So a surprising number of people I've talked to don't know where Argentina or Buenos Aires is. (I'm looking at you, Sarah). Here's the basic overview, mostly accurate but don't hold me to that:
1. Big country in South America. If you look on a map at the southern peninsula, Argentina is the south-eastern and most of the central part. Go find a map, WAY too lazy to figure out how to post a picture here right now. Buenos Aires is along the little indentation at the top of Argentina's Atlantic coast, right south of Uruguay.
2. The name comes from the Latin Argentum or Silver because when settlers first arrived there they found silver. The area around Buenos Aires is La Plata Basin, which is the Spanish word for silver, and the main river in that area is Rio de la Plata.
3. They were originally a Spanish colony, blah blah boring colonial politics.
4. They have a history of having repressive governments, but apparently still increasing the quality of life. Juan Peron was a president, and his wife Eva is the one in Don't Cry for Me, Argentina.
5. National Reorganization Process is the group that was absolutely crazy in the 70's and regularly kidnapping and throwing sedated dissidents out of airplanes.
6. Fought over the Faulkland Islands with Britain (it's a little tiny piece of land with penguins), but this led to the downfall of their military regime and they started having free elections in 1983.
7. Almost everyone in Argentina was originally an immigrant, especially lots of European immigrants and/or people seeking political asylum. An overwhelming majority of the population considers itself to be of European descent.
8. The dialect spoken in La Plata Basin is Rioplatense, and I've heard from my sister that an Argentinian told her that using tu (the familiar you) is considered too formal. Wikipedia says they use vos, and oh my god that means I have to learn more verb forms.
9. Argentinians like tango!
Well, that's all the obligatory information. Seriously, if you're online you can just Wikipedia it. Here, I'll even help by providing a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentina
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