A massive and massively interesting country, Argentina's enticements range from the planet's highest mountains outside of Central Asia, to oceanic pampas, to the old-world charms of Buenos Aires. Add Patagonia, where Nature writes some of her purplest prose, and keep in mind that this is the country that invented one of humanity's sensual triumphs, the tango.

• TOTAL AREA: 2,766,890 sq km

• LAND AREA: 2,736,690 sq km

• WATER AREA: 30,200 sq km

• POPULATION: 39,921,833

• RELIGIONS: Roman Catholic 92%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%

• LANGUAGES: Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French

• GOVERNMENT TYPE: Republic

• CAPITAL CITY: Buenos Aires

• OFFICIAL CURRENCY: Argentine peso

• TIME ZONE: GMT/UTC -3