ARGENTINA

• A plain rising in the southern half of South America from the Atlantic

• Bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay on the north and Uruguay and Brazil on the east

• The world’s eighth largest country

• Covers an area of 1.1 million square m

LOCATION

GEOGRAPHY

• Provides the ocean coastline of the Atlantic

• It provides an important cultural

and economic connection for all of South America

There are six major regions:

•Cuyo & the Andean Northwest

•Mesopotamia & the Northeast

•Tierra del Fuego

•Patagonia and the Lake District

•The Pampas

•The Chaco

•Has a diversity of land and culture•South is arctic regions•North is forested jungle regions•West has rugged mountains regions

GOVERNMENT• Country name: The Argentine

Republic

• Capital is Buenos Aires

• Government type: Republic

• President is elected by popular vote to 4- year term

• Cabinet is appointed by the president

• Date of independence: July 9, 1816

• President is elected by popular vote to a 4 year term

• Cabinet is appointed by the president

• Supreme Court is appointed by the president with the consent of the Senate

The current president of Argentina is a woman; Christina Fernandez de Kirchner

•Population:  39,144,753 •Ethnic Make-up: white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, Amerindian, or other non white groups 3%

CURRENCY• Name: Peso• 1 Argentine peso = 0.257965 U.S.

dollars• Paper money comes in denominations

of: $2, $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 • There are 1 cent, 5 cents, 10 cents, 25

cents,  50 cents and 1 peso coins. The 5, 10, 25 and 50 cent coins have two versions: silver plated and golden.

1 cent 5 cents 10 cents

25 cents 50 cents 1 peso

2 pesos 5 pesos 10 pesos

20 pesos 50 pesos 100 pesos

NATURAL RESOURCES

• fertile plains of the pampas

• lead • zinc • tin• copper • iron ore• manganese • petroleum • uranium

SCHOOLING• Education in Argentina is

divided in three phases. • 1st comprises grades first to

ninth, and is called Educación General Básica or EGB ("Basic General Education")

• EGB is divided in three stages, called ciclos, (cycles)

• 2nd is secondary schooling called Polimodal

• 3rd is college education• funded by tax payers at all

levels except for the majority of graduate studies

Level Schools Teachers 1 Students

Initial 16,298 79,721 1,324,529

Primary 22,196 289,898 4,683,963

Secondary 22,080 133,225 3,372,411

Vocational 1,870 15,747 509,134

Universities 85 117,359 1,527,310

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Argentina

"the sovereign should be educated" - Domingo Sarmineto

HISTORY• Along with many nomadic tribes people, two main indigenous

groups existed in Argentina before the European arrival: Diaguita and Guarani

• The first Spaniard to land in Argentina was Juan de Solis

• The British attacked Buenos Aires in 1806 and 1807, but Spaniards fought off the attacks

• The French captured Spain’s King Ferdinand VIII

• Argentina fell completely under the rule of the local viceroyalty, which was highly unpopular. The locals rebelled against the viceroyalty and declared their allegiance to the captive king

• By 1816, the division between Argentina and its mother country had become quite apparent, and a party of separatists decided to declare the country's independence

http://www.geographia.com/argentina/history.htm

FAMILYFAMILY• The family is the center of

Argentine life with extended families still having prominence.

• The heads of powerful families command widespread respect, but with this comes a responsibility to care for others in terms of security, jobs, etc and to maintain personal and family honor.

• Children usually remain living at home until married

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS• Basílica de La Virgen de Luján

Historical National Monument The most visited site inside the Basilica is the Virgin Mary

• El Tigre Delta the starting point to hundreds of islands that form the Delta of the Paraná Also has a Casino and fruit market

• Parque de la Costa An amusement park with rides, mimes, clowns, dancers and laser shows

• Casino de Tigre Trilenium more than 60 gaming tables, roulettes, black jack, slots and a VIP lounge

• Colonia del Sacramento A small city founded by the Portuguese in 1680

For more information:

http://www.easybuenosairescity.com/activities1.htm

FOOD• The most popular meal is "el asado" or

"parrillada", a mixed grill of steaks and other meat cuts

• Most of the cities (excluding Buenos Aires) close for lunch time. This is when most people return home to enjoy a large meal.

• Traditional lunches in Argentina are long and well developed.

• Most of the popular food has European roots.

• Lots of meats, pastas and breads are included in an Argentina diet.

• Dulce de Leche is an Argentina delight. Its made from milk and used in almost all Argentina desserts. Lots of effort is put into the outward texture.

• Fruits, grains, and vegetables are very important in traditional Argentina food

•Argentina fruits and grains are part of a low cholesterol diet

•Fruits and vegetables are sold in large open markets in some parts of Argentina

•Alfajores: two round sweet biscuits joined together with dulce de leche or jam and covered with powdered sugar. In most alfajores there are two layers of cake, and a filling in between. (Seen below)

Other information and recipe’s found at:

http://www.popular-traditional-argentina-food.com/fruit.html