Argentina

Argentina is a country of extremes. It stretches from the subtropical north to the glaciers of Patagonia, from the Andes peaks along the Chilean border to the Atlantic coast. It's the eighth largest country in the world and the second largest in South America, but what it's really known for is tango, steak, wine, football, and a level of passion for all four that borders on the religious. Buenos Aires is one of the great cities of the world - a sprawling, chaotic, beautiful mess of European architecture, all-night culture, and some of the best food on the planet.

Argentina has given the world Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, Jorge Luis Borges, Che Guevara, and Pope Francis. The country has won the FIFA World Cup three times (1978, 1986, 2022) and the entire nation essentially stops functioning during major matches. The wine region of Mendoza produces world-class Malbec at the foot of the Andes. Patagonia's glaciers, including the spectacular Perito Moreno, are some of the last advancing glaciers on Earth. Ushuaia, at the southern tip, bills itself as the southernmost city in the world - the literal end of the road before Antarctica. Argentines eat dinner at 10 PM, consider dulce de leche a food group, and will argue about football until the sun comes up.