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After Brasil Argentina is the largest country of Latin-America and the world's eighth largest In the north it is bounded on Paraguay, Brasil and Bolivia, in the west on Chile and in the east on Uruguay and the Atlantic Ocean. The name Argentina comes from the Latin Argentum, that means silver. This title goes back to the Spanish Conquerors who settled in this region in 1524. Mention Argentina, and people think of solitary gauchos, sultry tango dancers or Evita Peron and Che Guevara. Or at least they used to, before those roman-tic images were supplanted by television images of people looting supermarkets and banging on pots and pans during massive and occasionally violent protests. Argentina certainly has plenty to cry about, with an economy on the verge of collapse and a revolving-door government that saw five presidents in two weeks. How did this happen to a country blessed with abundant natural resources and a highly educated populace? Decades of political corruption, rampant tax evasion and ill-advised monetary policies are all to blame.

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But the romance of Argentina remains. The country boasts a wide variety of cultural and natural attractions Argentina is often called the country with the 6 continents which are as follows:

Cuyo & the Andean Northwest: This area surrounding the Andes began as a colony of Peru, but today only a few miners and herders occupy this unforgiving region with the impressive volcanoes, salt lakes and the blue sky. The Cuyo region consists of the Andean provinces of Mendoza, San Juan and San Luis. The area retains a strong regional identity, with a unique mestizo population reflecting the influence of Chile. It's famous for its grapes and wine and numerous wildlife reserves, lies in the shadow of the massive Andes and is visited for its many activities, such as climbing and trekking. Wineries, hidden mountain villages and San Salvador (the capital), Mendoza and San Juan are other attractions you should see.

Mesopotamia & the Northeast: Mesopotamia, a broad, flat plain between the Parana and Uraguay (with Chaco National Park) Rivers in northern Argentina, is wet, swampy) and extremely hot during the summer The northern province of Misiones, a more mountainous region nearly enclosed by Brazil and Paraguay, contains a section of the majestic Iguazu Falls.

The Chaco: This parched area in the west is part of the enormous Gran Chaco, a region that Argentina shares with Bolivia, Paraguay, and Brazil. The Chaco provence contains both grassland and thorny forest. The is Resistencia, which is proud to be 'city of sculptures' (there are over 200 of them), and is a major cross roads for Paraguay and excursions through the Chaco to the northwest. Campo del Cielo is an area famous for its meteorite fragments dating back some 6000 years.

The Pampas: The area known consists mostly of flat agricultural land and contains the provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa as well as parts of Santa Fe and Córdoba. The area is well-known for its horse-breeding tradition and cattle ranches. as well as the world- class beaches of its surrounding area. So aside from the people, why visit Argentina? First, because the huge metropolis of Buenos Aires, home to two-fifths of the population, is one of the most exciting, charming and fascinating of all South American capitals. Buenos Aires is the country's gastronomic mecca and boasts a frenzied nightlife that makes it one of the world's great round-the-clock cities. Attractions include Casa Rosada, Plaza Mayo, colourful Italian La Boca Quarter, the Catedral Metropolitana, the Teatro Colón, the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, the Museo del Cine and the Museo Histórico Nacional or the Riachuelo waterway, Summer means the beach to the inhabitants of Greater Buenos Aires, and Mar del Plata is most often the beach they have in mind.Sophisticated mansions from the area's heyday as an upper-class resort mingle with the newer, more modest resorts catering to middle-class porteños. Visit Argentina's second city, Córdoba, long rivaled Buenos Aires for political, economic and cultural supremacy; in which a fine collection of colonial buildings is concentrated in its compact center. They include the old market, the Iglesia Catedral , Iglesia de la Compañía, Museo Histórico Provincial Marqués de Sobremonte.

Patagonia and the Lake District: Patagonia - the southernmost portion of South America (located in both Argentina and Chile) - is a land of extremes: glaciers, deserts, granite cliffs and endless flatlands and it results in constantly changing and unpredictable extremes of weather. Visiting the Patagonian coast you can see large herds of seals, sea lions, blue whales and thousands of penguins. The scenic beauty of the Lake District has attracted many tourists since the mid-eighteenth century, and provided inspiration for a generation of poets like Wordsworth etc. who came to be known as the Lake Poets.

Tierra del Fuego: The Land of Fire is actually an archipelago including the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego (shared by Argentina and Chile) and numerous smaller islands. Northern Isla Grande is similar in terrain to Patagonia's plains, while the mountainous area in the south is filled with forests and glaciers. Its climate is usually mild year-round, although storms are frequent It's a place of oil derricks, sheep, glaciers, wind and waterways. Ushuaia and Río Grande are the two main towns; awesome scenery, wild walks and fishing are the island's main attractions. Argentina's only coastal national park comprises rivers, lakes, forests and glaciers, with great trekking and wildlife-spotting opportunities.