Argentina FAQ: Commonly Asked Questions

Argentina, the world’s seventh largest country by area, sprawls across a significant portion of South America, extending from the Southern Andes to the Atlantic Ocean.

This diverse nation is renowned for the untamed beauty of Patagonia where there are Instagram-worthy views everywhere you look.

Penguins gracefully waddle along the southern Atlantic shores, and majestic whales can be observed in their natural habitats.

Argentina boasts the world’s largest waterfall system, Iguazu Falls, surrounded by lush Atlantic jungle.

The world’s southernmost city, Ushuaia provides access to the pristine wilderness of Antarctica.

Argentina is a bread basket and is a leading exporter of beef, corn and soy.

The nation is also renowned for its high-quality beef, its obsession with yerba mate, and iconic figures, such as the late Evita Perón, Pope Francis, the GOAT of soccer, Lionel Messi.

As the world’s fifth largest exporter of wine, Argentina is increasingly recognized for its exquisite wines, perfect for sipping while taking in Mendoza’s beauty at the foot of Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas.

Argentina has a unique character shaped by its history of receiving immigrants, primarily from Europe.

Dating back to the days when rugged gauchos freely roamed the vast pampas, the country retains a maverick spirit that can express itself in baffling currency, protests that chokehold the capital or spontaneous National Holiday so the whole nation can mourn the loss of Diego Maradona.

And there is something else that no Argentine will want you to forget for years to come: Argentina’s 2022 World Cup win. ⚽️

Where is Argentina? 


Argentina is at the tip of South America, at the southernmost and southeast end,
It takes up practically all of the southern cone of South America. 

What is Argentina Known For Around the World?


Argentina is known for tango, soccer, gaucho (cowboy) culture, quality beef, and wine.

It is also celebrated for its European-like capital city and world class arts. In the geopolitical sphere, it’s known for its turbulent political landscape and startling economic decline (known as the Argentine Paradox) during the last ninety years.

How large is Argentina? 

Argentina is the eighth largest country in the world.

Argentina covers an area of 2,766,890 square kilometers (1,068,296 square miles).

It is the second largest country in South America, after neighboring Brazil to the north.

What is the population of Argentina?

Argentina’s population is just over 45 million.

The country has a large geographic size and relatively small population.

Argentina is the 32nd most populous nation in the world.

What kind of terrain does Argentina have?

Argentina contains diverse terrain.
There are massive plains known as the pampas, tundra, majestic mountains, glaciers, dense jungles, deserts, many lakes and waterways and a large Atlantic coastline.

Argentina lays claim to Las Malvinas (Falkland Islands) and part of Antarctica, although these claims are not universally recognized.

What is the weather like in Argentina?

There are eleven different climate regions in Argentina according to the Köppen climate classification system.

Temperatures and precipitation levels vary widely throughout the country.

Argentina’s climate ranges from the humid tropical regions in the very north to polar tundra kissing Antartica at the southern most point of the country.

A large swath of the country, including the River Plate region, including the capital Buenos Aires, Mesopotamia and much of the pampas, enjoy a mild climate.

What is Argentina’s economy like?


Argentina is the second commercial and industrial center of South America after Brazil.

One hundred years ago it was a prosperous country. Although it has been plagued with economic instability since the 1930s, it is considered an emerging upper middle income economy by the World Bank.

Argentina ranks 71st in Gross Domestic Product per capita. Argentina is self sufficient in petroleum and natural gas.

More than one third of the country lives below the poverty line.

Despite poverty, literacy and its Human Development Index are high.

What are Argentina’s main industries?

Argentina’s three main business sectors are agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism.

A bread basket, Argentina is one of the leading exporters of beef, soy, corn, citrus fruits, wheat and honey.

The country is rich in national resources. Mining makes up 3.6% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

What is the ethnic makeup of Argentina?

Argentina was conquered by the Spanish empire.
Interracial coupling with the indigenous population and African slaves and their descendants began during the Spanish colonial period and has continued over centuries.

Argentina is known for its European influence because of the Great European immigration wave to Argentina, which peaked between 1880 and 1930 and was second only to the United States.

Due to its relatively small population, 19th and 20th century immigration rapidly changed the country’s ethnographic landscape.

Italian became the second most common ethnic origin. Others immigrated from other European countries including England, France, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Wales and Yugoslavia.

The first wave of southwest Asians came to escape the Ottoman Empire. Today, Lebanese and Syrians comprise the third largest immigrant group in modern Argentina, totaling 3.5 million people.

A quarter of a million Ukrainians arrived in three different immigration waves.

There are 38 indigenous tribes in Argentina. Less than 2% of the country identify as indigenous.

Argentina has the 6th largest Jewish population in the world and the largest in Latin America.

Today one percent of Argentina’s population is Asian. There were several waves of Chinese and Taiwanese immigrants. Japanese immigrants, particularly from Okinawa, came to country in 60s and 70s.

Today, the majority of Argentines are considered mostly a mix European and Amerindian descent.

Once genetic tests become popular in Argentina, those whose families have been in Argentina for generations will likely discover they have a small percentage of ancestors from other regions as well.

What language do they speak in Argentina?

Argentina does not have an official language but Spanish is the de facto official language.
Argentina has a unique Spanish with some unusual vocabulary, including the widely used slang, lunfardo

Argentine Spanish in the River Plate region is characterized by its Italian intonation, thanks to the many Italian immigrants who came to the country decades ago.>

Do People Speak English in Argentina?

English is Argentina’s most widely studied and spoken second language, with 2.8 million English speakers in the country.

There are about 100,000 native English speakers in the country.

What is the capital of Argentina?

Argentina’s capital is Buenos Aires. It is one of Latin America’s most cosmopolitan cities.

Is Buenos Aires a Large City?

Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires is considered a megacity.
Buenos Aires’ metropolitan area has a population of 13.5 million people.
The city of Buenos Aires has a population of three million people.

What is Buenos Aires Known For?

Buenos Aires is often referred to as ‘the Paris of the South’ because city planners emulated the style of Paris when designing the city.
Large boulevards branch out from imposing government buildings, meeting in diagonals. There are an abundance of plazas and beautiful parks, many designed by French landscapers, Carlos Thays.
Locals know that Buenos Aires is the true city that never sleeps. It is celebrated for it’s rich culture and arts scene.

The Colón theater is considered one of the top opera houses in the world.

Excellent museums such as MALBA and the National Fine Arts Museum attract millions of international visitors.

Contemporary art can be explored at galleries such as Fundación Proa, Fundación Amalia Lacroze de Fortabat, and at the swanky annual ArteBa Contemporary Art Fair.

The Kirchner Cultural Center (CCK) in the beautifully restored central post office downtown is the fourth largest cultural center in the world.

Other well-known cultural centers with ongoing events include the La Boca neighborhood’s Usina del Arte, the Jorge Borges Cultural Center (CCB) in Galerias Pacifico.

What are Argentina’s other major cities?

Cordoba, 700 km (435 mi) northwest of Argentina in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas mountains of Central Argentina has many universities and is the second largest city in Argentina.

Rosario, a city lined along the Paraná River, is the country’s third largest city. 

The lovely wine capital of Mendoza, with its stunning views of the Andes, is the fourth largest city in Argentina.

La Plata, the capital of the province of Buenos Aires, is the fifth largest city. It is 52 kilometers (32 miles) from Buenos Aires and was also designed in the Parisian style.

More Frequently Asked Questions:

• Dining Out & Tipping

Argentina’s Cuts of Meat

• How to export art out of Argentina

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