36 Amazing Facts About Argentina

Argentina is a country that is located within the south American continent. It is widely known for its captivating culture, which almost anyone could be enticed by. Its Culture is rich and is a blend of European and South American cultures. Argentinian culture is spreaded in lots of areas from dance to language and it has very unique sides which makes the culture extremely interesting. The number of spoken languages in Argentina is at least 40, although Spanish is dominant. República Argentina is a country that consists of high mountains, flat plains, Jungles and beautiful landscapes. So lets dive into these Interesting facts about Argentina.

1. Argentina shares a land border with five countries. The neighbouring countries are Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay, Chile and Paraguay.
2. The country is the 2nd largest country in the south American continent and the 8th largest in the world.
3. Argentina, also known as the Argentine in English, is derived from the Latin Argentum, which means “silver,”. The Latin word “Argentum” comes from the old Greek-Hellenic word “argyro(s),” o() meaning silver.
4. The official name of the country is Argentine Republic (República Argentina) which was adopted by the national constitution in the year 1853.
5. Hornero is the National animal/National bird of the country. It is a medium-sized ovenbird which is also known as the red ovenbird.

   

6. In 1913, Argentina was the 10th wealthiest country on the globe. However, the economy started deteriorating in the 1930s.
7. Argentina has a unique flag with the sun in the centre of its flag. The flag was adopted in the year 1812 when the country gained its independence from Spain. The yellow sun is known as the sun of may which denotes the revolution of 1810 which lead to independence.
8. Many inventions took place on Argentine soil. Some of them are the first modern ballpoint pen, the bus, Hesperidina cocktail, First artificial heart, Coronary artery bypass Surgery, Blood transfusion and self-discharging needle or Syringe.
9. Santiago del Estero is the oldest city in Argentina which is about 455 years old. It is the 12th biggest city in the country and was the first one to be founded by the Spanish settlers.
10. Argentina is well-known for football (soccer) and polo, but the game that has been enshrined in law as the country’s official national sport since 1953 is a little less well-known. It’s called “pato” (Spanish for “duck“), but it has nothing to do with racing birds and is more of an energetic game with the use of horses than its name suggests. Pato is somewhat a fusion of Polo and Basketball.

    

11. Fingerprinting was first invented on this land. Juan Vucetich was an Argentine chief police officer who invented the first method of keeping fingerprints on file back in the year 1892.
12. Argentina’s poverty originated from the Argentine government’s unrestrained spending. The massive fiscal deficit caused by government spending and failed attempts to revitalise the Argentine economy resulted in massive inflation. Argentina poverty rate in the year 2019 was 14.40%, which was a 2.1% increase from 2018.
13. The lowest point of the western hemisphere also lies in Argentina only. Laguna del Carbón is a saltwater lake in Corpen Aike Department, Santa Cruz Province of Argentina. It has an elevation of -105 m which is the lowest point in the entire western hemisphere and the 7th lowest point on earth.
14. Argentina is home to the world’s first animated movie. On 9 November 1917, the premiere of the first Argentinian animation feature took place. The name of the film was “El Apostol” and was produced by Quirino Cristiani. However, the film was lost after a fire broke in the producer’s studio in the year 1926.
15. Cerro Aconcagua, also known simply as Aconcagua, is a mountain in Argentina near the border with Chile. It is the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere. It stands at a height of more than 6,706 metres (22,000 feet).

    

16. In 2019, Argentina was the world’s biggest exporter of Soybean Meal ($8.81 Billion), Soybean Oil ($3.38 Billion), Bran ($292 Million), Other Vegetable Residues and Waste ($232 Million), and Ground Nut Oil ($131 Million).
17. The top exports of the country in 2019 were Soybean Meal ($8.81 Billion), Corn ($6.19 Billion), Delivery Trucks ($3.83 Billion), Soybeans ($3.47 Billion), and Soybean Oil ($3.38 Billion). The highest exporting countries were Brazil ($10.3 Billion), China ($6.94 Billion), United States ($4.44 Billion), Chile ($3.15 Billion), and Vietnam ($2.83 Billion).
18. The top imports of Argentina were Cars ($2.33 Billion), Refined Petroleum ($2.25 Billion), Vehicle Parts ($2.07 Billion), Petroleum Gas ($1.54 Billion), and Soybeans ($1.38 Billion). The main importing countries are Brazil ($9.85 Billion), China ($8.47 Billion), the United States ($6.82 Billion), Germany ($2.73 Billion), and Paraguay ($1.74 Billion).
19. Argentina’s national football team is one of the most successful in the world, having won two World Cups in 1978 and 1986. Argentina has finished second three times: in 1930, 1990, and 2014. The team appeared in all but four World Cups, trailing Brazil, Italy, and Germany in terms of appearances.
20. Ushuaia city of Argentina is the southernmost city on the planet. It was first settled by an English missionary in 1870.

    

21. The country is the highest consumer of red meat in the world with annual consumption per capita of 41.60 kg.
22. The country has 11 UNESCO World heritage sites out of which five are natural heritage sites whereas six are cultural heritage sites.
23. One in every 30 Argentinians is estimated to have undergone plastic surgery, making the country the third most operated in the world after the United States and Mexico.
24. Abortion was illegal in the country until December 2020 when the abortion law was passed by the National Congress of Argentina. According to the law, it is legal to abort a child in the first 14 weeks of gestation.
25. YERBA MATE is the national drink of the country, it is a traditional caffeine-infused rich drink made from dried leaves of the holly species Ilex paraguariensis in hot water.

    

26. There was an instance in the fiscal year 2001-2002 when five different presidents were appointed in just a time period of 14 days.
27. Argentina was the first Latin American country to legalise same-sex marriage, the second in the Americas, and the second in the Southern Hemisphere. It was the tenth country in the world to do so.
28. According to a recent study, almost one in every 10 Argentine teenage girls suffers from clinical anorexia or bulimia which are eating disorders.
29. Radio is an important aspect of Argentina’s media and culture. The first radio broadcast in the world happened in Argentina only. Since the 1930s, radio has been widely enjoyed in the country. There were approximately 150 active AM stations, 1,150 FM stations, and 6 registered shortwave transmitters.
30. The Perito Moreno Glacier of Argentina is a 250 km2 (97 sq mi) ice formation which is the third-largest reserve of fresh water on planet earth.

    

31. The country has the highest number of psychologists per capita in the world With approximately 198 psychologists per 100,000 inhabitants, with Buenos Aires accounting for approximately 46 per cent of the total.
32. The largest dinosaur ever discovered was discovered in Argentina. Argentina has discovered the oldest titanosaur fossils. Titanosaurs are a type of dinosaur that may have been the largest animals to ever walk the Earth’s surface.”It is the world’s oldest record, not just from Argentina.”
33. Argentina comes on the third spot worldwide in terms of native Spanish speakers. Around 44.94 Million people speak Spanish as their primary language.
34. The Avenida 9 de Julio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is the world’s widest avenue. Its incredible 110-meter span, 16 lanes of traffic, and landscaped medians take up an entire city block. Construction of this began in 1935 and was largely completed by the 1960s.
35. LIONEL Messi may be one of the most popular names in the football world, but he is unlikely to ever be Argentina’s most popular name. A new law in the hometown of Messi prohibits parents to name their children after him.

    

36. Argentina holds the largest Italian population outside of Italy, with over one million Italians living there as of 2019.