ARGENTINA by Alexandra Ely

LOCATION & CAPITAL Argentina is located in Southern South America. It is bordered by Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Chile. The capital of Argentina is Buenos Aires.

MAJOR CITIES Some major cities in Argentina are Rosario, Mendoza, Cordoba, La Plata, and Tucuman.

DATE OF INDEPENDENCE Argentina declared full independence on July 9, 1816.

FLAG The flag of Argentina consists of a top and bottom, horizontal, sky blue stripes, separated by a white stripe. On the middle of the white stripe there is a sun (Sun of May) with 32 straight and wavy rays. There are many different views concerning what the colors on the Argentina flag represent. Some believe that the blue stripes represent Rio de la Plata (River of Silver), the widest river in the world. They also inquire the white stripe represents the metal, silver. Argentina comes from the Latin word "Argentum", which translates to silver.

TYPICAL FOODS IN ARGENTINA Argentina is influenced greatly by Europe, especially in its cuisine. A food commonly found in Argentina is chorizo. Chorizo is a spicy sausage usually made from pork and is used in almost every barbecue in the country. Another food is provaleta. Provaleta is a large amount of melted cheese served with a lot of oregano. Also, a sweet treat in Argentina is medialunas. Medialunas are croissants coated in sweet glaze, often eaten at breakfast time.

DULCE DE LECHE RECIPE ~Ingredients: 1 gallon milk, 1 vanilla bean, 4 1/2 cups white sugar, and 1 teaspoon baking soda. ~Directions: In a large saucepan, bring milk to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and strain through cheesecloth. Return to pan. Cut vanilla bean in half and pour the seeds in the milk. Stir in the sugar and replace the pan on medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Just as the milk mixture begins to boil, stir in the baking soda. Reduce the heat to medium, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. When a wooden spoon drawn through the mixture leaves the bottom of the pan visible, and the mixture is light brown in color, remove the pan from the heat. Place the pan in an ice bath and stir constantly until Dulce de Leche is cold. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. Pour into sterile jars, and store in the refrigerator.

RELIGION In Argentina, the main religion is Christianity; however, 24% of people attend religious services regularly.

IMPORTS & EXPORTS In 2014, the top 5 imports to Argentina were as follows: oil, machines (engines and pumps), vehicles, electronic equipment, and organic chemicals. Argentina mainly exports agricultural products. The exports consist commonly with soy products, but also include wheat products, petroleum-related complexes, automotive complexes, and bovine products.

TOURISM Argentina is a very beautiful country and has many features and landmarks to visit. Places such as Perito Moreno Glacier, Bariloche, La Boca, Valdes Peninsula, Beagle Channel, Monte Fitz Roy, Mendoza Wine Region, Ushuaia, Ibera Wetlands; however, out of all of these, the most common is Iguazu Falls. It is on the border of Brazil and Argentina and can be easily reached from the city Puerto Iguazu in Argentina.

POPULATION & CLIMATE In 2015, Argentina has estimated 42.1 million people for their population. Argentina doesn't have a specific climate. It ranges anywhere from a subtropical zone along its border near Brazil and it is a subpolar down south. It may be humid near Buenos Aires; however, near the Patagonian Andes, it can be cold and many experience extreme weather.

MONETARY SYSTEM The monetary system in Argentina is based off of decimals with the primary unit of the Peso. About 10 pesos are worth only about.75 cents of the US dollar.

GOVERNMENT & PRESIDENT Argentina has a republic government. Republic is when a representative democracy in which the people's elected deputies, not the people themselves, vote on legislation Something that is extremely interesting about Argentina is that their president is a woman. Her name is Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and, in 2007, she was the first elected president of Argentina. She succeeded her husband, who had served from 2003 to 2007.

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