Human habitation of the Americas is generally accepted to have begun 30,000 years ago. Ancestors of the Amerindians reached southern South America around 10,000BC. One of the oldest and most impressive archaeological sites in Argentina is Cueva de las Manos in Patagonia where cave paintings, mostly of left hands, date from 7370 BC.

The Pampas was later inhabited by the Querandi, who were hunters and gatherers, and by the Guarani, who were agriculturalists. In the northwest, there were several indigenous groups, who practiced agriculture in the valleys of the eastern Andean foothills. In the Lake District and Patagonia, the Pehuenches and Puelches were hunter-gatherers and the Mapuche who entered the region from the west as the Spanish pushed south.

The Spanish came in the mid 1500’s looking for silver. The country’s oldest permanent settlement is Santiago del Estero, which was founded in 1551 and Buenos Aires was established in 1580. The Spanish continued their march southward, establishing cities and enslaving or decimating the native population through warfare and disease.

Despite its location on the Rio de Plata, the city of Buenos Aires was barred from direct contact with Europe by Spain’s mercantile bureaucracy. The city survived on the resources of the pampas grasslands and the proliferation of the horses and cattle that were left behind by previous expeditions.  A contraband trade arose to take advantage of the meat and hides available and Spain finally took notice of Buenos Aires' ideal location and lifted the trade restrictions. Reflecting its growing significance, Buenos Aires population grew and reached nearly 50,000 people by the early 19th century. Increasing political autonomy and economic success paved the way for the end of Spanish rule.

In the early 19th century, Napoleon invaded Spain, which eventually lead to Argentine independence. The South American independence movement was led by figures like Argentina’s Jose de San Martin, Venezuela’s Simon Bolivar and Chile’s Bernardo O’ Higgins and the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata declared formal independence on July 9, 1816. Despite achieving independence, the provinces were united in name only. Two decades of conflict left the countries nearly exhausted.

Juan Manuel de Rosas came to prominence in Buenos Aires and represented the interests of rural elites and landowners. He centralized political power in Buenos Aires and reigned for over 20 years. Finally in 1852, a rival strongman named Justo Jose de Urquiza organized a powerful army and forced Rosas from power. Urquiza’s first task was to draw up a Constitution which was formalized on May 1, 1853 and made Urquiza Argentina’s first president. The Constitution is still in force today despite its frequent suspension.

After surviving a war with Paraguay from 1865-1870, Argentina began to boom and immigrants poured in from Spain, Italy, Germany and eastern Europe. Basque and Irish refugees became the first shepherds. By the turn of the 20th century, Argentina was doing well, but instability loomed. Industry could not absorb all the immigration. Labor unrest grew, and as imports surpassed exports, the economy showed signs of stress. Finally with the onset of the Great Depression, the military took power. Juan Domingo Peron was the first leader to try to come to grips with the country’s economic crisis.

Economic problems and rising inflation undermined Juan Peron’s second presidency in 1952, and Evita’s death the same year dealt a blow to both the country and the president’s popularity. In late 1955 a military coup sent him into exile in Spain and initiated nearly three decades of catastrophic military rule.

During the period between 1976 and 1983, often referred to as the "Dirty War", human rights groups estimate that some 30,000 people were "disappeared" by the military. To disappear meant to be abducted and probably killed, never to be seen again.  This period in Argentine history ended only after the military underestimated the response to their 1982 invasion of the British-ruled Falkland (Malvinas) Islands; after a decisive defeat, the military returned control to civilians.  In 1983 Argentines elected civilian Raul Alfonsin to the presidency who vowed to find and prosecute those responsible for the Dirty War. Human rights organizations still campaign for justice and information but most of the criminals remain unpunished.

In May 2003, Néstor Kirchner, the former governor of Santa Cruz, became Argentina's president. Kirchner has vowed to aggressively reform the courts, police, and armed services and to prosecute the perpetrators of the dirty war. Argentina's economy has been rebounding since its near collapse in 2001, with a growth rate of about 8% since President Kirchner took office. In March 2005, Kirchner announced that the country's debt had been successfully restructured.

Tourism as an industry profited from the devaluation however and accounts for about 10 percent of the economy. As prices dropped, visitors from neighboring countries increased, budget travelers from around the world began to arrive, and more affluent travelers returned.

During the post-World War II boom, Juan Peron invested large sums of money in manufacturing products such as steel, chemicals and petrochemicals. But much of Argentina's industry is still inefficient and unable to compete without state assistance. Other industrial products include food processing, motor vehicles and consumer goods.

The official Argentine currency is the Peso. There are bills of 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 pesos, and coins of 1 peso and 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 cents.

It is bounded by Bolivia and Paraguay on the north, Brazil, Uruguay and the Atlantic Ocean on the east, and by the Atlantic Ocean and Chile on the west and south.

Argentina’s main geographic characteristic is the contrast between the eastern plains and the Andes mountain range to the west. This is the frontier with Chile and includes the highest peak in the Western hemisphere: the 6,962m (20,841ft) high Mt. Aconcagua.

Between the Paraná and Uruguay rivers, Argentine Mesopotamia (the provinces of Entre Ríos, Corrientes and Misiones) is formed by low hills.  In some places within the subtropical rain forest, there are fissures which provide such spectacular waterfalls as the Iguazú Falls.

The Pampas, in the center of Argentina, is the largest and best-known area of plains. Agricultural and livestock activities are performed in this area, which includes the province of Buenos Aires, the northeast of La Pampa, the south of Córdoba and the south of Santa Fe.

Towards the south, from the Andes to the sea, there are the plateaus of Patagonia, swept by the wind during most of the year. The Atlantic coast, lined with high cliffs, forms massive indentations like the Peninsula Valdés, with its colonies of sea animals.

POPULATION

There is complete religious freedom in Argentina, although the official religion is Roman Catholic. Other religions practiced in the country are Protestant, Jewish, Islam, Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox and others.

Argentina's cultural roots are mainly European and that is reflected in its architecture, music, literature and lifestyle.  There is intense cultural activity seen in the festivities, expositions, cinemas, theatres and concerts that take place in the cities.

The characteristic music of the city of Buenos Aires is the world-famous tango. Folklore includes several and varied rhythms and styles according to the different regions of the country. 

The quality of Argentine wines and meats is known worldwide and the new Argentine cuisine has reached a high international standing.

Mate

Argentine vegetation varies according to the climate and the topographic region of the country. In the northeast region, where the climate is wet and hot there is tropical vegetation; like the palm trees, quebracho Colorado, palo de rosa, palosanto, jacaranda and ceibo. In the Pampean region there are short herbs, gramineous and others. In this area there are practically no trees, except some imported varieties that can exist with little rainfall such as eucalyptus, sicomoros, poplars and acacias. In the Patagonian Andean Region there are forests of Northofagues (coihues, lengas, ñires), conifers, (larches, araucarias, and cypresses) and other trees like myrtles, maitenes, and radales. In Tierra del Fuego there are thick conifers forests, especially firs, cypresses, pines, cedars and myrtles. Cactus and other thorny plants thrive in the arid Andean regions of the northwest.

Fauna

Cities also produce huge amounts of garbage. In 2001 for example, Buenos Aires generated more than 400,000 tons of solid waste per month. All of this garbage has to be dealt with and the city government is seeking to create a landfill near the city of Olavarria, 400km to the southwest.

Soil conservation and deforestation