What if you could visit a country that had rain forests, as well as grassy farmlands and even glaciers? Argentina sits at the very bottom of South America and it has a little bit of everything. In the north, where Argentina meets Brazil, the weather is wet and warm. Cougars, jaguars, alligators, turtles, flamingos and other heat-loving animals live here. Western Argentina is flanked by the Andes Mountains, which forms a natural border with Chile. The Andes Mountains includes the highest peak in the western hemisphere, Cerro Aconcagua, which rises 22,384 feet in the air.
In the middle of Argentina lies the Pampas, grassy plains where people grow crops. Cowboys, known as gauchos, have raised and herded cattle here for many years. People tell folk stories about gauchos just as Americans tell stories about our cowboys. To the south, lies Patagonia, a dry, windy area with cold winters. Seals, penguins and sea lions live on the coast of Patagonia.
Argentina is one of the wealthiest countries in South America. Spaniards claimed it in 1516 and ruled it for 300 years. Since it gained its freedom in 1816, it has slowly gained political stability. The people loved Eva Peron, the wife of President Juan Peron, because she took care of the poor. The people were very sad when she died of cancer in 1952.
From 1976 through 1983, the country was involved in a civil war, called the “dirty war.” During this time, over 30,000 people were killed or disappeared. Today, the country is a democracy.
Fun Facts About Argentina for Kids
- 38,592,000 people live in Argentina.
- Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina.
- Mauricio Macri is the President of Argentina (Data from 2018).
- Argentina includes 1,073,518 square miles of land.
- The currency in Argentina is the Argentine Peso.
- The languages spoken in Argentina are Spanish, English, French, Portuguese and Italian. Most people in Argentina are descendants of European settlers. Most of the native people died out.
- Most people in Argentina are Roman Catholic.
- People in Argentina can expect to live 76 years.
- 97 percent of adults can read.
- At 6,962 m Aconcagua is the highest mountain in Argentina, located in the Andes.
- Copahue is an active volcano in Argentina and last erupted in 2016.
- There are seven regions in Argentina, they are: Pampas – Cuyo – Northwest – Pantagonia – Mesopotamia – Sierras Pampeanas – Gran Chaco.
Argentina Vocabulary
- Glacier: huge sheet of ice
- Flanked: touched, bordered
- Peak: mountain top
- Gaucho: Argentinean cowboy
Argentina Video for Kids
Argentina Q&A
Question: Where do most people in Argentina live?
Answer: over 50 percent of the people in Argentina live in or near Buenos Aires, the largest city. This city has been called the “Paris of South America”. It is a beautiful city, with wide streets and old, elaborate buildings.
Map of Argentina
Here’s a map of the country of Argentina and all its cities and villages. Zoom in to get into street level or zoom out to see other countries around Argentina! You can see the terrain, but also see the roads, images of the buildings and even take a 3D tour through the streets of the cities of Argentina, as though you are actually there!
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