Hello friends! Are you ready for another adventure? Today we’re traveling to an amazing South American country: Argentina.
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Where is Argentina Located?
Argentina is located at the southern end of South America, and it is the second country with the largest territorial extension in America and the eighth in the entire world!
It’s surrounded by four countries and one ocean: Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay to the north, Chile to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south!
The Argentine flag
But before we go any further, let’s talk about the Argentine flag. The white color in the flag represents silver, which refers to the poetic name of the territory (plata), while the two light blue stripes represent the sky or the waters of the Río de la Plata.
The sun in the middle of the flag was added by the Congress of Tucumán and represents the Incas’ Sun God, Inti.
Language spoken in Argentina
Now, what about the language? In addition to Spanish, which is the official language of Argentina, there are more than 20 languages that are still used in certain regions. The two most important are Guaraní and Quichua; languages are spoken by more than a million inhabitants.
Talking about the language and people in Argentina, we have to mention how they greet each other. Well, Argentinians always greet each other with a kiss. They love to show their affection for each other!
Argentines also like to greet older people first by shaking hands and looking into their eyes or with a smile. Without a doubt, looking into their eyes indicates respect. Generally speaking, Argentines are sincere and direct, while they are polite and diplomatic.
Tango!
Now, let’s move to what Argentinians like to do, especially what they like to dance. Yes, I’m talking about tango! It’s a very unique dance that you might have seen before in movies or TV, or maybe even with your parents!
Tango dance is closely linked to dances like Afro-Rio de la Plata, gaucho, and European dances and rhythms.
It is a characteristic dance from the Río de la Plata region, mainly in Buenos Aires and Montevideo.
It is a very expressive dance, it is like a fire between the two people, and if you pay attention, it might look like a conversation between the dancers, but with movements instead of words! Amazing, isn’t it?
And just like any other dance in the world, the way Tango dancers dress is very important. The clothing is based on a combination between elegance and sensuality.
The male dancer always wears a suit with either a tie or a bow tie. They also wear suspenders and sometimes even trilby or fedora hats. How elegant!
The female dancer usually wears a red or black dress. It might look a bit tight but this dress gives the dancer enough space to dance freely. It’s also very common for the dancer to wear a distinctive garter belt on one of her legs.
If you want to try this dance one day just remember not to wear jeans or sneakers! That won’t be well received by the audience!
Argentine traditional drink: Mate
Another very traditional Argentinian thing is not related to dance, but to a drink, I’m talking about mate!
One of the most important traditions of Argentina is drinking mate, which is tea made with a dried herb called mate. It’s prepared in metal and wooden cups with a silver straw. This cup is known as “cuia”, “guampa”, or “porongo.”
Mate has a flavor similar to green tea, just a little stronger. It helps you feel energized and it stimulates neurons. That’s awesome!
While mate is native to Argentina, it’s also very popular in other South American countries like Paraguay, and Uruguay. But the coolest thing about this tea is the meaning behind it. Offering someone to take a sip from your cup of mate is a symbol of friendship and hospitality.
This tea is so popular that even some soda companies decided to make their own mate-flavor drink, like Riky, Che Mate, and Nativa, which was released by Coca-Cola! Unfortunately for them, all these drinks failed because basically, nobody liked them. I guess Argentinians prefer the traditional good old mate tea.
Argentine Cuisines
Let’s start with Argentine empanadas; Argentina’s favorite street food. Historically, an empanada was a simple bread dough filled with beef, pork, or veal. The empanada was once known as the worker’s meal. This is because it contained a full meal that was easy to bring to work.
This tasty dish is baked or fried and can have vegan or meat ingredients. The most common fillings include chicken, cheese, ham, beef, sweet corn, Caprese salad, or blue cheese.
Another great option for street food is the Choripán. It’s also often served as a starter to a barbecue. Choripan is basically a sausage sandwich, but thanks to its practical shape, is an ideal snack for travelers on the go.
