Argentina

1

History…

 Argentina is not “just another South American country”  Stereotypes common in the US don’t apply  Argentina is a blend of many cultures  Not only Spanish, but Italian, British, indigenous peoples, and many more 2

Population…



39.5 Million

 3 rd Most populated country in Latin America  Young – 29.2 Men/30.1 Women (average age)  89% live in Buenos Ares 3

Population…

 97% White, Spanish/Italian - only 3% Mestiz  97.1% Literacy rate - Which is .1% higher than then U.S.

 Life expectancy is 75.7 Years, general population

Population

White Spanish Italians Mestizo 4

Religion…

 92% Roman Catholic  Only 20% are Practicing  2% Protestant  2% Jewish  4% Other  Strong ties between Church & State  Constitution 1853 required President to be Catholic …before that no separation between church & state 5

Work & Economy…

 Divisions of Economy:  11.1% Agriculture  34.8% Industrial  54.1% Service  Turn of 20 th Century, known as one of the top 10 wealthiest nations in the world 6

Work & Economy…

Leaders effected economy  Juan Peron took office in 1946 – Destroyed the economy  Carlos Menem – 1989 Inflation was at 3,000% per year  By end of 1990’s inflation was less than 1%  Still recovering from economic problems  51.7% of population below poverty line 7

National & Popular Culture…

 Most culture brought over from Europe  Buenos Ares is molded after Paris  Teatime every afternoon  F útbol is the primary sport  Tango is the most popular style of dance/music 8

Customs…

 Everyday life  Leisure Time  Death, Weddings, Relationships  Clothing  Urged to be well dressed  Some traditional  Holidays  Secular Holidays most celebrated 9

Customs…

 Music  Tango/ Opera House  Religion  Beliefs  Superstitious 10

Food & Material Life…

 3 Meals a day plus teatime  All meals usually consist of meat, primarily beef  Dinner at 9 pm so all family can be present  BEEF & PASTA  Yerba Mate  American food introduced… 11

Food & Material Life…

 Material life  Meat Packing & Other food processing  Industry  Forest – hard wood, nuts, coconuts  Climate and available resources both effect what is available 12

Language…

 Spanish is main language  Argentines say that it is more appropriate to call their language Castilian  Spanish slang called “lunfardo” = Spanish/Italian Mix  Still a few indigenous languages that are barely hanging around    Quechua Guaraní very rare, Mapuche 13

Government & Social Order…

 Last 15 years they’ve had a stable government  Achieved independence in 1816  Military Rule 1829 – Juan Manuel De Rosas was governor of Buenos Ares from 1829-1852  Overthrown by other providences in 1853 14

Government & Social Order…

 Took almost 40 years to create constitution   Twisted by a series of military and civilian rulers Modeled after the U.S. constitution  Military coups in 1930, 1943, 1955, 1962, 1966 and 1976  Resulting in a series of Military rulers, however Democratic leaders where also mixed in.

 Constitution revised in mid 1990’s 15

Government & Social Order…

 Despite the fact that population is 97% white Spanish Italian – 3 seats per providence, and one is required to be minority  Got rid of electoral college, and instituted popular vote for president  4 year  One change for re-election 16

Conclusion…

 Argentina has a rich cultural history  Can’t be understood through common US stereotypes of Latin America  Long history of cultural integration and change  Changes still continue today as the people try to create the country they want to live in 17