Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A PORTRAIT OF
ARGENTINA
Behind Argentina's European veneer is a colorful, chaotic, and enchanting Latin
American nation. Passionate about their music, meat, and politics, the people
of the country are fun-loving and friendly. Its breathtaking range of landscapes
and distinct historical evolution, both during and since the Spanish conquest,
combine to make Argentina the exciting destination it is today.
Bounded by the towering Andes in the
west and the waters of the Atlantic to
the east, Argentina is the eighth-largest
country in the world, second in size only
to Brazil in Latin America. About a third
of the country's population lives in the
bustling capital, Buenos Aires, and its
sprawling suburbs. The rest of the country
is thinly populated, and lonely swathes of
the rural interior, especially in Patagonia,
are almost devoid of settlement.
Evidence of the country's Spanish
past abounds across Argentina. In the
16th century, Jesuits followed in the wake
of the conquistadors, converting natives
and building magnificent monuments to
their faith. Córdoba, Mendoza, and
La Plata most strongly reflect their
influence. Following land-grabbing
military campaigns in the 1870s and
1880s in the central and southern prov-
inces, many of Argentina's indigenous
peoples were wiped out. A wave of immi-
grants, mainly from Italy and Spain, swept
into the country, making it Latin America's
most Europeanized nation. The country's
history is intricately linked to the five
nations with which it shares its borders.
The landscapes and peoples of Argentina,
however, are utterly distinct, with most
argentinos
bearing a strong sense of
national identity.
Guanacos in Parque Nacional Perito Moreno against a backdrop of the Patagonian Andes
People passing a life-size mural on a street in Caminito, Buenos Aires
