ARGENTINA 

Argentina, meaning “land of silver,” is a word derived from the Latin word, ‘argentum,’ and is the
name given to this South American country by the original European settlers who had heard a
legend in 1529 about a fabled mountain there made of silver. With its encompassing Andes
Mountains, glacial lakes, and pampas grasslands, and ​30 national parks​, Argentina is
geographically the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world. It has a population of over 42
million people in its 23 provinces and its capital, Buenos Aires, has a population of about 3
million people. By land area, Argentina is the second largest country in South America and is
the eighth largest country in the world. It contains the highest point in South America -- the
Cerro Aconcagua in the Andes -- and its region of Patagonia has one of the highest wind
potentials on earth. Plus, the Argentine city of Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world.

The official name of Argentina is the Argentine Republic. The country was settled in the 1500s
and emerged with a powerful government in the mid-1850s after declaring its independence
from Spain on July 9th, 1816. In 1913, Argentina was the 10th wealthiest country in the world.
The currency there is the peso, and the current President is Mauricio Macri, but in 2001,
Argentina had 5 presidents in 10 days! In Argentina, political parties have their own brands of
beer. Pope Francis, the current and 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church (which is the
dominant religion there) is native to Argentina and was once a bar bouncer.

In Argentina, people are friendly and like to have fun. Both men and women greet each other
with a kiss, and they even have a day called “Friends’ Day.” The most popular sport in Argentina
is soccer and they have won the World Cup twice, in 1978 and 1986. Since 2004, they had have
Lionel Messi on their team, who is ​considered the best player in the world and rated by many in the
sport as the greatest of all time. But, the national sport is Pato, which is played on horseback and is
like a cross between polo and basketball.

The Argentine cartoonist, Quino Grisanti, made and released the world’s first animated feature
film and the citizens spend more of their time listening to the radio than in any other nation.
Argentina is famous for its tango (dance and music), which originated in the slaughterhouse
district. Another point of fame is their steak, as Argentina is the 3rd largest beef exporter in the
world. It is also a leading producer of wine. But it’s not all fun and games in Argentina. At least 1
in 30 Argentines have undergone cosmetic surgery and 30% have eating disorders. Argentina
has the world’s second highest rate of anorexia, and it is said to have both the highest infidelity
rate and the highest divorce rate in South America.

The national animal of Argentina is the jaguar. Plus, it is home to the giant anteater, which has a
tongue that can grow up to 2 feet long. Another strange fact is that they give ferrets steroids at
birth, groom them, and then sell them as toy poodles. And finally,the oldest known dinosaur
species is tracked back to Argentina.