Economic Activities: Transportation and communications

Economic Activities

TRASPORTATION AND
COMMUNICATIONS

Railroads

Sea and River Transportation
Air Transportation

Satellite Communications
The Possibilities for Tourism

As of 1990, transportation and communications account for a 5 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product. Railroads: The first railroad was inaugurated in 1857 and then expanded up to 2127 miles of tracks. Railroads were under British control until the 1940s, when they were nationalized and remained under the jurisdiction of the State. In the 1990s, by way of a privatizing process, they came to belong to private companies. The companies managing the main railroad lines are: Ferrocaril Mesopotámico, joining Capital Federal to Posadas and connecting with Paraguay, Brazil and Uruguay. Ferrocarril Nuevo Central Pampeano join Capital Federal and the center and north-west, passing by Córdoba and Santa Fe. The Ferrocarril Ferrosur joins Buenos Aires to Bahía Blanca, Zapala and Viedma. The Ferrocarril Provincial joins Capital Federal to Mar del Plata and is the one carrying more passengers in the country. Ferrocarril Buenos Aires al Pacífico links the Pampa plain to the south of Pampa Sierras and the Cuyo area.

Sea and River Transportation:

The main commercial ports are Buenos Aires, Bahía Blanca, Quequén, Rosario and Paraná. Over a 90 per cent of the Argentine foreign trade is carried out through the sea. But the Argentine ports have some disadvantages: high taxes, low depth, limited infrastructure. There is no deep water port, except for Madryn, which is outside the commercial area.
The Paraguay-Paraná waterway demands for the creation of a deep water port, since this traffic is directly related to Mercosur, in order to improve fluvial communications with the rest of the bordering countries.

Air Transportation:

Air lanes also concentrate on Buenos Aires. The most important international airport is Ezeiza, at 18 miles (29 km) from Capital Federal. The two most important airlines are Aerolíneas Argentinas and Líneas Aéreas Privadas Argentinas (LAPA).

Satellite Communications:

In 1988, Argentina started satellite transmission/broadcast through Intelsat VF13. As of 1993, an Argentine satellite system for telecommunications started to operate, being used for telephone and broadcasting.

The Possibilities for Tourism:

Left: Bariloche. Right: San Martín de los Andes.

In the last years, domestic tourism grew a great deal, both in summer and winter. Besides, there was an increase in the development of different kinds of tours: for senior citizens and school children, mini-tourism, ecological and adventure tours.
Buenos Aires is the obligatory passageway for visiting countless tourist sites. The ones preferred for their natural attractions are: Mar del Plata, Córdoba Sierras, Quebrada de Huamahuaca, Tafí del Valle, Jujuy, Salta, Cafayate, Valle de la Luna, the Falls of Iguazú, the Iberá Marshlands, Mendoza, San Martín de los Andes, Bariloche, Esquel, Glaciers, Ushuaia, etc.

Left: Maimara, Jujuy. Right: Iguazú Falls, Misiones.

For further information: Ministerio de Economía-Indice

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