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Argentina National Parks and Reserves



National Parks and Reserves

The national parks of Argentina are one of the country's principal lures, encompassing the gamut of ecosystems and scenery that exist here, from arid dry chaco thornscrub to subtropical jungle, from high Andean peaks to Atlantic coastline. Though some parks were established purely for their fabulous scenery, many others - especially the more recently established ones - were created to protect examples of different ecosystems. In addition, some protect important archeological or geological sites. The parks vary in size from the minuscule botanical reserve of Colonia Benitez in Chaco Province, less than a tenth of a square kilometre in size, to the grand and savage Parque Nacional Los Glaciares in Santa Cruz, which covers some six thousand square kilometres.

These national protected areas fall into four different categories - Parques Nacionales, Reservas Naturales, Reservas Naturales Estrictas , and Monumentos Naturales - but the distinctions between them have little relevance to the tourist, although it is as well to be aware that a monumento natural is used to refer to individual species, such as the native Patagonian Andean deer, the huemul , as well as to places. More relevant to the tourist are the different degrees of protection that exist within the parks: strict scientific zones ( zonas intangibles ) that are not open to the general public, zones with routes of public access that are otherwise under full protection, and buffer zones where locals engage in certain limited forms of sustainable exploitation (such as forestry and the hunting of introduced species). The situation is complicated by the presence of indigenous communities in some parks, while in others there are enclaves of privately owned land which even guardaparques (rangers) must ask permission to enter.

The most famous parks of all are the subtropical Iguazu in the northeastern province of Misiones, with its famous waterfalls, and the great Patagonian parks that protect the lakes and subantarctic forests of the mountainous border with Chile - most notably Nahuel Huapi , by Bariloche in Rio Negro Province, and Los Glaciares , near El Calafate in Santa Cruz, with its twin attractions of the Perito Moreno Glacier and the Fitz Roy trekking sector. Lanin , with its famous volcano and monkey puzzle forests, Los Alerces and Perito Moreno (distinct from the glacier) are two other mighty Patagonian Andean parks, and in Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego the Andes meet the Beagle Channel. One of the easiest national parks to access from Buenos Aires is El Palmar , in the province of Entre Rios, a savannah plain studded with graceful native palms. Famous for its cloudforest are the northwestern mountain parks of Baritu, Calilegua and El Rey . Geologically fascinating are the spectacular canyon of Talampaya in La Rioja Province, and the Bosques Petrificados (Petrified Forests) in Santa Cruz.

In addition to the national parks, Argentina has an array of provincial nature reserves and protected areas, the most exceptional of which is the Peninsula Valdes , on the coast of Chubut near Puerto Madryn. Valdes is one of the country's leading tourist attractions and the most reliable of all destinations for seeing wildlife. Its marine mammals are the star attraction, principally the southern right whales which come to breed here. It is also one of the finest places to see the animals of the Patagonian steppe. Another good place for spotting this wildlife is at Punta Tombo , also in Chubut

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Province. This reserve is most famous for sheltering the largest colony of Magellanic penguins on the continent. The Esteros de Ibera swampland in Corrientes Province, is good for spotting cayman and capybara as well as a remarkable variety of birdlife. In Mendoza, the Parque Provincial Aconcagua was set up to protect South America's highest peak, while Ischigualasto in San Juan protects a famous, desertified lunar landscape with bizarrely eroded geological formations.


your food is yummy

isabella says "i think yalls food is super dooper yummy keep up the good work
"

what

samanth says "nothing. you can survive on your own. dont go there its a horrible place."

what you need

katie says "bring lots of food and water. try to bring non perishable food. and bring warm and cold clothes. you will need it."

Buenos Aires City of Design

Bob Frassinetti says "In August 2005 Buenos Aires was appointed City of Design by the UNESCO. This is recognition the city of “good airs” shares with other top notch design areas of the world such as Berlin, Montreal.



This appointment evidences recognition towards what Buenos Aires is doing in this particular area, and it cannot be understood if not put in perspective to the recent boom that took place in this area recently. BA features a constant flow of movement in terms of design, from mind-blowing creations to average regular, items the broadness of the design movement in the Argentine capital provides a wide rainbow of options featuring something for every taste.



Buenos Aires has been among the firsts of the American Continent to take upon the challenge of design together with Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and Mendoza in Argentina –as well-. The turning point in contemporary design in South America can be dated at the end of the 1950s and all throughout the 60s. The decade of 1960 was a strong decade for innovation, creation and design in the deepest sense of the words. The Arts in general had a strong input back then, and design was not an exception, from aesthetics to usefulness, Argentina has been taking upon the challenge of designing new and innovative objects ever since. After a couple of decades of ups and downs, ins and outs, always in tune with the general panorama of what was going on in our country, today, Buenos Aires is breeding and furthering some interesting aesthetic and conceptual approaches to objects.



In terms of industrial design today in Argentina, there are at several different disciplines working in an avant-garde creations and innovating in theory and practice in this sense. The range goes from industrial products to vehicles, furniture and lighting, making of Buenos Aires a design spot pretty much hyper-comprehensive in terms of design for the visitors.



An interesting insight on design in Buenos Aires is provided by worldly known Argentine architect and designer Ricardo Blanco in his book entitled Crónicas del diseño industrial en la Argentina – Chronicles of the Industrial Design in Argentina-, where he reconstructs the path of evolution thru means of a particular historical perspective and journey. Not aiming to cover the entire historical process, but more in the sense of providing an organized insight into the world of useful aesthetics, Blanco attest to evidence the intention and cultural bases of the Argentine design path.



Thru means of the current literature and the ever growing production of industrial design objects Buenos Aires takes upon new airs of discovery, as it mutates from the traditional city of beef and tango to a much more interesting and amusing spot of arts, design and aesthetics… And all in all, in the meantime we explore the new inputs of design we can always stop to enjoy the delightful Argentine cuisine and culture, but now in a broader and richer way.

Bob Frassinetti, Buenos Aires, Argentina"

Ganja

Faith says "look for ganja at all times"


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8/29/2008 10:21:42 PM