Located in the southern part of South America, Argentina covers an area of almost 3.8 million km², 2.8 of which are on the continent and the rest in the Antarctic. Its length of 3,800 km. goes from latitude 22° to 55° S. Its frontier with Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Chile has a perimeter of 29,038 km. and the coast, on the Atlantic Ocean, is 5,117 km. long.

The fundamental characteristic of Argentina is the enormous contrast between the immense eastern plains and the imposing mountain range of the Andes to the west. This is the frontier with Chile and has the highest peak in the western hemisphere, the Aconcagua, 6,959 m. high.

In its passage from Jujuy to Tierra del Fuego the range presents marvelous contrasts: plateaus in the Northwest, the lake region, and forests and glaciers in the Patagonian Andes. To the north, Chaco is a forest area which follows the Bermejo, Salado and Pilcomayo rivers.

Between the Paraná and Uruguay, the Mesopotamia of Argentina (provinces of Entre Ríos, Corrientes and Misiones) has low hills where pools and marshes are an evidence of the paleo courses of these great rivers. The Iguazu Falls are a very interesting and spectacular place to visit.

The Pampas, in the centre of Argentina, is the largest and best known area of plains. Agriculture and cattle ranching are the main activities in this area which is formed by the provinces of Buenos Aires, the south of Santa Fé and southwest of Córdoba. The landscape changes to the south, with the low mountains of Tandil and La Ventana and to the west with the Córdoba mountain ranges.

Towards the south, from the Andes to the sea, are the arid plateaus of Patagonia, with strong winds during most of the year. The Atlantic Patagonia coast, with high cliffs, the Valdés Peninsula, is also an interesting place to visit.

The country is a representative federal and democratic republic. The capital city is Buenos Aires and 23 provinces.

The population of Argentina is about 35 million, almost half of which lives in the city of Buenos Aires and surroundings. In this region, population density is 10.1 inhabitants/km².

The pure indigenous population, the Mapuches, Collas, Tobas, Matacos and Chiriguanos, represent 0.5% of the population.

Spanish is the official language of the Argentine Republic.

There is complete religious freedom in Argentina although the official religion is Roman Catholic. Other religions such as Protestant, Jewish, Moslem, Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, are found in the country as well.

The official Argentine currency is the Peso. The exchange rate is $A 2.895/US$. There are notes of 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 pesos and coins of 5, 10, 25, 50 cents and 1peso.