Shaped like an upside-down triangle with its base at the top, Argentina occupies most of the southern part of South America. Within Latin America, Argentina is second biggest in area to Brazil. The capital of Argentina is Buenos Aires. GeographyArgentina covers an area of more than 1 million square miles (2.6 million square kilometers). It is bordered by Chile on the west and south, Bolivia and Paraguay on the north, and Brazil, Uruguay, and the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Argentina can be divided into four major regions: the Andes, the North, the Pampas, and Patagonia. The Andean region extends some 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) along the western edge of the country, forming most of the natural boundary with Chile. It is subdivided into the Northwest and the Patagonian Andes. The Andes are dominated by Mount Aconcagua, the country's highest peak at 22,831 feet (6,959 meters). The North also has two divisions: the Gran Chaco, an area of dry lowlands between the Andes and the Paraná River, and Mesopotamia, an area between the Paraná and Uruguay rivers. The centrally located plains, or Pampas, are grasslands. The Pampas are the homeland of the famous Argentine gaucho, or cowboy. Patagonia is the cold, dry, windy region that extends some 1,200 miles (1,900 kilometers) south of the Pampas, from the Colorado River to Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of the continent. Sizable rivers flow across Argentina. The northeast is drained by the Paraguay and Paraná rivers. In the northeast is also the Uruguay River, which forms Argentina's border with both Uruguay and Brazil. On the Iguazú River in the north is one of the world's great waterfalls, the Iguazú Falls. Argentina lies in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, the seasons are reversed from those in North America. Winter occurs during June, July, and August. Summer extends from January through March. Since most of Argentina is close to the Atlantic Ocean, seasonal temperature changes are small. More than two thirds of Argentina is too dry to support agriculture without the use of irrigation. In these dry regions, occasional short, heavy rains produce flash floods. At other times, dust storms cover large areas. Plants and animals - Palm trees grow on grassland in the Gran Chaco area of Argentina.
Argentina's vegetation varies widely from region to region. There are forests on the slopes of the Andes, thorn forests and cactus in the Gran Chaco, and areas of rain forest in the Mesopotamia region. In the Pampas there are knee-high grasses in the humid section and drought-resistant scrub forests in the dry section. Patagonia contains zones of broadleaf Andean forests and, east of the Andes, of steppe and desert. The animal life is also quite varied. In the northwest live the guanaco, llama, alpaca, and vicuna. The rich wildlife of the Gran Chaco includes deer, peccaries, monkeys, tapir, jaguars, pumas, ocelots, armadillos, capybaras, and agoutis. The vast birdlife includes rheas, which are protected by a refuge in the area. Streams have numerous fish species, including piranhas, and snakes and reptiles abound. Mesopotamia is a habitat for jaguars, monkeys, deer, tapir, peccaries. In the Pampas vast herds of cattle, as well as horses, have virtually taken over, and many native animal populations have dwindled. A local phenomenon near the southern tip of the continent is species of parrots and canaries, which are more commonly associated with the tropics than with Patagonia. People and cultureAmerican Indians were the first people in Argentina. Today, however, only 3 percent of Argentinians are Indians and mestizos (of mixed European and American Indian ancestry). The rest are of European descent. These immigrants can trace their roots back to Spain, Italy, France, Poland, Russia, Germany, and Great Britain. Spanish is the national language in Argentina. Numerous foreign languages and dialects, from Basque and Sicilian to Welsh and Gaelic, are also spoken. The vast majority of Argentinians are Roman Catholics. Protestants and Jews make up the rest of the population. Until the 19th century, the culture of Argentina was mainly adopted from Spain. Many public buildings reflect Spanish architectural styles. The folk music of Argentina consisted largely of sad songs sung to the guitar as an accompaniment. This music became a prominent part of the tango—Argentina's major contribution to popular music. EconomyArgentina's economy is one of the more powerful in Latin America. It is dominated by manufacturing and agriculture, though service industries have grown increasingly important. The country's income from tourism is second in the region only to that of Mexico. Argentina is one of the world's chief exporters of food and other farm products. Its chief crop is wheat. Corn (maize), soybeans, and sugarcane are also grown. The country's vast pasturelands make Argentina a world leader in the raising of livestock. Argentine industry is well served by the country's abundance of energy resources. Oil deposits are scattered throughout the country. The main natural gas fields are in the northwest, near Campo Durán (Salta Province) and Mendoza, and in Patagonia. Other mineral reserves are generally small and widely scattered. These include lead, zinc, tungsten, beryllium, and manganese. A wide range of nonmetallic minerals, however, is found throughout the country. Salt deposits are located on the western and southwestern edges of the Pampas. Materials such as clay, limestone, granite, and marble supply the construction industry. Argentina receives its electrical power mainly through hydroelectric stations. It also has several nuclear plants and is one of Latin America's main producers of nuclear power. HistoryBefore the arrival of the Europeans, American Indians occupied the area of what is now known as Argentina. In 1516 Spaniards arrived in the region. They founded the colonies of Buenos Aires in 1536 and Santa Fe in 1573. IndependencePolitically, Argentina remained a divided and subordinate part of the Viceroyalty of Peru until 1776. The independence movement in Argentina began in 1806, when British troops occupied Buenos Aires. Deserted by the Spanish viceroy, the people of Buenos Aires, or porteños, ousted the British by themselves. After Napoleon I conquered Spain, colonial resistance to Spanish rule spread in Latin America. The porteños set up a revolutionary government in 1810. The new United Provinces of the Río de la Plata declared its independence in 1816. Several years of fighting followed before the Spanish were finally defeated. Juan Manuel de Rosas seized power in 1829. A cruel ruler, he was overthrown in 1852. In 1853 Argentina became a federal republic. During the next several decades, the nation's economy expanded. In 1880 General Julio Roca became president. Other presidents of that era were Bartolomé Mitre (1862–68) and Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (1868–74), who developed public education. 20th century and beyondArgentina remained neutral during World War I (1914–18). The state of the economy after the war and growing corruption in government led to a military coup in 1930. Thereafter General José Félix Uriburu became president. Colonel Juan Perón was elected president in 1946. He fled the country in 1955, however, when the armed forces rebelled. Perón came back to power for a short time in the 1970s. He died in 1974 and was succeeded by his third wife, María Estela (Isabel) Martínez de Perón. She was the first woman head of state in South America. The military seized power in Argentina in 1976. In the years that followed, the military government imprisoned, tortured, and killed suspected enemies of the state. More than 10,000 citizens died in what became known as the Dirty War. In 1982 Argentine troops were defeated by the British forces while fighting for control of the Falkland Islands, which lie 300 miles (480 kilometers) off the east coast of Argentina. The Falklands had been controlled by Great Britain since 1833, but Argentina also claimed the islands. Argentina was soundly defeated. After the war, the military gave up power and permitted an election in 1983. The civilian (nonmilitary) presidents of the 1980s and early 1990s helped improve human rights and the economy in Argentina. In the late 1990s and early 21st century, however, the country experienced a long period of economic decline. High rates of poverty and unemployment led to protests throughout the nation. Population (2001 estimate), 37,487,000. |