Argentina is located in southern America and it has most of the portion in the south area. The country was named as the eighth largest country in the world and the second largest country in the world and the second largest in Latin America. The area of the country is much bigger than Mexico and Texas in the USA with 2.78 million square kilometres. Argentina was bordered by a few countries such as the Drake Passage to the south, South Atlantic Ocean and Uruguay to the east, Brazil the northeast, as well as Bolivia and Paraguay to the north.

In the year 1502, the first to arrive in Argentina are the Europeans. A few years later, the Spanish have arrived and they discover Rio de la Plata. After that, there was a settlement established at Buenos Aires by Petro de Mendoza in the year 1536. Unfortunately, it was later had been abandoned in the year 1541. The Spanish managed to rule Buenos Aires in the year 1580 and the region was part of Viceroyalty of Peru. Bueno Aires was a perfect place for trading. During that time, there is a contraband trade with Portuguese Brazil and non-peninsular European powers had flourished. In the late 18th century, silver mining in Potosi was going down and the Spanish Crown had to recognize the importance of direct transatlantic trade in Bueno Aires. In the year 1776, viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata was established which include parts of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

In both the year 1806 and 1807, the British tried to attack Buenos Aires but the attempts were unsuccessful.  There were criollos had become impatient and dissatisfied with the Spanish government. The people of Rio de la Plata become more confident to stand alone ever since the British attempt to invade the region. In 1808, Napoleon attacked Spain and Buenos Aires had gained the independence on 25 May 1810. 6 years later, on the 9th July, Argentina had declared their independence from General José de San Martín. Nevertheless, there was a lack of Argentina authority and there were disparities within the country.  Politics in Argentina has been divided between the Federalists of the interior and the Unitarists of Buenos Aires. During the19th century, Juan Manuel de Rosas came to represent as a caudillo in the region of Buenos Aires. Later, he became a governor in the province in the year 1829. He managed to help Buenos Aires’ political power and announced that all the international trade would be through the region. Buenos Aires was the most powerful region during the rule of Rosas. However, the power did not last long. A powerful army that was organized by Justo Jos de Urquiza came to attack Rosas. He tried to draw up a constitution on 1st May 1853.

The economy in Buenos Aires has boomed and many immigrants from Italy, Spain, Germany, and Eastern Europe came to the region in between the year 1870’s and 1920’s. During that time, Argentina has temporarily resolved its border disputes with Chile. In the rear 1928, Argentina had faced the Great Depression.  The country was in power by the military under conditions of social unrest. After that, Juan Domingo Peron was the first leader to handle the economic crisis of Argentina. Nevertheless, he goes into exile and he became a president again in the year 1973. In the early 1970’s, there was a street protest going on in the region. They had also faced an increase in corruption. A military coup led by General Jorge Rafael Videla who is an army had taken control of Argentina and the country was then in a period of terror and brutality and that was the start of “Dirty War”. The military of Argentina wants a real military operation. Then, there were disagreements between Argentina and Britain which led to the Falklands War. Britain was defeat by Argentina which then resulted in the fall of the dictatorship. Many Argentinians were killed or disappeared during the war. In the year 2007, the country has elected the first female President of Argentina. Her name is Christina Fernandez de Kirchner.

In the present, the capital city of Argentina is Buenos Aires. It was not surprising that the city had become the capital city of Argentina since back then, the city was famous for international trade and the economy of Argentina was booming because of the industries that happened in Buenos Aires. Now, the city is a top tourist destination and it is the most populous city in Argentina. They are also well known for Spanish and European style architecture and rich cultural life.  Now, the population of Buenos Aires is 2.891 million people in 2010 and will expect to be more than that for many years from now. Argentina’s main language is Spanish. There are some people said that Argentinian Spain is different from Spanish spoken in Spain. It was more Italian sound rather than Spanish. It was due to many immigrants from Italy who added their own words and pronunciation as they learn to speak Spanish. The secondary languages in Argentina are Italian, English, French, German, and the languages of Native Argentineans. For religion, 76.5 percent of the population in Argentina practices Catholic. The second largest religion is Atheists and Agnostics with 11.3 percent, 9 percent of Evangelical Protestants, Jehovah’s Witness with 1.2 percent, other religious belief such as Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam with 1.2 percent, and Mormons with 0.9 percent.

As for the visa, some of the countries are not applicable to holders of a British subject or British Protected Person passport holders which are applied to all European Union citizens. There are also some the countries can use visa up to 30 days like Jamaica, Kazakhstan, and Malaysia.  The neighbouring countries like Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, Chile, and Peru can enter Argentina using only identification card. Argentina has a very diverse climate. In Buenos Aires, they have a Mediterranean climate with average temperatures. During summer, the countries also faced raining season which comes with afternoon showers and thunderstorms. The sun shines very regularly. During the winter, there are also some days that can be warm with the highest temperature of 30 Celsius.  Moreover, it was said that the city almost never snows. The best time to visit Buenos Aires is spring which is from October to November and during autumn which is from March to April.

The cuisines in Argentina has influenced by Italian and Spanish dishes. There are many dishes that very well recommended to the people who came to Argentina for a holiday. The main dish in Argentina is Asados. It is a variety of barbecued meat such as steaks, ribs, chorizo sweetbread, chitterlings and blood sausage that grilled on a large grill called Parillo. Asados becomes a traditional dish which the food usually will be served during family gathering and friend events. The next dish is pizza. Argentinean pizza has an inch high crusts with a light tomato sauce on top together with Argentinean style mozzarella cheese. They also put green olives, oregano or dried chilli flakes as their garnishes.  All the traditional pizza will be sold in slices and will be eaten at the bar. The tourists can also order for a chickpea pancake to soak the cheese. For tea lovers, they need to try Mate. It is a black, herbal tea that made from yerba mate herb. The herbal tea is made by putting the herb in the mate pot and by adding hot water. Then, the drink will be served from a metal straw which called a Bombilla. This tea usually served in social gatherings in Argentina. Therefore, for those who came to Argentina, they cannot miss out trying out these foods and also other Argentinean food because all the foods are unique and tasty.

