Land, Lots of Land
So far, the articles in this blog have focused on Buenos Aires. BA only comprises a very small portion of the land in Argentina. The “Hinterlands” is the rest of the country. A very large portion of the Hinterlands is Patagonia. This region consists of 786,983 square kilometers and has less than 2,000,000 people. It is extremely close to Antarctica. Much of the region is barren shingle steppes. There are some other areas with more habitable terrain.
The region has volcanoes, glaciers and many lakes. The fossil record of the region shows a connection with Australia. Other characteristics link the region with Antarctica.
Patagonia is rich in mineral deposits and wildlife. Huge tracts of land can be bought for a small amount of money. The land is mostly good for cattle and sheep ranching and recreational use. There are ski resorts and hunting lodges. The thing to remember for people from the northern hemisphere is that the seasons are reversed in the Southern Hemisphere. While we are roasting, Patagonia is gripped by Antarctic winter. Temperatures sometimes plummet to below -35 degrees. Many areas are inaccessible for part of the year.
The name Patagonia was bestowed by Magellan. It was inspired by a character in a popular novel of the time. Patagón was a giant savage. The Indigenous people of the region had an average height of 5’11” and lived in primitive conditions. The average Iberian was 5’1”. The area became well known when it was visited by Charles Darwin on the HMS Beagle.
Real Estate investors are often impressed by the huge tracts of land that can be purchased for very small amounts of money. Unfortunately, most of the return is in the form of ego boost to people who like to own tracts of land that are larger than small countries. There is income to be made; but it is in most cases not commensurate with the costs of the property and the expense of access and using the property for production.
David Segrest, CIPS, CCIM, CEA, TRC
david@segrestrealty.com
http://www.segrestrealty.com
http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
