Argentina, meaning "land of silver," is a rich and vast land - second largest (after Brazil) in South America and eighth largest in the world. Its heartland is a broad grassy plain known as the Pampas (pronounced PAHM-pahs). Here Argentina's gaucho, like the U.S. cowboy, has galloped into the country's folklore. The Spanish first arrived around 1516, and Argentina gained independence in 1816. The small native population died from European diseases, and today's population is over 95 percent European. For Spanish, Italian, German, and other immigrants in the late 19th century, Argentina held great promise. Today the literacy and urbanization rates are high, the birth rate and the infant mortality rate are low, and most Argentines consider themselves middle class. Argentina is rich in resources, has a well-educated workforce and is one of South America's largest economies. Argentines gave the world the tango. They are mad about football, and are reckoned to be the best polo players. Their love of horses is best personified by the figure of the Argentine 'gaucho', the solitary, independent ranch-hand.
Facts:
Full name: Argentine Republic
Population: 38.2 million (via UN, 2006)
Capital: Buenos Aires
Area: 2.8 million sq km (1.1 million sq miles)
Major language: Spanish
Major religion: Christianity
Life expectancy: 71 years (men), 78 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 peso = 100 centavos
Main exports: Food and live animals, mineral fuels, cereals, machinery
GNI per capita: US $4,470 (World Bank, 2006)
Internet domain: .ar
International dialling code: +54
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the vibrant capital of Argentina and is its largest city and port. It is located on the southern shore of the Río de la Plata (river plate), on the south eastern coast of the continent. It is often referred to as the ‘Paris of South America’ due to the strong influence of European culture. One of the most interesting attractions of Buenos Aires is its architecture. The style reflects the influence of the Spaniards, French and Italians in its buildings and in its parks. The city has wide avenues, mansions, extensive green spaces, hundreds of sculptures and a large quantity of churches; all integrated among houses, office buildings, apartment buildings and modern skyscrapers. The city is divided into 48 barrios (neighbourhoods) for administrative purposes. The division was originally based on Catholic parroquias (parishes) but has undergone a series of changes since the 1940s. Over the last few years many of these neighbourhoods have undergone dramatic changes due to the boom in the construction sector. Puerto Madero is one such prime location.
Puerto Madero
Built in 1889, the port was abandoned soon thereafter, too small for the burgeoning maritime trade empire it was designed to serve. When that empire fizzled out, the port’s gutted, rat-infested warehouses came to reflect the dashed hopes of the nation itself. In 1989, however, with inflation at almost 200 percent, president Carlos Menem sold the land to a private consortium, sparking a process of development that eventually would render a new port with a new purpose. Today, Puerto Madero embodies a resurgent, confident, and ever-modernizing Buenos Aires. Restaurants and lofts converted from old warehouses now line the old port. It is a popular neighbourhood and can easily rival other cities around the world with its modern architecture, high specifications and 5 star service. Puerto Madero is within walking distance of the financial district, and has an open view to Rio de la Plata, the wide estuary that separates Argentina and Uruguay. This area is among the swankiest and most expensive in town. For similarly located property in the United States or Europe, you could pay 10 times the price. It is not surprising then, that many buyers of cheap Argentine real estate are foreigners.
Palermo is without doubt the hippest part of Buenos Aires. Once it was a quiet residential neighbourhood whose narrow cobblestone streets were lined with trees and low Spanish-style homes. But in the mid-1990s, artists, designers, architects and film producers took advantage of its affordability to set up shop — a movement that has dramatically accelerated since the 2002 economic crisis. Today, it feels like every boutique is a former bakery, every hotel a former town house and every gallery a former garage. No writer is allowed to describe Palermo without comparing it to SoHo in Manhattan or deploying the adjective “trendy.” (There's even a blog, trendypalermoviejo.blogspot.com.) Palermo is the city’s largest and greenest neighbourhood and is subdivided into several smaller but distinct units. Palermo Chico, Palermo Viejo, which further subdivides into Palermo Soho, Palermo Hollywood, and Las Cañitas. With nearly 350 acres of parks, wooded areas, and lakes, designed by French landscape architect Charles Thays in 1874, Palermo provides a peaceful escape from the rush of downtown. Families flock here on weekends to picnic, suntan, bicycle, roller blade, and jog. The Polo field, where the most important polo matches in the world are held, and racetrack make this area the city's nerve centre for equestrian activities.
