Argentina is a large country in the southern hemisphere and the southern part of South America. It is bordered to the north by Paraguay, Brazil and Bolivia, Chile to the West and Uruguay to the north east. The long eastern coast of Argentina borders with the Atlantic Ocean. Meanwhile the southern tip of Argentina is the last landmass before the Continent of Antarctica. Known as Cape Horn this used to be a fearsome crossing point for sailors who were trying to get around to Chile. Argentina also lays claim to the Falkland Islands which was the subject of a contentious war with Britain in the 1980s.

Argentina is the eighth largest country in the world. While much of the Pampas territory is flat, Argentina also has the highest mountain in South America, the massive Mount Aconcagua in the Andes Mountain range. The country today is a Federal Presidential Republic which currently has a female president in charge - Cristina Kirchner. Unfortunately Argentina has not been much of an economic power in recent times  due to the weak purchasing power of national currency the peso.
 

Argentina is an incredibly varied country. Its capital Buenos Aires is huge with stunning architecture and amazing nightlife. South of Buenos Aires in the beach resort of Mar del Plata where there are fantastic nightclubs and good waves for surfing. The southernmost tip of the country is known as Patagonia which is a popular destination for tourists, particularly those on cruises. There they can see incredible glacial landscapes and take bracing walks through the peaks. Argentina also has desert in the area of Cuyo which can get extremely hot, so travel across this massive country and you can experience all climates. Argentina offers many national parks including the Glaciers National Park and the Nahuel Huapi National Park. Wine tasters will also be lured to the centres of wine making in Mendoza and San Juan while Salta is also a beautiful grape growing landscape.

The majority of the Argentina population is Roman Catholic and everyone in the country speaks Spanish, although their version is slightly different to the Spanish spoken in Spain. The population of 40 million people actually feels much smaller as they are spread around this vast country. Argentina has a very mixed cultural heritage because it was colonised by a various peoples coming from Europe including Spanish, German and Italian settlers.