And if you want some extra flavor, you can add chimichurri (a sauce made with oregano, parsley, garlic, chili flakes, and red wine vinegar) or a creole sauce, a variant of tomato, onion, and red pepper.
Something we can’t forget when talking about food is the Milanesa. This dish with Italian roots is basically breaded chicken breasts served in some very unique ways:
Like the style called “a Caballo”, or “On horseback” in English, in which the Milanesa is served with two fried eggs on top, the Neapolitan style, which includes cheese and tomato sauce, and the Swiss style, in which the Milanesa is covered with Gruyère cheese.
Argentine Desserts!!!
Now the best part: Desserts! And this is something that Argentinians are very good at. Like the alfajores. This traditional pastry is a sandwich made with two delicate cookies and creamy dulce de leche caramel in the middle.
Wait a minute, what is “dulce de leche”? Known in English as caramelized milk or milk jam, is a sauce-like sweet prepared by slowly heating sugar and milk over a period of several hours. I know, it doesn’t sound too appetizing but trust me, it’s really good!
But there’s more in Argentina than fun people and delicious food. There are also a lot of great places that you can visit!
Fun places to visit in Argentina
To the west of the country, you can find the Andes mountain range, where you can find one of the largest peaks in the world, the Aconcagua mountain. Located right in the middle of Argentina and Chile, and at 22, 838 ft (6, 961 meters) high, the Aconcagua is the highest mountain in South America!
But if you want to see less cold and more magical places, in the province of Córdoba there is a small town called Villa General Belgrano where you can find beautiful buildings with classic German architecture.
In this charming town, you can also find artisanal beer, delicious sausages with sauerkraut, and even the classic German festival Oktoberfest! All that while being surrounded by incredible hills.
If you travel to the east, you can find the mythical neighborhood La Boca (“the mouth” in Spanish), located in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina’s capital. In La Boca, you can find not only old businesses that go back to the first years when immigrants arrived in the country but also a lot of beautiful colorful buildings that give you a warm and cozy vibe.
What if you like natural landscapes more? Well, then you’ll love the Iguazu Falls! It’s one of the largest waterfalls in South America and a national park that has several hectares of surface, a train that takes you from one place to another, monkeys and coatis running freely among the people, and much more! Truly a unique landscape.
Now, have you heard about the Arrayanes trees? Well in Villa la Angostura there is a forest full of them called Los Arrayanes National Park! Here you can walk on a path surrounded by these beautiful thin trees.
And last but not least, there’s Patagonia, a geographical region that comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains, lakes, fjords, and glaciers in the west and deserts, tablelands, and steppes to the east.
Now that we’re mentioning the beautiful landscapes in Argentina, let’s talk about the animals who live here!
Wildlife in Argentina
And a great example of Argentinan wildlife is the Aguará Guazú. Although it’s known as Maned wolf in English, it’s actually a fox. A fox with comically large legs! Known as the largest fox in South America, this furry friend lives in the provinces of Formosa, Chaco, Santa Fe, and Corrientes.
This fox with long and beautiful red fur is known in the Toba mythology as a protective being and the father of all dogs. In the Guaraní language, aguará guazú means big fox.
Now, look at this big guy. The Giant anteater is recognizable by its elongated snout, bushy tail, long foreclaws, and distinctively colored fur. It can be found in the missionary jungle, Formosa, and other Chaco areas.
The Magellanic Penguin is super cute! And also one of the most sympathetic and defenseless species of penguins that can still be found in its natural habitat. It is also called, depending on the place, pachanca, child bird, or silly bird, and it is native to the most southern region of America.
And this is the incredible yaguareté! It is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion. It belongs to the panther family and sadly is one of the most threatened species. Also known as jaguar, it lives in the provinces of Misiones, Formosa, Chaco, and Jujuy.
Sports in Argentina
Now let’s talk about something a little bit more dynamic: Sports!
