Argentina

Tango, Messi and the glaciers of Patagonia

Argentina stretches to the southern tip of South America: rainforest in the north, glaciers near Antarctica in the south! It has the highest mountain in the Americas — Aconcagua (6,961 m) — and the Iguazu Falls. Argentinians invented the tango and adore football — Maradona and Messi come from here, and the team has won the World Cup 3 times. On the Pampas grasslands, gaucho cowboys herd cattle.

Capital: Buenos Aires. Language: Spanish.

The Argentine Republic covers 2.78 million km² (8th) with 46 million people (a third in Buenos Aires), mostly descended from European immigrants (Italians, Spaniards). Nature: the Andes (Aconcagua 6,961 m — the highest point in the Western and Southern Hemispheres), the Pampas (cattle), Patagonia (the Perito Moreno Glacier), Iguazu, Ushuaia — the world's southernmost city, Tierra del Fuego. History: the Incas (north), the Spanish from 1516, independence in 1816 (San Martín), 1880–1930 the 'breadbasket of the world' — one of the richest countries, 20th-century dictatorships and crises (Evita Perón), the 1982 Falklands War, democracy since 1983. Economy: soy, beef (1st in consumption per person), wine (Mendoza, Malbec), lithium (the 'lithium triangle'), frequent inflation. Culture: tango (UNESCO), Borges, football (Maradona, Messi — 2022 world champions), the 'Hand of God'. Gaucho culture and mate tea.

Fun facts

• Aconcagua (6,961 m) is the highest mountain outside Asia.
• Argentinians eat more meat than anyone — 50 kg per person a year.
• Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world, 1,000 km from Antarctica.