the Argentine federation was founded and in 1953 it was declared national sport. However, the football soccer is the most popular of all sports among the Argentineans. The Argentinean Football Team, is a member of the FIFA competed in thirteen World Cup finals, winning two titles in 1978 and 1986; thus the Argentine team won the 2004 Olimpic gold medal in Athens and 14 American Cup Tournaments. The basketball has a rich history in this country: Argentina was world champion in 1950. In 1984 with the creation of the National League, the basketball gained popularity. The breakthrough of Emanual Ginobili in the NBA and the great performances of the Argentine Basketball Selection contributed to the basketball getting more audience and fans among the Argentineans. In 2002, the Argentine Team coached by Ruben Magnano won the 2002 World Championship in Indianapolis, and two years later the Olympic gold medal in Athens 2004, the most important trophy of the Argentine basketball history. Tennis is also a popular sport in Argentina since the appearance of Guillermo Vilas in the 70s and then consolidated by the success of Gabriela Sabatini in the 80s and 90s. Some contemporary tennis players have achieved outstanding goals as well, such is the case of David Nalbandian who won the Masters 2005, Gaston Gaudio who won the Roland Garros in 2004 in an “Argentine Final” versus Guillermo Coria, and Paola Suarez who obtained the silver medal in the 2004 Olympics for Women doubles. In 2009, Juan Manuel del Potro won the UDS Open and presently holds 4th in the ATP ranking. The female hockey as also obtained important achievements such as the silver medal in the 2000 Olympics, the Champions Trophy in 2001, the 10` World Championship in Perth 2002, and the bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics. The Rugby is amateur and the Argentine Rugby Selection also known as “Los Pumas” is among the ten best rugby teams in the world and it reached the 5th position at the World Championship in 1999.

Extensions and Borders

The Argentine Republic is the second larget country in South America and the eighth largest country in the entire planet. The total surface area is 2.791.810 km², still claiming for the corresponding sovereignty over the Islas del Atlantico Sur (Falkland Islands), taken over by the UK and the Antarctic territory known as Antartida Argentina. Argentina borders at with Bolivia and Paraguay, northeast with Brasi, east with Uruguay and south and southwest with.

Geography

The main feature of the argentine relief is the huge contrast between the vast plains in the eastern and the impressive Andes mountain chain in the west side, where the highest point above the sea level of the occidental hemisphere is located: The Aconcagua, of 6.959 meters of height. Throughout its length from Jujuy to Tierra del Fuego, the Andes shows wonderful various landscapes: from the high plains of the northwest, desert with valleys, canyons and colorful hills to the lakes, forests and glaciers in Patagonia. The snow in San Carlos de Bariloche, the beaches on the Atlantic Coast, the Iguazu falls, the glacier Perito Moreno, the Cordoba hills, the Humahuaca canyon and the different National Parks are just some of the beauties you can visit when you come to Argentina, a dazzling country.

Climate

Argentina is subject to a variety of climates: mild and humid in the Pampas plains, cold and humid in the western end of the Patagonia, subtropical in the north east towards the falls and warm in the north west. From November through March, the average temperature is 23` C and from June to September is 12` C. Tourism

Tourism

The extensive territory of the Argentine Republic is gifted with great tourist attractions. This industry has had a big boost, in part due to the new currency exchange after the Argentine Peso devaluation in 2002, which favored the arrival of foreign visitors, causing a noticeable recovery of the sector: the revenue for receptive tourist activities ranks third in the chart of foreign currency income. In 2004, the industry represented the 7,2% of the GDP. Foreigners look at Argentina as a zone free of conflicts like wars, terrorism or sanitary crisis. According to official numbers, in 2005 the country received more than 3.700.000 foreign tourists. This represented about 3.100 million dollars in income. For 2006 it is expected to reach 3.500 million dollars and about 4.200.000 foreign visitors will come. Argentine is the second most visited country in South America (after Brazil) and the fifth most visited country in the entire American Continent. The tourists come from Brazil, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, Bolivia, Ecuador, Uruguay, Venezuela and Paraguay and form European countries like Spain, Italy, France, Germany, England and Switzerland. Buenos Aires stands out as the foreigner’s favorite city. They are drawn by a vertiginous, crowded, cosmopolitan city with a wide infrastructure. Among many others, the tango is one of the reasons for visiting not only the capital of Argentina, but also the rest of the country. The nightlife in Buenos Aires surprises the visitors with it’s great amount of cultural activities, restaurants and entertainment. The Iguazu Falls are located in the province of Misiones. In 1984 the UNESCO named them Natural Patrimony of Humanity. The impressive landscape, the various and plentiful wild life and the botanical interest that it encloses, has made this place become one of the most important tourist attractions in the world. In the provinces of Salta and Jujuy, there are the main South American pre-Hispanic ruins, in a great state of preservation, also the Humahuaca Canyon, which was declared Patrimony of Humanity. From these provinces you can easily access through asphalt roads to Chile and Bolivia. The glaciers are one of the main attractions of the Argentine Patagonia. The most famous is the Perito Moreno glacier; its accessibility and typical daily rupture give it a singular charm. It extents above the Brazo Sur del Lago Argentino waters, with a 5 km front and between 60 and 70 meters of height above the lake level. This majestic ice wall covers an area of 230 km2. The continental ice and glacier areas are a national treasure and also were declared Patrimony of Humanity by the UNESCO in 1981. Other important tourist zones are: Mar del Plata and the Atlantic coast of Buenos Aires (specially during summertime); the hills of Cordoba, the snow in Bariloche and the vineyards of Mendoza.

When to Travel

Remember that in the southern hemisphere the seasons are opposite to the northern hemisphere. In general, the summer, with warm temperatures and long days, is the most favorable season for Patagonia and the Andes. During winter, it is recommendable to visit the north and northeast, since the rains are less frequent and the tropical temperatures descend a few degrees. Autumn and spring are magnificent in Buenos Aires, Cuyo and the pre-mountain areas of La Rioja and Catamarca.

Population

The population of Argentina is estimated to be a little over 35 million people, from which almost half of them reside in the Capital Federal and Province of Buenos Aires. These numbers indicate a density of 13 inhabitants per Km2. With the arrival of the European immigration, the mixed race –mix of Caucasian and Native American- started diluting little by little and nowadays it reaches only the 4.5% of the Argentine population. The pure Native American race such as mapuches, collas, tobas, matacos and chiriguanos, among others, represent 0.5% of the total population.