Argentina

Map of Argentina

ARGENTINA: Quick Facts

Spanish is the main language of Argentina

92% of the population is Roman Catholic

Highest mountain in the world outside of

Asia: Aconcagua (6960m)

ARGENTINA: Location

Long border with Chile to the west

To the north: Paraguay and Bolivia

Brazil and Uruguay are to the northeast

Eastern coast lies on the Atlantic Ocean

Southern tip reaches nearly to Antarctica

Argentina: Geography

The Andes, popular with tourists for

skiing and hiking, dominate the

western part of Argentina.

ARGENTINA: Geography

A large plateau called Patagonia lies to the south and east of the Andes. There is little economic activity here due to poor soil and low rainfall.

ARGENTINA: Geography

The most fertile area of Argentina is a vast treeless plain known as the pampas. The soil is rich and climate is mild: perfect for grains and ranching.

ARGENTINA: Economy

The pampas are perfect for ranching and farming, making beef, sugarcane, wheat, soybeans and corn the major farm products of Argentina.

ARGENTINA: Economy

The pampas and the northeast are covered with estancias, or ranches, worked by gauchos. These cowhands are a symbol of Argentina.

ARGENTINA: Economy

Argentina is the most industrialized country in South America. Manufactured goods include: food products, automobiles, chemicals, textiles, books and magazines.

Rich mineral resources also boost the economy: there are major oil fields in Patagonia and other minerals (zinc, iron, copper, tin and uranium) are found in the Andes.

ARGENTINA: People

Roughly 80% of Argentina's people live in cities and towns.

Most of the population can be found on the pampas and in the area around Buenos Aires. The Andean region and Patagonia have harsh climates, making life there difficult.

ARGENTINA: People

Argentina was originally settled by the Spanish in the 16th century.

As in other areas settled by Europeans, the native population was killed off, mostly by disease.

Argentina became independent from Spain in 1816. Independence was difficult, but most of the 19th century was prosperous for Argentina.

ARGENTINA: People

The 20th century was difficult for Argentina. The military controlled the country, often imposing harsh rule on the people.

Today, Argentina is a democratic republic, with a political system very similar to the United States.

There are 23 provinces and a federal district—Buenos Aires, the capital. The national government is stronger than the provinical governments.

ARGENTINA: People

During the 19th century, there was a boom in European immigration to Argentina, mostly from Spain and Italy.

Today, about 85% of Argentinians are of European descent. Spanish is spoken, by many words have been borrowed from Italian.

ARGENTINA: People

Buenos Aires, home to nearly 12 million people, is very European in design, with wide streets, theatres and shops.

The people call themselves porteños, which means “people of the port”.