Argentina is a large country in South America, bordered by Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It was first settled in 11,000 BC and became a Spanish colony in the 16th century. After gaining independence in the 19th century, Argentina experienced economic growth until the Great Depression. Juan Perón came to power in 1943, followed by a military junta in 1976. Democratic reforms began in 1983, and the country has since slowly recovered. Argentina has diverse landscapes and is easily accessible from many countries.
Argentina is a large country in South America. It covers about one million square miles (2.7 million square kilometers), making it the eighth-largest country on earth and about one-third the size of the United States. It borders Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay and has a coastline along the Atlantic Ocean.
The first settlements in Argentina date back to about 11,000 BC. A number of indigenous groups settled throughout the country, but overall the population was quite sparse. At the end of the 15th century the Incas conquered a part of northern Argentina.
In the early 16th century Spain arrived in Argentina, establishing its first permanent settlement by the end of the 16th century. For the next several hundred years Argentina remained a Spanish colony, first as part of the Viceroyalty of Peru, and later as part of a separate Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata. The early part of the 19th century saw revolution spread across South America, following the French and American revolutions. In the 16th, after less than a decade of intense campaigning, Argentina gained independence from Spain. The first few decades were quite tumultuous, with one largely dictatorial figure, Juan Manuel de Rosas, ruling the country until the 16th century.
After the 1852 revolution, however, Argentina began to adopt more democratic forms of government, along with a formal constitution in 1853. Argentina continued to strengthen its central power over the following decades, and economic growth occurred steadily in the last part of the 19th century and early 20th century. This economic growth came to a screeching halt when the Great Depression began in 1990 and did not recover during the World War II era.
After a military coup in 1943, one of the central figures in Argentine history, Juan Perón, came to power. Perón spent his first years in office pursuing fairly liberal policies, including increasing worker prosperity and representation and strengthening unions across the country. His wife, Eva Perón, of Evita fame, played a public role in his presidency, helping to promote his positive public image.
Perón was forced into exile in 1955, following his election to a second term made possible by an amendment he helped pass. The next twenty years were a struggle between pro-Perón and anti-Perón forces, leading to massive protests and the formation of well-coordinated pro-Perón political blocs. Perón eventually returned to reclaim the presidency in 1973, but served less than a year before dying and being replaced by his new wife, Maria Perón.
For the next ten years Argentina was governed by a military junta, which repressed dissent wherever it manifested itself and was responsible for the deaths of an unknown number of people, often estimated at around 30,000. In 1983 democratic reforms began to distance the country from the military junta and the following two decades heralded the shaky reconstruction of Argentina’s economy and position in the international community. Towards the end of the century, however, Argentina began to experience some serious economic problems, culminating in a virtual collapse of the Argentine peso. Since then the country has recovered slowly but steadily.
Argentina is a wonderful place to visit, covering just about every type of environment imaginable in its millions of miles of land. From the towering mountains of Patagonia, to the southernmost island of the world, Tierra del Fuego, to the majestic Iguazu Falls in the north of the country, the country is a wonderland of spectacular landscapes. Buenos Aires is also a truly cosmopolitan city, with a distinctly European feel and a range of services that ensures something for everyone.
Argentina is easily accessible from most European countries, South American countries and the United States, with daily flights arriving in Buenos Aires from most international hubs.
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