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Home > Travel Central America > Central America Destinations > Misiones
Misiones
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is variably defined either as being a region of the Americas in its own right or as the southern portion of North America. Physiographically, Central America is a tropical isthmus that connects North and South America. It includes 7 countries and many small offshore islands. Overall, the land is fertile and rugged, and dominated through its heart by a string of volcanic mountain ranges with a few active volcanos.
Misiones is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country in the Mesopotamia region. It is surrounded by Paraguay to the northwest, Brazil to the north and east, and Corrientes Province of Argentina to the southwest. Its illiteracy rate is 8.6 percent.
The province was originally populated by the Guarani culture. The first European to visit the region was Sebastian Cabot who, while navigating the Parana River in December of 1527, found Apipe's falls. In 1541, Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca reached the Iguazu Falls. In 17th century, members of the Society of Jesus came to the zone. These missionaries began to build a string of Jesuit Reduccions. In a few years, they managed to create 30 villages, wherein the Guarani, who already were starting to practice agriculture, fully adopted a sedentary lifestyle. Misiones is the second smallest province after Tucuman.
The Misiones plateau includes a part of Brazil across the border. The rocks contain significant quantities of iron which forms a part of the soil, giving it a reddish color. At the center of the plateau rises the Sierra de Misiones, its highest peak, 843 meters, near Bernardo de Irigoyen, in the Cerro Rincon. The province is embraced by three big rivers: Parana, Uruguay and Iguazu, native drains off of big regions with abundant rains. The Iguazu Falls are waterfalls located on the border of Brazilian state of Parana and the Argentinian Province of Misiones.
Along with the Mendoza Province, El Calafate, and Buenos Aires, the province is one of the most important tourist destinations in Argentina. The province is named after the Jesuit missions, which were established in the area. Of the 15 reducciones established in Argentina, 11 were located in the present Misiones Province.
Misiones is said the place of best geographical environment and can trace its origins back to prehistoric times. It enjoys a very positive reputation with worldwide travelers.
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