Argentina

Introduction

In the sixteenth century, Spanish explorers visited the region that is now Argentina; in 1580, they established a permanent colony in what is now Buenos Aires. In 1776, Spain created the Vice-Royalty of Río de la Plata, and Argentina became a flourishing port and an integral part of the Empire. In 1816, the United Provinces of the Rio Plata declared their independence from Spain. Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay vacated the region, and the area that remained became Argentina. Argentina’s population and culture were influenced greatly by European immigrants, particularly those from Italy and Spain. Combined, from 1860 to 1930, they provided the largest percentage of immigrants to the young country.

Geography

Argentina is the second largest country in Latin America, its 2,780,400 sq. km occupies most of the southern part of the South American continent. It is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the east and south; its neighbors are Brazil and Uruguay to the northeast and east,...