Bienvenidos a La República de Argentina

1. Bienvenidos a La República de Argentina

2. Argentina is located at the base of the South American continent.

3. Buenos Aires is the Argentine capitol and has 13 million inhabitants. It is known as the “Paris of the New World” for its wide boulevards, outdoor cafés, and cosmopolitan outlook.

4. El Obelisco was built in 1936 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Buenos Aires. It is located on the world’s widest avenue, La Avenida 9 de Julio, named for the date of the country’s founding in1816.

5. La Avenida 9 de Julio has eighteen lanes of traffic and is lined with many of the city’s most important landmarks.

6. Buenos Aires is a port city located along the Rio de la Plata whose people are called porteños. Its population is very dense with 34,800 people per square mile. An interesting profession in BA is that of a paseaperros, professional dog walkers, who give the canines a break from their lives inside high-rise apartments or pisos.

7. LABOCA

8. La Boca is a barrio or neighborhood in Buenos Aires that was principally settled by immigrants from Genoa, Italy. Some believe the name is derived from the genoese neighborhood of Bocadaze. Others say that its name comes from its location at the mouth or la boca of the Riachuelo river. LABOCA

9. Sailors painted their homes with left over paint from the ships they worked on. This led to a frenzy of colors and gives the neighborhood its unique look.

11. El Caminito is a street in La Boca where tourists can relax in one of the many cafés and watch tango artists perform.

15. La Boca is most famous for being the home of the Boca Juniors, one of the most popular soccer clubs in South America. The Boca Juniors were formed by five young men in 1905. They named their team after their neighborhood but added the word “Juniors” with the hope that its British sound might give the team more prestige. Support for the team is so strong that there is a cemetery reserved for players, managers and the most rabid fans who wish to be buried among them. They can even be buried in a special-order Boca coffin.

16. Rated by many as the best soccer player of all time, Diego Maradona had early success with the Boca Juniors and is considered an idol in Argentina. His image is found virtually everywhere.

18. Argentina ranks #1 in the world for beef consumption. Its citizens annually consume 70.2 kilograms (154 lbs.) per person compared to third-ranked U.S. with 45.3 kg (100 lbs.).

19. A parrilla refers to meat cooked on a grill like a barbecue. The price of meat is relatively low in Argentina.

20. More popular than coffee, yerba mate is an herbal tea steeped in a hollowed out gourd called a mate and strained through a straw called a bombilla. A social custom is to drink from the same mate with your friends.

21. Calle Florida is lined with leather goods shops. As a by- product of the beef industry, leather items are in great abundance and well priced. Many tourists purchase a leather coat, shoes or boots that are custom-made in special workshops.

22. Tango performers can also be found all along calle Florida as no cars are permitted on this pedestrian walkway that runs through the heart of the city.

23. Calle Florida also has many shops that sell accessories for gauchos, the Argentine cowboys who live on the plains or pampas .

24. Cementerio La Recoleta is the final resting place for many of Argentina’s most prominent people.

25. The most famous person buried in La Recoleta is Eva Perón, the controversial First Lady of Argentina from 1946-1952.

28. This colony of gatos watch over the cemetery as its unofficial guards.

29. La Casa Rosada is Argentina’s version of the White House. It is said that the pink hue was originally derived from white paint that was mixed with blood from nearby slaughter houses to protect against damage from humidity.

30. The balcony of the Casa Rosada has been the scene of many important events including speeches made by Juan Perón and his wife Eva. Pope John Paul II visited here in 1998. Madonna sang “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” from the balcony when the film version of the musical Evita was being made.

31. Facing the Casa Rosada is the Plaza de Mayo. Here on May 25, 1810, the first steps were taken that led to independence from Spain.

32. Each Thursday afternoon,Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo meet here bearing pictures of los desaparecidos, children taken from them by the Argentine military in what is called the Dirty War (1976-1983). They wear white head scarves for peace and as a reminder that at least 9,000 kidnapped victims have never been accounted for.

34. Plaza San MartínThis leafy plaza in the heart of the city is a favorite gathering spot for porteños.

35. The Islas Malvinas Memorial is located in the Plaza San Martín. Argentina and Great Britain fought over the Malvinas (Falkland Islands) in 1982. This monument honors the 700 casualties of the Argentine defeat.

36. Las Cataratas de Iguazú

37. Iguazú is derived from a Guarani Indian words meaning “big water”. The falls are composed of 275 separate cascades which grows to over 300 in rainy season.

43. Most tourists cross over to Brazil for a better view.

44. La Garganta de Diablo or Devil’s Throat marks the border between Argentina and Brazil. Two-thirds of the falls are in Argentina.

45. 350,000 to 400,000 gallons of water fall per second. Niagara Falls has a flow of 75,000 gallons per second.

47. The best views at Iguazú come from inside a zodiac raft that will take you as close as its captain dares to go.

50. The coatimundi is a mammal related to the raccoon. It lives in small groups and eats both meat and plants.