Regions
Patagonia is the most extensive region of the country and is located south of the Argentine territory. Its northern limit begins in the south of the province of Mendoza and continues along the Atuel, Salado, Chadileufú, Curacó and Colorado rivers. This región extends from that line to the southern point of the american continental border.
Its name comes from the word that the first Spanish explorers probably used to describe a characteristic of the indigenous group that inhabited that area, may be Tehuelches, inhabitants of the center of the region, who used to wrap their feet with animal skins to protect themselves from the cold, leaving huge footprints on the ground.
The weather varies from north to south, from mild-humid to cold-humid. The summers are fresh, with average values that oscillate from north to south between 14ºC and 9ºC (57°F – 48°F), while the winters are rigorous.
The highlights of this region are: Cordillera de los Andes, Perito Moreno Glacier, whale watching in Puerto Madryn, Bariloche and Ushuaia.
It is located in the center-west of the country and extends from the San Francisco pass, in the Catamarca mountain range, to the south of Mendoza. It covers a small sector of southwest Catamarca, northwest of La Rioja, much of San Juan, in addition to the north and center of Mendoza to the riverbed of the Atuel river, which forms the natural and regional border in the south with Patagonia.
The relief forms are predominantly mountainous, being the most important: the Andes mountains, and Precordillera of La Rioja, San Juan and Mendoza.
This whole environment is under conditions of arid Andean climate, with permanent low temperatures, strong winds and no enough rainfall.
Dryness is the distinctive feature that is reflected in the desert landscape.
This intense aridity is the fact that determines permanent snows from 5,000m and above. Winter snowfall allows ski practice.
The highlights in this region are: Mendoza and the vineyards, Ischigualasto (Moon Valley) and Talampaya.
It is located precisely in the northwest corner of the country and includes the entire province of Jujuy, the center and west part of Salta, northwest of Tucumán and north of Catamarca. It covers a complex, wide, extensive and varied area in landscapes, climates, morphology and forms of human installation that forces us to differentiate three different environments: Puna, Cordillera Oriental and Sierras Subandinas.
The climate is desert-cold, Andean-Puno nominated, and characterized by insufficient rainfall. It receives an average of less than 200mm per year. In winter, snowfall is frequent. Temperatures are low throughout the year due to the high altitude, with an annual average of 9ºC (48°F). Around noon they are tempered by the sun´s rays perpendicularity.
The highlights in this region are: Quebrada de Humahuaca in Jujuy and Salta.
It is the best defined region of the whole country since it is almost completely surrounded by river courses, which surround the provinces of Misiones, Corrientes and Entre Ríos.
The Iguazú and Paraná rivers form the northern limit. On the west and south we can find rivers such as San Antonio, Pepirí Guazú and Uruguay.
Paraná, in indigenous language, means “relative of the sea” and all the rivers flow into the Rio de la Plata, the widest river of the world, and, after that, the Atlantic Ocean.
Due to the diversity of landscapes, climates and reliefs, this zone can be subdivided into four sub-regions: Misiones plateau, Corrientes´ lagoons and estuaries, Entre Rios´ hills and Paraná delta.
The weather is warm and humid. The soils are red clay type, which is very characteristic of the region.
The highlights in this region are the Iguazu Falls.