Argentina’s history is entangled with European history. The Europeans first arrived in Argentina in 1502 and established their own settlement in Buenos Aires. Throughout the next two hundred years settlements were established and then abandoned.

In 1816 Argentina wrote its own Declaration of Independence. Then, in 1856 they established a constitution that is still used today in the country. Today, the government is comprised of a President, Vice President and Supreme Court President. Argentina also has a legislature that contains Congress, Senate and a Chamber of Deputies.

Adults and children both travel home after lunch each day to take a siesta. Siestas are short naps that people all around the country partake in. During siestas many businesses and schools close down, and everyone in the country relaxes. There are even a few hotels in the capital city that rent rooms specifically for siestas.

Soccer is a very popular sport in Argentina. Kids and adults both get into the game and love to play it during their free time. Often kids will start up a game of soccer in the streets outside their house and play all evening with their friends.

Pampas are large grassy areas that the Argentinean people use to herd cattle. Many pampas are owned by gauchos, or cowboys. Gauchos herd cattle and ensure that all of their cows are properly fed and kept healthy.

Since Argentina is located in the Southern Hemisphere its climates are completely opposite than the climates in the Northern Hemisphere. When it is summer time in the United States, it is winter in Argentina.

Part of The Andes Mountain range is located in Argentina. The Andes Mountains are great tourists attractions and provide people with abundant hiking and camping lands.

The Argentinean people love to dance. Ballroom dancing is a great activity that many people partake in on a daily basis. Many ballroom dances originated in the country including the tango. Historically, the tango originated in the slaughterhouse district in Buenos Aires. At first, the elite citizens in Argentina looked down upon the dance, and thought of it as a dance of the poor people, however as their children began entering the ghettos of Buenos Aires in search of a good time the dance became popular. These teens brought the tango back to their friends and families and it immediately gained popularity throughout the country and the world.

Around 97% of Argentina’s population is home to people of European descent, while 1.5% of people are of Amerindian descent, 0.2% of people are of Asian descent and 1.5% of their population is classified as Mestizos.

Argentina is governed under a federal presidential constitutional republic, and established their government after declaring their independence from Spain on July 9, 1816.

Since declaring their independence they have grown to have the third-largest economy in South America. Their total nominal GDP is estimated to be $474.812 billion while their per capita GDP is around $11,572. Their nominal GDP ranks Argentina as having the 27th best economy in the world, while their GDP per capita is ranked 62nd.

The country is home to an abundance of natural resources, a growing agricultural sector and a booming industrial market.

Argentina is known as one of the highest literary countries in the world, and prides itself in producing highly literate citizens that can easily maneuver around and succeed in the global business world.

The very first animated film in the world was created by an Argentinean man. Quirino Cristiani created the film “El Apostol” in 1917. This film was 70 minutes long and had over 58,000 frames.

Argentina was the first country to utilize fingerprinting in order to determine if a person was guilty of a crime. The first instance of fingerprinting occurred after a particularly gruesome murder occurred in a small Argentinean town. The murder was not witnessed by anyone; however the murderer left a bloody fingerprint at the crime scene. The police used the bloody fingerprint to correctly identify the murderer.

Paleontologists flock to Argentina each year to participate in archeological digs. The oldest dinosaur species ever to be identified was traced back to both Argentina and Brazil. For this reason, many paleontologists travel to Argentina to search for more clues about this rare dinosaur and others.

In the Latin language the world Argentina means silver. The original European settlers believed that the country was full of silver, and established towns in the country in order to search for the precious metal. Unfortunately, no silver was ever found.

Argentina is the Latin American country that has the most Nobel Prize winners. Five people from Argentina have won Nobel Prizes in the categories of science and peace.

More Argentinean people utilize public transportation than driving their own cars.

El Dia de Tradicion is a festival that is celebrated around November 10th in Argentina each year. This festival celebrates the birth of Jose Hernandez, an Argentinean poet who is considered to be one of the greatest literary figures of the country. The festival is a weeklong and contains concerts, food, parades and parties.

The currency of Argentina is the Argentine peso. This was introduced to the country in 1992. Prior to this, the county had the Peso Ley, Escudos, Soles, and Reales.

The primary language of Argentina is Spanish. This language has been heavily influenced by immigrants, including Italian French settlers. English is quickly growing to become the second language, particularly in the metro areas of the country.