Argentina is South America’s second largest country by land area, after Brazil, and its largest Spanish-speaking nation. The Andes Mountains stretch down its western edge, creating a natural border with Chile. A flat grassland region called the Pampas slopes gently from these mountains to the eastern Atlantic coast. In the north, an area of hot scrubland and forest, known as the Gran Chaco, extends into neighbouring Paraguay and Bolivia. Much of southern Argentina lies on a windy, exposed plateau known as Patagonia. At its southern tip are the rocky islands of Tierra del Fuego (the “Land of Fire", named after the Indian camp fires sighted by the Portuguese explorer Magellan). Most of Argentina has a temperate climate with warm summers and cold winters, but its northern regions are tropical, with hot, humid weather for much of the year.

People

Argentina is home to immigrants from many different countries. The majority of people are descended from Europeans—mainly from Spain, Italy and Germany—who started to arrive from the early 16th century. The late 19th century and early 20th century saw massive immigration from Europe, encouraged by the Argentine government. In recent years, people from Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Asia and the Middle East, have moved to Argentina.
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Unlike other South American countries, Argentina does not have a large indigenous population. Many of the country’s indigenous inhabitants, including Mapuche, Kolla and Toba peoples, died from diseases brought by European settlers or in wars following Spanish colonization. However, although only 1.5% of the population is purely indigenous, many Argentinians have some indigenous ancestry.

​​​​​​​Around a third of Argentina’s population lives in or around its huge capital, Buenos Aires. Historically a thriving port city, today Buenos Aires is a major cultural and commercial centre, and the most visited city in South America.

Economy

Argentina's economy is based on services such as banking, as well as its manufacturing, food-processing and agricultural industries. The processing of beef and other foods for export began in the early 20th century and is still an important industry. Today Argentinian factories also manufacture cars, chemicals and electrical parts. Grapevines were first brought to the country by the Spanish in the 16th century, and Argentina is the world's ninth-largest wine producer.

Pampas

The Pampas are fertile plains that cover much of northeastern Argentina (as well as most of Uruguay and southern parts of Brazil). The climate is mild, with cool winters and warm, humid summers. Natural grasslands, the Pampas have been long been used for both crop farming and raising cattle. In the 19th century, cowboys, known as gauchos, herded cattle on the vast estancias (ranches) of the Pampas. Even today, there are still a few gauchos herding cattle on horseback, although, because the grassland soils are so fertile, much of the old pastureland has now been turned over to arable use. The main crops are soya beans, wheat and maize.

Patagonia

The vast plateau of Patagonia is shared by Argentina and Chile. It features areas of desert and grassland, and is home to many wildlife species, such as guanaco and cougars. The region is extremely sparsely inhabited, averaging just 1.9 people per square kilometre (0.39 square miles). Those who do live there are usually farmers of sheep and other livestock.
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In southern Patagonia’s Chubut Province is a region called Y Wladfa Gymreig (meaning “The Welsh Colony”), which was settled by Welsh people who arrived in 1865 as part of an Argentine government scheme to populate the country. Today, 5000 people there speak a form of the Welsh language called Patagonian Welsh as their first language, while 25,000 speak it as a second language.

Facts about Argentina

Area 2,766,889 sq km (1,068,300 sq miles)

Population 47,067,441 (2024 estimate)

Highest point Cerro Aconcagua 6960 m (22,837 ft)

Capital Buenos Aires (metro area population 16,366,641)

Other major cities Córdoba (2.4 million), Rosario (1.75 million), Mendoza (1.03 million)

Languages Spanish (official language), Italian, Arabic, German, Yiddish, Guaraní, Wichí, Welsh

Religions Christian (Roman Catholic) 63%, Christian (other) 15%, none 21%, other 1%

Ethnicity White (including Spanish, Italian, French, Arab and German) 97%, indigenous 1.5%, other (including Chinese, Korean and Japanese) 1.5%

Currency Argentine peso (ARS)

Chief exports Soya beans and soya products, oil and petroleum, natural gas, vehicles, corn, wheat, gold, beef and poultry