Argentina has implied evidence of really, really early humans – cut marks on animal bones indicate butchering by using stone tools (a human activity) 21,000 years ago. Authentic human bones are a relatively new find, only 11,000 years old.
Hunters, gatherers, potters, cave artists and farmers settled down to make something of themselves on a huge swath of land that stretches from Bolivia to the polar southern tip of South America – through plains, rainforests, grasslands, glaciers and mountains.
In the high-altitude northwest of the world’s 8th largest country, Argentinians are on the cutting edge of modernity. They already pioneered a vast electric train network in Buenos Aires, and now have the Quebrada solar electric tourist train connecting five historic villages. The trains run on solar energy, operating a sustainable transportation system that doesn’t rely on ships tiptoeing through the Strait of Hormuz to deliver them some oil.
This could be all good unless industry figures out how to put a meter on the sun – then we’re cooked.