Argentina
Argentina stretches from steamy jungle in the north to the frozen edge of Antarctica in the south, and it is the birthplace of the tango.
- CapitalBuenos AiresIts people are called portenos, meaning port dwellers
- PopulationAbout 46 millionAround a third live in greater Buenos Aires
- Area2,780,400 km2Second largest country in South America
- Highest pointAconcagua, 6,961 mThe tallest mountain outside Asia
Argentina is long and thin, running roughly 3,700 km from the tropics to Tierra del Fuego at the continent's southern tip. In the middle lie the Pampas, vast flat grasslands where cattle graze and gauchos, the Argentine cowboys, became a national symbol.
To the west the Andes form the whole border with Chile, and Aconcagua stands 6,961 m high, the tallest mountain anywhere outside Asia. To the south is Patagonia: windswept, thinly populated, and full of glaciers that calve icebergs into pale blue lakes.
National symbols
- National bird Rufous hornero, which builds an oven-shaped mud nest
- National colours Light blue and white
- National anthem Himno Nacional Argentino (Translation: Argentine National Anthem)
- National day Independence Day, 9 July
Map of Argentina
Geography
Argentina covers 2,780,400 km2 and borders Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil and Uruguay, with a long Atlantic coast to the east.
The country divides into four: the subtropical north, the flat and fertile Pampas, the dry Patagonian plateau in the south, and the Andes down the western edge. The Perito Moreno glacier in Patagonia is one of the few glaciers in the world that is not shrinking.
Climate
Because Argentina is so long, its climate covers almost everything. The north is subtropical and humid, the Pampas are mild and good for farming, and Patagonia is cold, dry and famously windy.
Ushuaia, near the southern tip, is one of the southernmost towns on Earth, with cool summers and snowy winters. Seasons are reversed from Europe, so January is the height of summer.
Famous landmarks
There are numerous unusual landmarks, monuments, museums and buildings of interest in Argentina including the The Obelisk, Kavanagh building, Cabildo government house, Las Nereidas font, Metropolitan Cathedral, National Library, San Martin Palace.
Argentina is famous for being one of the most popular tourist destinations in South America. Its capital city of Buenos Aires is one of the most populous and busiest cities in the Americas. This country has some of the most stunning features, geographical points, historical sites and landmarks on the continent.
Culture
Spanish is the official language, spoken with a distinctive accent that sounds closer to Italian than to Spanish elsewhere, because millions of Italians settled here around 1900.
The tango began in the poor dockside neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires and became a worldwide dance. Football is close to a religion, and Argentina has won the World Cup three times. Around 62 per cent of Argentines are Christian, mainly Catholic.
History
The May Revolution marked the beginning of Argentina’s fight for independence from Spain. Legend has it that the outbreak of the revolution saw the sun breaking through the clouds which was said to be a good omen. The Spanish colony incorporated parts of Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia. The May Revolution is considered the first successful revolution in South America’s battle for independence.
Economy
The Pampas make Argentina one of the world's great food exporters: soybeans, maize, wheat, beef and wine, especially Malbec from the vineyards around Mendoza.
Argentina also has large reserves of shale gas and lithium, the metal used in the batteries that power phones and electric cars. Repeated economic crises and very high inflation have been a stubborn problem for decades.
The flag
The flag has three horizontal bands: light blue, white, then light blue again. The colours are said to come from the sky and the clouds, or from the ribbons worn by supporters of independence in 1810.
In the centre of the white band is the Sun of May, a golden sun with a human face and 32 alternating straight and wavy rays. It represents the Inca sun god Inti and marks the May revolution that began the fight for independence from Spain.
