History of Argentina

History

Modern Argentina is a nation of immigrants. During its history, people from all over the world came to live in Argentina. People from Europe, Africa, and elsewhere have immigrated to Argentina. Because of this, much of Argentina's culture is a reflection of European and African culture. A lot of what you can see and hear in modern Argentina has its roots in Europe and Africa .The earliest inhabitants of Argentina were nomadic tribes of hunter-gatherers, who had fought the Incas and lived simply until the arrival of Europeans in the 1500's. The first Spanish settlement was Santa Fe in 1573. Buenos Aires was founded seven years later. At first the Spanish were unenthusiastic by the lack of gold and silver. Later they realized the potential of Argentina to supply food and animals to the cities in Peru and Bolivia. Huge areas of land estancias were given to settlers, and the Indians worked under a forced-labour system. After Napoleon's invasion of Spain, the country was left to fend for itself and began to foster a growing sense of independence, the Creoles (native-born) population even fought off British invaders. Following Napoleon's defeat the Spanish attempted to seize their colonies back.

By 1816, the deep division between Argentina and its mother country had become quite evident, and a party of separatists decided to declare the country's independence. One of the new patriots, Jose de San Martin, crossed the Andes to achieve independence for Chile and then headed to Peru to free Lima from the Spanish domain. Along with Simon Bolivar, Martin is credited with breaking off Spanish rule.

The cattle ranchers became wealthy; and one of them Rosas, became a despotic leader and during his 20 year reign of terror many of the indigenous tribes were wiped out. This trend continued as sheep were introduced and needed more land. During the 19th century, the British invested heavily in the opening up of the country by railways. A middle class evolved and industrialization advanced during World War II.

The twentieth century was marked by a series of democratic and military governments which had violent opponents and charismatic leaders such as PerÐ"Ñ-n and his second wife Evita. During the 1970's a repressive government fought a war against left-wing guerrillas and as a distraction occupied the Falklands (Malvinas) in 1982. Thatcher's British forces defeated General Galtieri's conscripts and the junta came to an end. The re-introduction of democracy was the best result of the war.

The 21st has seen a severe blow to the Argentine economy, and in two months the presidency changed five times. The current president is seeking a way to strengthen the once great country. Tourism is being promoted as a way to gain foreign currency. There has never been a better time to vist the country.

Culture

Argentina's culture has been greatly affected by its immigrant population, mostly European. Sadly they contributed to the demise of native cultures. The European immigrant groups each adopted different roles. The Basque and Irish controlled sheep rearing, the Germans and Italians established farms, and the British invested in developing the infra-structure.

More than one-third of the country's 32 million people live in Buenos Aires, the capital, which along with other urban areas accounts for almost 90% of the total population. The main indigenous peoples are the Quechua of the northwest and the Mapuche in Patagonia. Other can be found in the Chaco and the northeast. There are strong Jewish and Anglo-Argentine communities throughout the country; plus Japanese, Chileans and Bolivians; and pockets of Paraguayan and Uruguayan residents.

The universal language of Argentina is Spanish, but many natives and immigrants

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