How to Get There?

By Plane

In order to get to Argentina, the tourists all over the world need to come to this country by plane. The main airport in Argentina is located at Greatest Buenos Aires. The name of the airport is called Ezeiza International Airport. There are many airlines that make a stop at this airport. Besides that, this airport has a domestic and international flight. For those who travel from Malaysia, they need to take a flight from Kuala Lumpur International Airport. However, along the way, they need to make a stop and do a transit flight since it takes more than 1 day to travel to Argentina. Once they have landed at Ezeiza International Airport, there will be some taxis and public transport provided for the tourists. The tourists can choose to take either of them and it will take them straight to their place to stay.

What to Do There?

Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes

For those who are interested in learning about art culture in Argentina, they can make a visit to a few museums in Argentina. One of the museums that can visit by the tourists is Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes.  This museum has the largest public art collection in Latin America. In this museum, they have displayed about 12,000 works of arts. Some of the collections are the works of European and Argentinean from the Middle Ages through to the 20th century. There are also some other collections like Van Gogh, Claude Monet, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Gauguin, Berthe Morisot, and Camille Pissarro. The tourists can also visit other museums such as Museo de la Plata, Museo de Arqueologia de Alta Montana, Museo Paleontologico Egidio Feruglio, El Museo del Vino y la Vendimia, and Case Fader.

Cerro Catedral

There are many types of outdoor activities that can be done by the tourists during their holiday in Argentina. One of the outdoor activities is skiing. For those who love skiing, the best place for it is Cerro Catedral. It is located in the Lake District near San Carlos de Bariloche. Cerro Catedral is the most popular and well-developed ski resort. The visitors who came here will face some challenging terrain and off-piste access. This place has offered good snowboarding facilities to the visitors. It is not surprising that Cerro Catedral is a famous destination for the winter sports lover. During other seasons, the tourists can also come here for hiking and cycling. Moreover, they are able to experience an amazing view of the mountain.

Aconcagua

Argentina has many mountains and they are famous for their beautiful countryside view. For those who are into hiking, then, Aconcagua is the perfect place for climbing. Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Andes. It is also known as one of the world’s Seven Summit.  This mountain is very challenging since it has an immense height. However, the visitors do not have to worry because of this mountain still accessible to climb. The hikers can still reach at the top without any ropes or technical equipment. During their visit to Aconcagua, they can see all of the surrounding glaciers and many other natural sites.

Iguazu Falls

Argentina is famous for its beautiful scenery. Sight-seeing is the most important activities during a holiday in Argentina. One of the must-visit destinations that are perfect for sight-seeing is at Iguazu Falls. It is among the largest and most fantastic waterfalls in the world. This waterfall is even taller than Niagara Falls in Canada which is twice as wide. There will be an observation deck which makes it easy for the visitor to see the jungles and they can take some pictures of the water that pours through the Devil’s throat.

Where to Stay?

Unique Placio San Telmo

Unique Placio San Telmo is situated about half an hour away from Ezeiza International Airport. This 3-star hotel offers great accommodation in the Buenos Aires area. There are few facilities and services that provided by the hotel for the comfort and convenience of the guests. Besides that, the rooms in this hotel are filled with basic amenities such as an air conditioner, telephone, minibar, an LCD screened television. The guests can also access a free Wi-Fi in their room.  The guests can make a request for an infant bed from the hotel. For the bathrooms, it is equipped with a private bathroom and showers. The hotel will also provide free toiletries and a hairdryer for their guests. Besides that, the rooms are always clean and well kept.

Apart Lima 265

For those who prefer to stay in an apartment, they can choose to stay at Apart Lima 265. This apartment is located in Buenos Aires and it is only 12 minutes away from Unique Palacio San Telmo. This is a perfect accommodation for people who plant stay a bit longer in Argentina. Every room in this apartment has a very well equipped with amazing amenities such as an LCD screened television, refrigerator, desks, complimentary bottled waters, an electric kettle, microwave, and a kitchen.  For the bathrooms, they also have a private bathroom with a shower and toiletries. This apartment offers the best facilities and services for their guests. There will be a 24-hour receptionist that will assist in doing check-in and out for the rooms and they are available to help the customers if the customers need any assistance. Moreover, the guests can use luggage storage and laundry services provided by the apartment. The guests can also make a barbeque activity outside of this apartment. Apart from that, the location of this apartment is good. The guests can easily make a tour around the Buenos Aires by taking Lima subway station which is only 200 metres away from the apartment.

NH Cordoba Panorama

NH Cordoba Panorama offers a high-class accommodation in Cordoba Province. All of the rooms in this hotel are equipped with luxury amenities.  Besides that, there are also impeccable facilities and services for the comfort and convenience of guests. The hotel has offered a tour desk where guests can arrange a tour around the city, a 24-hour receptionist, and a concierge.  In addition, there is also an available luggage storage and laundry service for the guests. They can also relax their mind and body at the spa centre and sauna provided by the hotel. For those who want to keep fit and healthy, there is a fitness centre and an outdoor pool available for the guests.  Other than that, the hotel has a restaurant and a coffee shop as well as a bar where the guests can have their light snacks and drinks.