Fun fact#725
Perito Moreno advances instead of retreating
This glacier is one of the few in the world that is broadly stable, periodically damming a lake until the ice arch collapses.
Argentina
The highest peak outside Asia, the widest avenue on Earth, and wind that never stops.
9 entries · 4 stories, 5 fun facts
Argentina at a glance
The practical numbers, before the stories.
- Capital
- Buenos Aires
- Currency
- Argentine peso (ARS)
- Official language
- Spanish (de facto)
- Climate
- Subtropical in the north, temperate on the pampas, cold and windswept in Patagonia, alpine along the Andes.
- Best time to go
- October–April for Patagonia, March–May for Buenos Aires
- Time zone
- UTC−3, no daylight saving
- Driving side
- Right
- Plugs and voltage
- Type C / I, 220 V
Worth knowing: Aconcagua, at 6,961 m, is the highest peak outside Asia.
Planning a trip to Argentina
The decisions that determine whether the trip works, whichever country you are going to.
Aconcagua rises to 6,961 metres, making it the tallest mountain in both the Southern and Western hemispheres. Avenida 9 de Julio in Buenos Aires spans about 110 metres, and crossing it can take more than one traffic light. Perito Moreno is one of the few glaciers on Earth that is broadly stable, periodically damming a lake until the ice arch collapses.
Below you will also find the Iguazú system of up to 275 separate falls, tango as it actually began in the port neighbourhoods, and the parrilla waiter who asks how you want your steak, disagrees, and turns out to be right.
Entries from Argentina
Fun fact#727
Argentina has the widest avenue
Avenida 9 de Julio spans about 110 metres, and crossing it can take more than one traffic light.
Fun fact#729
Tango was born in the port
Tango emerged in the working-class port neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires and Montevideo in the late 19th century.
Fun fact#731
Aconcagua is the highest peak outside Asia
At 6,961 metres, Aconcagua is the tallest mountain in both the Southern and Western hemispheres.
Fun fact#733
Iguazu has 275 separate falls
The Iguazu system comprises up to 275 waterfalls spread nearly three kilometres along the border.
Story#799
Iguazu from below
The boat drives you into the falls on purpose. Everything you own gets soaked and the guide films your face while it happens.
Story#801
Steak and no menu
The parrilla had four items and a chalkboard. The waiter asked how we wanted it, disagreed with the answer, and served it his way. He was correct.
Story#805
Tango in a square
Two people in their seventies danced on paving stones in San Telmo with a portable speaker. A crowd formed, and nobody who watched was under any illusion about who was best.
Story#809
Wind in Patagonia
The wind blew constantly for four days from the same direction. On the fifth it stopped and everyone in the hostel came outside to check that something was not wrong.
Nothing matched that search on this page. Try a shorter word, or browse by destination.
Still deciding?
Argentina is one of 36 countries in the library. Read straight through a continent, or start from the map of everywhere we have written about.