Argentinian Territories: Facing the Ocean

Inhabited by different native peoples like the Selk’nam and Yaghan around 10,000 years ago, Tierra del Fuego is the youngest Argentinian province. Its history is heavily influenced by European expeditions, which arrived in the southern lands in search of new routes.

The first Europeans to explore the territory were the seafarers of the Spanish expedition led by Ferdinand Magellan in 1520. The infamous Strait of Magellan, a very important natural passageway between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, was named after him.

Located in Tierra del Fuego, this city is the southernmost city in the country and the gateway to Antarctica. Its way of living and gastronomy are strongly marked by the sea. The Beagle Channel, a beautiful passageway with incredible scenery, is located here.

Thanks to its strategic location, this Tierra del Fuego city had a lot of influences from adventurers who arrived to explore the southern lands. Famous for its sheep husbandry, the city is home to farms like María Behety, which has one of the largest shearing sheds in the world.

In the province of Santa Cruz, this park is charmingly located on the border between two very different landscapes: the steppe and the sea. Hosting a wide variety of flora and fauna, its emblem is the Patagonian or Magellanic penguin.

This city in the province of Chubut is one of the most important centers for tourism in Argentina. It is considered the national capital of scuba diving. Punta Tombo, the biggest colony of Magellan penguins in the world, is located a few miles away.

This is a famous wildlife reserve on the Argentinian coast. It is one of Chubut’s biggest attractions because of the animals that live in its sea and on its beaches, like wolves and elephant seals, as well as right whales, which can be spotted every year throughout May.

Leaving southern Argentina and advancing north, the geography of the coasts changes. Thanks to the presence of warmer climates and less strong winds, the beaches of the province of Buenos Aires are excellent summer resorts.

Mar del Plata is without a doubt an excellent seaside city resort. Its ample beaches, combined with its lively nightlife, filled with restaurants, theaters, and shops, make it a favorite location for spending days in the sun during the Argentinian summer.