Palermo Chico The architect Carlos Thays set the limits of Palermo Chico area in 1912. His intention was to organize a ‘neighbourhood-park’ with curved and irregular streets plenty of green spaces in full contraposition with the regular Spanish square grill of the rest of the city streets drawing. Within his plans of urbanization, Thays promotes the use of local vegetation, as well as to plant Tipas, Jacarandas, Palos Borracho, Lapachos and Ceibos. Then, palaces of a high classic style started to be built. Today, many of them are foreign embassies: Sweden, Poland, Saudi Arabian Kingdom, Switzerland, Iran, Haiti, Uruguay and Belgium, among others.
Palermo Viejo Italia Square is located at the centre of the Palermo Viejo neighbourhood and it is considered the entrance to the largest park area of Buenos Aires. At the centre of the square, you can see the Garibaldi’s Monument. Around the square, you can observe the Botanic Garden, the Zoo Garden and the exhibition area of the Argentine Rural Society. Should you desire to visit all these places, you will need a complete day out. A good option to visit the zone, but spending less time, is to hire a “Mateo”, a small horse-pulled carriage that you can see at the entrance of the zoo. They are ideal to visit Palermo forests and the lake as well. Italia Square was previously known as the Square of the Large Doors since two big iron doors were closed at night to impede the access to the forests. Italia Square received this new name when the monument to the Italian revolutionist, Giuseppe Garibaldi, was placed there. Of the two large doors only one now remains and can be found at the entrance to the Zoo.
Palermo Soho This part of the Palermo neighbourhood is today called “Soho” because it is the place preferred by artists and craftsmen; the atmosphere -a mixture of bohemia and modernity, in a way tries to be like New York Soho. The Cortázar Square is at the heart of the area. Each weekend it becomes a setting for a group of 40 plastic artists who exhibit and sell their art works. You can find clothes designers and handicraft sellers. The “small square”, as it is known within the zone, is located at the centre of the innumerable shops, fairs, galleries, bars and restaurants that comprise the wide variety of activities offered by this very trendy neighbourhood.
Palermo Hollywood This zone of Palermo is today called ‘Holywood’, because several TV channels are located there as well as several motion pictures studios. This exclusive area is quieter during the day time as it has not yet acquired the Palermo Soho rhythm. The main attraction of this area is the great quality of its restaurants: international cuisine, ethnic cuisine and nouvelle cuisine. Thematic bars are other exclusivities of the area, as well as, bar-restaurants that may offer delicious tapas along with non-industrial beer and special wines. This peaceful neighbourhood transforms when the night arrives: bars start to be crowed especially at ‘happy hour’, then on to the restaurants and finally the discos.
Without a doubt, this is the city's most elegant district. The opulence of the houses and manors symbolizes the splendour of the Argentine aristocracy. The area is a meeting point for tourists and locals with an interest in international design and aesthetics. During the day, take a stroll through the gardens of Plaza Francia, which fills each weekend with dancers, living statues, street artists and astrologers. At the adjacent Buenos Aires Design, the traveller can find souvenirs and a plethora of fine restaurants. Other areas of interest located around Plaza Francia include the Centro Cultural Recoleta, the Palais de Glace, and the famous "City of the Dead."
Retiro is a barrio or district in north-eastern Buenos Aires, Argentina, famous for its high-society inhabitants, the Santa Fe avenue shopping district, San Martín square, and the Retiro transportation hub, which features train, subway (Line C), and the main bus terminal, always teeming with commuters in weekdays. The northern end of Florida Street is in the leafy San Martín square, surrounded by great palaces and hotels. The Retiro lowlands were the training grounds for José de San Martín's Granaderos corps, and modern-day San Martín square features a statue of the independence hero on horseback, as well as the memorial for the dead in the 1982Falklands War (Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas). Retiro is (together with Recoleta and parts of Palermo and Belgrano) a popular residential area for expatriate executives.
This district preserves colonial-style houses along narrow cobblestone lanes, illuminated with pretty wrought iron lanterns. In San Telmo, one breathes the history of Buenos Aires. Visit the church of Santo Domingo or investigate the city's cultural heritage in the Museo de la Ciudad. The Bohemian character of the district flourishes every weekend at the antique fair held in Plaza Dorrego and the picturesque cafes that surround it. There, one can buy anything from an antique wedding dress to a 1900 table setting, or one can enjoy the improvisations of the street performers. Also worth visiting are the Pasaje de la Defensa, an 1880 mansion converted into a commercial gallery, and the picturesque street Balcarce with its concentration of bars, restaurants and tango houses.
