Study Abroad in Argentina

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Facts about Argentina. 

Argentina is a country in southern South America. It ranks second in land area in South America, and eighth in the world.

Argentina occupies a continental surface area of 2,791,810 km² (1,078,000 sq mi) between the Andes mountain range in the west and the southern Atlantic Ocean in the east and south. It is bordered by Paraguay and Bolivia in the north, Brazil and Uruguay in the northeast, and Chile in the west and south. 

Demographics

More than any other Latin American country, Argentina's population is of European origin. Most of the population is made up of descendants of Italian, Spanish and other European settlers.

After the regimented Spanish colonists, waves of European settlers came to Argentina from the late nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries. Major contributors include Italy (initially from Piedmont, Veneto and Lombardy, later from Campania and Calabria),[32], Spain (foremost among them ethnic Galicians and Basques), and France (mostly to Buenos Aires and Mendoza). Smaller but significant numbers of immigrants came from Germany and Switzerland (in the so-called Lakes Region of Patagonia; and in Córdoba), Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway and Sweden), Greece,the United Kingdom and Ireland (to Buenos Aires, Santa Fé, and Patagonia), and Portugal. 

Food and drink

Argentine food is influenced by cuisine from Spain, Italy, Germany, France and other European countries, and many foods from those countries such as pasta, sausages, and desserts are common in the nation's diet. Argentina has a wide variety of staple foods, which include empanadas, a stuffed pastry; locro, a mixture of corn, beans, meat, bacon, onion, and gourd; and chorizo, a meat-based spicy sausage. The Argentine barbecue, asado, is one of the most famous in the world and includes various types of meats, among them chorizo, sweetbread, chitterlings, and blood sausage. Thin sandwiches, sandwiches de miga, are also popular. Being an important wine producer, the yearly consumption is among the highest worldwide (Malbec has become a representative variety from Argentina). Also, a common custom among Argentines is drinking mate. Dulce de Leche is a famous sweet caramel spread.

Climate

Because of longitudinal and elevation amplitudes, Argentina is subject to a variety of climates. As a rule, the climate is predominantly temperate with extremes ranging from subtropical in the north to subpolar in the far south. The north of the country is characterized by very hot, humid summers with mild drier winters, and is subject to periodic droughts. Central Argentina has hot summers with thunderstorms (in western Argentina producing some of the world's largest hail), and cool winters. The southern regions have warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall, especially in mountainous zones. Higher elevations at all latitudes experience cooler conditions.

The hottest and coldest temperature extremes recorded in South America have occurred in Argentina. A record high temperature of 48.8 °C (120 °F), was recorded at Rivadavia, Salta on December 11, 1905. The lowest temperature recorded was −32.7 °C (−27 °F) at Sarmiento, Chubut, June 1, 1907.[11]

The southern regions, particularly the far south, experience long periods of daylight from November to February (up to nineteen hours), and extended nights from May to August. All of Argentina uses UTC-3 time zone. The country does not observe daylight savings.

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