Argentinians are very passionate about soccer, and I mean very passionate. If you start a conversation about soccer, don’t be surprised if some of them fire-up expressions about it, especially if you don’t agree!
Argentina has won the Fifa World Cup not once but twice! And one of the soccer players that played a major role in one of those finals was Diego Armando Maradona, maybe you have heard of him. He is recognized by numerous specialists, former soccer players, and international personalities as “one of the best soccer players in history.”
But of course, there is more than soccer here! Other sports in which Argentina stands out worldwide are motor racing, basketball, boxing, golf, speed skating, polo, rugby, tennis, and volleyball.
Winter sports are widely practiced in the southern Andean area of the country, especially skiing and snowboarding.
But believe it or not, the national sport of Argentina has nothing to do with soccer!
The name is “Pato” which means duck. It’s an equestrian sport that was created in the 17th century as a form of neighbors’ play or rather rivalry between farms and in 1953 was declared by Argentina as their national sport. This sport is played with two teams of four players each, where they have to hold a ball with leather straps and take it to their “base.” All this while riding horses!
It’s named “pato” because originally, the sport was played with a real duck in a leather basket instead of a ball with straps. Good thing the sport was changed!
Music in Argentina
Hey, what about the music? We can’t talk about Argentina without mentioning their contributions to the music world, especially their apport to the rock genre.
Argentine rock stands out in the history books and in our ears for maintaining an independent spirit since its inception. Despite being inspired by other countries like the US and UK, it took its own shape and served as the foundation for the most successful industry in that part of the continent.
And probably the most famous Argentinian composer is Gustavo Cerati. Thanks to his work with the band Soda Stereo, Cerati represented the freedom of democracy during the 80s and 90s. With lyrics about strange dreams and lost romances, Cerati transformed pop and international rock by mixing them with the roots of his country to create definitive hymns of his time.
Another great example of Argentinian music is Luis Alberto Spinetta. Also known as “El Flaco” Spinetta, he’s considered the definitive rock poet, and one of the founders of Argentine rock since he was one of the first to bring the genre to South America.
Now, changing the genre a little bit, we have to talk about Mercedes Sosa. She’s an icon of Argentine folk music, also a very popular music genre in the country, and a permanent influence on both the protest music and literature of the nation. Mercedes Sosa created a unique sound, with lyrics full of pain and wisdom.
Some of the festivals celebrated in Argentina
And speaking of music, we can’t ignore the Saint Patrick’s festival, can we?
You might know about this famous Irish holiday. Since there are a lot of Irish descendants in Argentina, they love to celebrate Saint Patrick’s day known in Spanish as El Dia de San Patricio. The festival takes place in Buenos Aires around March 17th.
And here’s another popular celebration that you also know about, Christmas!
Christmas in Argentina is very similar to what we know, families get together on Christmas Eve to have a big dinner and give each other gifts. But here’s the main difference: There’s no cold weather during Christmas! Due to the location of Argentina, the weather is completely opposite to what we know, this means that it is cold in July and hot in December. Can you imagine celebrating Christmas with a warm day at the beach?!
Argentina’s Climate
Speaking of weather, due to the enormous extent of the country, sometimes the weather may vary too much in different parts. The warm climate occurs only in the north of the country, and it’s called subtropical (since it is mostly located below the tropic of Capricorn).
But if you visit the south part of the country and Patagonia, prepare your warm clothes because the climate is always really cold!
What to wear when visiting Argentina
Now that we’re talking about the clothing you must wear when visiting Argentina, let’s mention their traditional outfits.
The typical Argentinian costume for men is called gaucho, and for women is called paisana or “china.” These attires consist of a hat, black pants, shirt, vest, and sandals for men, and a hat, brightly colored skirts, poncho, bow at the waist, and heels for women.
Well, friends, that’s all for today! Thank you so much for your attention.
Adiós amigos!