It is a distinctive and colourful city spot. Its typical buildings, the "conventillos" -tenement houses- abound everywhere, together with the high sidewalks. These type of houses were the consequence of the great 19th century immigrant wave, when thousands of poor immigrants daily arrived to these lands to find terrible lodging difficulties; several families grouped together to rent small rooms of the same house, giving way to the so-called "conventillos". "Caminito" is the most famous museum-street of the district and was created by the initiative of Quinquela Martín and other artists. Along this small corner all the picturesqueness and soul of this typical place assemble together to form an unforgettable outing. In this place you can find tango dancers, sculptures, paintings, etc. The Riachuelo, an inlet of the River Plate, is closely linked to the succession of events that have marked its own history, it has been the silent witness of glorious and disgraceful times as well, it is the natural city boundary and its shore is worth visiting.
During the middle of the 19th century, this was the summer home of many local families. Today, it contains much of the city's social and cultural activity. Attractions include the Museo Histórico Sarmiento, the Casa de Yrurtia, and the Museo Enrique Larreta. And for those who prefer outdoor activities, there is the Barrancas de Belgrano, four hectares of undulating ground where one can sunbathe, jog or enjoy the dog show provided by the dog walkers. Belgrano is one of the busiest, most dynamic areas of the city, with people coming and going by train, bus and subway, and with bars, cafes and kiosks everywhere. If you want to shop, Belgrano is a paradise for the modern consumer.
Almagro is a mostly middle class neighbourhood that is adjacent to Palermo. It features strong commercial activity along its avenues and has a high population of permanent residents. It is home to the National Technological University and the Humanities faculty of the University of Buenos Aires. One of the main private hospitals in the city ‘Hospital Italiano’ is located here along with the city’s Dentistry Hospital. Almagro is also a stronghold of Tango. During his last years, composer and bandleader, Osvaldo Pugliese relocated here and oversaw the creation of the Casa del Tango (Tango House) complex which can be found on Guardia Vieja street.
At the beginning of last century the area of Barracas was home to the wealthiest families in Buenos Aires. However, after an epidemic of yellow fever the area was transformed completely. Many immigrants arrived to the area, in particular many Italians and it became a renowned working class region filled with factories and markets. It is here in Barracas that the Tango was born. Things began to change during the latter part of the century when industry began to slow and factories close down. A new motorway was built and once again the face of the region of Barracas began to transform dramatically. Nowadays the modern buildings and museums overwhelm and intrigue visitors as many have retained their impressive façades.
San Nicolás, is located in what is to the locals known as the "center" of the City of Buenos Aires, not just because of its geographical location on the far eastern side of the city, but also because it is the center of the commercial activity of Buenos Aires. Through this area thousands and thousands of people come every day to work in the hundreds of office buildings that the area contains. Commonly, the area is referred to as the "El Centro" (The Center) or "Micro Centro" (The Micro Center) and the area has to be the busiest in all of Buenos Aires.
Argentina in Brief
Built in 1889, the port was abandoned soon thereafter, too small for the burgeoning maritime trade empire it was designed to serve. When that empire fizzled out, the port’s gutted, rat-infested warehouses came to reflect the dashed hopes of the nation itself. In 1989, however, with inflation at almost 200 percent, president Carlos Menem sold the land to a private consortium, sparking a process of development that eventually would render a new port with a new purpose. 
Palermo is without doubt the hippest part of Buenos Aires. Once it was a quiet residential neighbourhood whose narrow cobblestone streets were lined with trees and low Spanish-style homes. But in the mid-1990s, artists, designers, architects and film producers took advantage of its affordability to set up shop — a movement that has dramatically accelerated since the 2002 economic crisis. Today, it feels like every boutique is a former bakery, every hotel a former town house and every gallery a former garage. No writer is allowed to describe Palermo without comparing it to SoHo in Manhattan or deploying the adjective “trendy.” (There's even a blog, 
Without a doubt, this is the city's most elegant district. The opulence of the houses and manors symbolizes the splendour of the Argentine aristocracy. The area is a meeting point for tourists and locals with an interest in international design and aesthetics. 
This district preserves colonial-style houses along narrow cobblestone lanes, illuminated with pretty wrought iron lanterns. In San Telmo, one breathes the history of Buenos Aires. Visit the church of Santo Domingo or investigate the city's cultural heritage in the Museo de la Ciudad. 
It is a distinctive and colourful city spot. Its typical buildings, the "conventillos" -tenement houses- abound everywhere, together with the high sidewalks. These type of houses were the consequence of the great 19th century immigrant wave, when thousands of poor immigrants daily arrived to these lands to find terrible lodging difficulties; several families grouped together to rent small rooms of the same house, giving way to the so-called "conventillos". 
During the middle of the 19th century, this was the summer home of many local families. Today, it contains much of the city's social and cultural activity. Attractions include the Museo Histórico Sarmiento, the Casa de Yrurtia, and the Museo Enrique Larreta. 
