Argentum – Silver (Lat.)

The name Argentina, comes from the Latin word for silver, argentum, and goes all the way back to the indigenous people who gave silver objects to the Spanish conquerors as presents. Legends Sierra del Platta grew up around these silver gifts and worked their way back with the early Spanish explorers.

Argentina is the second largest country in South America with a total area of 1,078,000 square miles. Its climate ranges from subtropical in the North to sub-Antarctic in the Southern region of Patagonia. A 2,899-mile coastline frames it on the east and the Andes Mountains on west.

The People
Argentina has a population of 39.92 million people with citizens of European descent making up the majority of the population. The Genetic Department of the University of Buenos Aires estimates that 56% of the Argentine population has at least one Amerindian ancestor.

After the Spanish colonists, waves of Europeans from Italy, Spain and France made
their way to Argentina during the late nineteenth and on into the mid-twentieth century. A significant number of immigrants also arrived from Germany, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Greece, Lebanon, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Eastern European countries.

Government
Argentina’s government is a federal presidential representative democratic republic. It has a multi-party system and a president who serves as both head of state and head of government. Presidents are elected for a four-year term and can only serve two consecutive terms in office. The current president is Cristina Fernández de Kirchner á

The country has three distinct branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial at both the national and provincial levels. Its National Congress consists of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies and the government actually mandates that one-third of all candidates presented by the political parties must be women. The Argentine Supreme Court of Justice has seven members who are appointed by the President in consultation with the Senate and the remainder appointed by the Council of Magistrates of the Nation.

Language
Although Spanish is the official language of Argentina, you’ll find that English, Italian, German and French are also spoken. Argentinean Spanish has some differences from the Spanish spoken in Spain, especially in areas around the Rio de la Plata, which includes Buenos Aires. The dialect here is the Rioplatense Spanish dialect, a Castellano form of Spanish with influences of French, Italian and English. It is pronounced with a slight Italian accent. However, North of Buenos Aires, the accent is most like that of other Latin American Spanish.

Culture
Argentina is a fusion of many different cultures including those of Italy, France, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, and Austria. Today, its large urban areas are home to museums, cinemas and galleries. Art and music have European as well as Amerindian and African influences, while the architectural styles can be traced mostly to European and Spanish colonial preferences.

Some say that Buenos Aires is the most European city in South America; many compare it to Paris. While most of its cultural traditions are European, there are still Amerindian customs, such as sharing a traditional drink called Mate that have spread throughout contemporary life in the country. Another non-European influence is the Gaucho, who can be compared to American cowboy or the Mexican vaquero.

From classical music to the universally popular tango and from the more elite polo to soccer the people of Argentina love music, dance and sports. They are also very literate. The Buenos Aires International Book Fair is the largest festival in Latin America and attracts more than 1 million readers.

Business and Economy
In recent years the banking system in Argentina has begun to see a dramatic rebound from the string of economic crisis that plagued it during most of the last century. The country’s currency is the Argentine Peso, which is equal to about 32 cents.

Argentina is a member of the World Trade Organization and its top two trade partners are Brazil and the United States. This South American country is one of the major food producers in the world; it is a leading producer of beans, corn, meat, milk, wheat, and soybeans. It also has diversified industrial base.