Country Info: Argentina

Know Argentina

Visiting or living another country is often an unforgettable experience. It is always helpful to know something about the country, its people, amenities, services, culture, etc. before you settle in.

Argentina is the second largest country in South America and the eighth largest country in the world. It occupies a continental surface area of 2,791,810 km2 (1,078,000 sq. mi) and is located between the Andes mountain range in the west and the southern Atlantic Ocean in the east and south. It is bordered by Paraguay and Bolivia in the north, Brazil and Uruguay in the northeast, and Chile in the west and south.

About 2.7 million people live in the autonomous city of Buenos Aires (capital), and roughly 11.5 million in Greater Buenos Aires, making it one of the largest urban conglomerates in the world. The country is usually divided in 6 different regions and 23 provinces:

1. Argentine Northwest: Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán, Catamarca, La Rioja
2. Gran Chaco: Formosa, Chaco, Santiago del Estero
3. Mesopotamia: Misiones, Entre Ríos, Corrientes
4. Cuyo: San Juan, Mendoza, San Luis
5. The Pampas: Córdoba, Santa Fe, La Pampa, Buenos Aires
6. Patagonia: Rio Negro, Neuquén, Chubut, Santa Cruz, Tierra del Fuego, Argentine Antarctica*

Argentina is nearly 3,700 km long from north to south, and 1,400 km from east to west. It can roughly be divided into three geographical regions: (1) the fertile plains of the Pampas in the central part of the country, the center of the Argentina’s agricultural wealth; the flat to the rolling plateau of Patagonia in the southern half down to Tierra del Fuego; and the rugged Andes mountain range. The northern part of Argentina provinces such as Salta, Jujuy and Tucuman border Bolivia and Chile, while the Litoral has  one of the most important rivers in Latin America running through it. Argentina enjoys all types of geographies, from the Waterfalls of Misiones to the desert of Cuyo.

The plains west and south from Buenos Aires are among the most fertile in the world.

Entry Requirements - Visas Overview

No tourist visa required for stays of up to 30 days.
Hong Kong (British Nationals Overseas), Jamaica and Malaysia;

No tourist visa required for stays of up to 90 days.
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay;

No tourist visa required for stays of up to 90 days.
Andorra, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, European Union, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Israel, Liechtenstein, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, Uruguay, United States of America, Vatican City, Venezuela and Serbia & Montenegro;

Nationals of countries not appearing above may require a visa to enter Argentina for any length of time. Transit passengers holding confirmed onward or return tickets for travel provided continuing their journey within 6 hours and not leaving the airport. Note: Visa exemptions mentioned above are for tourist and business purposes only. However, business travellers are advised to contact the Argentinean Consulate before departure.

Economy

Argentina benefits from rich natural resources, a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. The Argentine society is known for having a large middle class compared to most other Latin-American countries and a solid high class

Argentina is still the most developed country in Latin America. It boasts the highest GDP per capita, the highest levels of education measured by university attendance, and a reasonable infrastructure that in many aspects is equal in quality to that found in fully industrialized nations. Telecommunications are particularly strong, with an important penetration of mobile telephony, Internet and wideband services. The economy grew 8.9 percent in 2003, 9.0 percent in 2004, and 9.2 percent in 2005; the floor was set at 7 percent for 2006.

Thanks to Argentina’s new economic reality, tourism has flourished greatly. Tourists come from all over the world to visit the country. Whether they are interested in wine or exceptional architecture or maybe some skiing, Argentina has everything to offer.

Real estate developments have also flourished in the past few years. Argentines as well as foreigners enjoy the peaceful countryside either to live permanently or just to get away for the weekend. Many international companies have started investing in closed neighborhoods or small polo farms. Luxuries they can’t obtain anywhere else in the world.

There is no doubt about it, Argentina is unique.

Weather

The Argentine climate is predominately temperate with extremes ranging from subtropical in the north to arid and sub-Antarctic in the far south. Buenos Aires and the Pampas are temperate; cool in the winter, 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. Spring and fall often exhibit rapid temperature reversals; several days of extremely hot weather may be followed by several days of cold weather, then back to extremely hot.

The Andes are cool in the summer and very cold in the winter, varying according to altitude. Patagonia is cool in the summer and cold in the winter. Extreme temperature shifts within a single day are even more common here; pack a variety of clothes and dress in layers.

Argentina is also safe from natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes etc.

Education

 Education is Argentina is continuously growing everyday. The country has a very large percentage of public schools throughout the country, not to mention the best public University in Latin America, Universidad de Buenos Aires. Students from all over the world come to study here, from medicine to Spanish.  Most universities have conventions with international universities such as Harvard and NYU giving argentine students the possibility to study abroad also.  There are roughly 37 public universities and 50 private.

Public schools have an excellent program and give children of any social background the opportunity to obtain an education. Both private and public schools teach at a bilingual level, some even teach three languages. Even though education in Argentina has a convoluted history, great efforts are being made to better the education programs everyday.   

Health and Medical Care  

The public health system in Argentina provides emergency and non-emergency services free of charge to all, regardless of nationality or immigration status.  Medical care in private hospitals in Buenos Aires is generally good, but varies in quality outside the capital. Life expectancy is relatively high, with averages of 72 years for males and 79 years for females.

Quality of Living

Argentina is one of the top Latin American countries regarding  standard of living. Benefited by a world economic situation, Argentina has been able to take advantage. Cost of living is low with respect to other similar countries. This includes education, travel and entertainment, etc. With a medium level income a family can have a superior quality of living compared to other similar countries.  

Argentina also offers a variety of beautiful places to live,, not only Buenos Aires, the capital, also provinces like Salta and Mendoza have grown immensely in the past few years.  When coming to visit or even living in this country there is always something to see; be it our emblematic glaciers in the south, our seven colored mountains in the north or the eighth wine capital of the world, the province of Mendoza,  Argentina offers a quality of life that you won’t find anywhere else in Latin America.

Security

Most places in Argentina are relatively safe Compared to other cities (i.e.: San Pablo, Mexico City) Buenos Aires is generally safe; there is plenty of activity and foot traffic throughout the night. Nice areas have a very thorough police presence, perhaps one officer per block, plus store security and auxiliary patrols. Public security in all major cities is handled by the Federal Police, the Urban Guard, and the National Gendarmerie or the Naval Prefecture, especially in the Puerto Madero area of Buenos Aires.

Electricity

Voltage: 220V, Hertz: 50Hz.