GEOGRAPHY AND NATURE
Argentina is the world's 8th largest country, only slightly smaller than India.
3500 km long.
2,8 million km2
West border along the Andes (Cordillera de los Andes), with highest peak outside Asia;
Aconcagua, 6960 m, and Volcán Tupungato, 6650 m.
In extreme north Argentina lies the altiplano
, an extension of the Bolivian altiplano, a high plain between 3000-4000 m in altitude.
Hot in summer and daytime, but frost occur at night even in summer.
Vegetation in High Andes is mostly of sparse bunch grasses, ichu,
and low, widely spaced shrubs, known collectively as tola.
South of Tucumán low rainfall, but irrigation has brought prosperity to the wine producing
Cuyo region (provinces Mendoza, San Juan and San Luis).
In a few favoured sites at lower elevations, most notably in Salta and Tucumán provinces,
the summertime rain create geographical islands of dense subtropical forest (P.N.
Calilegua and P.N. Finca El Rey).
Rainfall decreases from east to west in Argentina.
Chaco
= arid north - northwest area, bust scrub and forest. Winter dry season, summer rains.
In the Chaco, open savannah alternate with nearly impenetrable thorn forests.
Mesopotamia
= heavy rainfall area all year in the northeast provinces of Entre Ríos and Corrientes.
Mild climate. The rainfall supports swampy lowland forest and upland savannah.
Misiones is the northeaster most province, subtropical, hot and humid, with Iguazú
Falls at the border to Brazil. The native vegatation in lowland is dense subtropical
forest, while upper elevations are studded with Auracaria
Pines.
Pampas
The Pampas consist mainly of the two provinces Buenos Aires and La Pampa, plus the
southern parts of Santa Fe and Córdoba.
Western pampas is the Arid Pampas
, eastern part is the Humid Pampas.
The Pampas is an almost completely level plain of wind-borne loess
(a fine-grain silt or clay) and river-deposited sediments.
The once lush native grasses of the Pampas have suffered under grazing pressure from
introduced European livestock and the proliferation of grain farms, so very little
native vegetation remains, except along watercourses like the Río Paraná.
Patagona
The Andes are high enough that Pacific storms drop most of their rain and snow on
the Chilean side. In the extreme south however, enough snow and ice still accumulate
to form the largest southern hemisphere glaciers soutside Antarctica. The rest of
Patagonia is cool, arid steppe with strong gales most of the year (not so much in winter
though, when more uniform atmospheric pressure moderates the gales). The vegetation
is mainly sparse grasslands, but closer to the Chilean border there are pockets of
dense Nothofagus
(southern beech) and coniferous woodlands that owe their existance to the winter
storms from the west.
Patagonia is thinly populated , major cities are Comodora Rivadavia (petroleum industri)
and Río Gallegos (wool and meat packing).
Tidal ranges are too great for major port facilities along the Atlantic coast in Patagonia.
Tierra del Fuego
Consists of one large island (Isla Grande), unequally divided between Chile and Argentina,
and many smaller ones, some of which have been the source of longtime contention
between the countries.
The northern half of Isla Grande, resembling the Patagonian steppe, is devoted to
sheep grazing, while its southern half is montainous and partly covered by southern
beech forest and glaciers.
If you have chance, visit the national parks administration in Buenos Aires for maps
and broschures, as these are often in short supply in the parks;
Administración de Parques Nacionales, tel 4312-0783, Av. Santa Fe 690. Open 10-17 weekdays.
DIVERSE
Tid:
4 timmar efter Sverige (CET), sommartidsystem används ej.
Elström: 220 volt, 50 Hz
ELUTTAG SER UT SÅ HÄR:
Jordat uttag, typ YP-37
http://www.yung-li.com.tw/EN/Products/category_i.htm#YP-37
Ojordat, typ YP-57
http://www.yung-li.com.tw/EN/Products/category_i.htm#YP-57
Men enligt Lonely Planet finns också sådana med två rundade stift. Adaptrar för de
senare finns att köpa.
Rekommenderar att skaffa generella adapter i Sverige innan, eller på flygplats på
vägen dit.
Vaccination
Ta med gula kortet med ifylld gula feber, annars har Argentina inga obligatoriska
vaccineringar som krav.
Verkar inte finnas särskilt många sjukdomar som det är någon större risk att råka
ut för, malaria nämns som "minor risk in rural areas of northern Argentina, bordering
Bolivia in Salta and Jujuy provinces. Chloroquinine is the recommended medication
here".
Jag tänker inte besöka någon vaccinationscentral, tar med lite av varje från badrumsskåpet.
Vi gör en lista sedan på allmän medicin att ta med, föreslår att Cleas sköter detta.
En bra lista på lämpliga resemedeciner etc finns i LP sidan 70;
antihisthamine, antibiotics, antiseptics, aspirin, bandage, calamine lotion, cold
and flu tablets, insect repellent, sunscreen lotion, imodium, prochlorperazine or
metaclopramide, scissors, tweezers, thermometer etc.
Business hours;
8 - 12 and 16 - 20/21 in most provinces, in offices in Buenos Aires changing more
and more towards 8 - 17 (no siesta).
Holidays;
No big ones in February where we will be (carnival only in northeast, wine harvest
festivals in Mendoza).