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General Information:

The country of Argentina second-largest country in South America, or The Argentine Republic, is located in the southern region of South America between Chile and Uruguay, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean. Slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US, Argentina is 2,766,890 square kilometers in area. Argentina borders Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The capital, Buenos Aires, lies in the eastern part of Argentina, slightly northwest from Uruguay. The currency is Argentine pesos (ARS) and one Argentine Peso is worth 3.06 American Dollars.

Demographics:

Land: Argentina consists of rich plains in northern half, flat to rolling plateau in south, and rugged terrain along the western border. Argentina has a 4,989 km coastline bordering the South Atlantic Ocean. The highest point is the Cerro Aconcagua, which is 6,960 m high and the lowest point is the Salinas Chicas, located on the Valdes peninsula is 40 m high. Cerro Aconcagua is South America’s tallest mountain, and the Valdes Peninsula is the lowest point on the continent. The natural resources are fertile plains of the Pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, and uranium. The land use is 9.14% arable land, 0.8% permanent crops, and 90.06% other. There is 15,610 sq km of irrigated land. Some current environmental issues are deforestation, soil degradation, desertification, air pollution, and water pollution.

Climate: The climate in Argentina is mostly temperate, arid in the southeast, and subantarctic in the southeast. In northern Argentina, summer days will be around 90F degrees and nights around 70F degrees. In the winter, the temperature ranges from 40F degrees to 60F degrees. Tierra del Fuego, at the southern tip of Argentina, is almost always cold and/or rainy, with summer highs in the 50s-60s F and temperatures well below freezing in the winter. Generally, the best time to go is October-April (the seasons are reversed from the Northern Hemisphere). To lie on the beach, go December-March; to ski, go July-October.

Government and economy:

In Argentina, the government is republic. The official name of Argentina is The Argentine Republic. The capital of Argentina is Buenos Aires. The national holiday is Revolution Day, on May 25, the day it decided (in 1810) to free itself from Spain. Argentina gained its independence on July 9th, 1810 from Spain. Their Constitution was written May 1, 1853. Argentina’s industries include food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, and steel. Its agricultural products are mainly sunflower seeds, lemons, soybeans, grapes, corn, tobacco, peanuts, tea, wheat, and livestock. It exports $26.7 billion of edible oils, fuels and energy, cereals, feed, and motor vehicles annually.

People:

37,812,817 people call Argentina home, and it has a growth rate of 1.05%. Argentina’s official language is Spanish, although many citizens speak English, French, German, and Italian. 92% of the population consider themselves Roman Catholic, although less than 20% of these actually practice the religion, 2% are protestant, 2% Jewish, and 4% other. Their literacy rate is 96.2%. The ethnic groups are white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo, Amerindian, or other nonwhite groups 3%.

Customs:

Argentina is like a European country. The people of Argentina are very proud of their country, not only of its recoveries from economical failures but also of it’s past glories. Argentinean people are hard working, business days usually start around 9 a.m. Politeness and manners are very important and anyone who does not mind their act is disliked. Sports are a favorite topic, especially the ups and occasional downs of Argentina’s football (to North Americans, soccer) teams. Fishing, hunting, skiing, food, and wine are other good topics. Argentines place a high value on individuality. Argentines are warm and effusive. They may touch each other when speaking, and they maintain little physical distance between speakers, much less than is customarily maintained in many other cultures.

Celebrations/holidays:

Argentinean Celebrations:

January 1         New Year’s Day

March or April         Good Friday, Easter

May 1         Labor Day

May 25         Anniversary of the First National Government

June 20         Day of the Flag

July 9         Independence Day

August 17         Anniversary of the Death of General José de San Martin

October 12         Columbus Day

December 25         Christmas

One of the major celebrations in Argentina is the “Carnival”. Mainly during Carnival, people dress up, dance, and sing. It is a time to have fun and be wild. Other major celebrations include Independence Day, the anniversary of the declaration of independence from Spain in 1816, and Revolución de Mayo, or Revolution of May (25th), celebrates the revolution on this day in 1810. Christmas is also a major event. Argentineans celebrate New Year’s Eve with fireworks. They dance to music and have fun.

Foods:

Argentineans have great taste and they have delicious foods. Argentineans like meats, and like other countries near it, they use a lot of spices. Argentinean foods are heavily influenced by European foods and in particular by Italian and Spain foods. Typical meals include different kinds of pasta, mashed potatoes, and a number of meat dishes. Traditional Argentine foods are Milanesa, Empanadas, Asado, Locro, Dulce de Leche, and Mondongo.

Miscellaneous information

In Argentina, soccer is a very famous sport. It is enjoyed by all ages and played everywhere in Argentina. Argentina’s national soccer team is very good.