The Name Argentina
It comes from the Latin word "Argentum", which means silver. The origin of this name comes from the voyages of the first Spanish Conquistadores to the Rio de la Plata. (The Silver River). The survivors of the shipwreck of the expedition led by Juan Díaz de Solís found indigenous people in the region, who brought them gifts of objects made out of silver; and they later took with them back to Spain in 1524 the news of the existence of a mountain, Sierra de la Plata (Silver Mountain), a place full of this precious metal. Since that time, the Portuguese gave the name of Rio de la Plata to the River, a name that the Spaniards also adopted two years later. The Argentine National Constitution of 1853 included the name of "República Argentina" amongst the official names used to designate the Government and Territory of the new Nation.

Location, surface area and borders
Argentina is situated at the extreme South of South America, on the Eastern side of the Andes. Its landmass surface area is 3,791,810 Km², including the Islas Malvinas (Falkland Islands), other South Atlantic Islands and parts of Antarctica. (It is the second largest country in South America and the eighth in size in the world), of which about 2.8 million are on the landmass continent of South America - with approximately 54% consisting of plains (Prairies and Savannahs), the famous Pampa Argentina, around 23% of high mountain plain mesetas and another 23% of mountain ranges and peaks - and what is left made up of the Antarctica sector. It borders with Bolivia y Paraguay in the North, with Brazil, Uruguay and the Atlantic Ocean in the East, with the Atlantic Ocean and Chile to the East and the South, with a total length of borders of 9376 kilometres. The seashore facing the Atlantic Ocean reaches a length of 4725 kilometres.

Geography
It comprises four great geographical areas: The Andes, the North, Mesopotamia, the Pampa and Patagonia. The climate and geography of Argentina offer great variations, from the searing heat of the Chaco, to the gelid Antarctic temperatures of the Patagonian Sea, passing through the temperate climate of the Pampa. The tallest mountain in the Western hemisphere is the Aconcagua reaching up to an altitude of almost 7000 metres; and the Iguazu Falls pour more than 5000 cubic metres per second of waters over spectacular precipice 70 metres high over the Parana River. In the South-eastern part you will find a Switzerland type of terrain with many small cold water lakes surrounded by mountain peaks.

The basic characteristic of the Argentinean landscape relief is the enormous contrast found between the immense Eastern plains and the impressive Andean Mountain range in the West, with the highest peak in the Western hemisphere: the Aconcagua, with 6959 metres above sea level.
From its Northernmost part in Jujuy to the Tierra del Fuego, the Argentinean Andes show off the marvellous variety of its landscapes: From the high North-eastern plains - desert tundra with valleys, gorges and colourful mountains - to the region of the lakes, forests and glaciers of Patagonia.

To the North, the Chaco is a forest area associated to the Bermejo, Salado y Pilcomayo Rivers. Between the Parana and Uruguay Rivers, the Argentinean Mesopotamia (The Provinces of Entre Rios, Corrientes and Misiones) is made up of low hills, lakes and marshes, which show where the old courses of these big Rivers used run. In some places, in the midst of the subtropical jungle, there are abrupt chasms that favour phenomena as spectacular as the Iguazu Falls.
In the Central part of Argentina, the Pampas Region is the most extensive and best known. Under heavy agricultural and livestock exploitation it comprises the Province of Buenos Aires, the North-eastern part of the Province of La Pampa and the Southern parts of the Cordoba and Santa Fe Provinces. Its flat landscape is interrupted in the South by the small Mountain ranges of Tandil and Ventana, and to the East by the Cordoba Mountains.
To the South, from the Andes to the sea, extend the sterile and stony Patagonian high plains, scoured by the wind most of the year.
The Atlantic seaboard, with a high cliffy shoreline, takes on sinuous shapes, like the Valdes Peninsula, with its spectacular rookeries and marine animal colonies.

Cultural Activities
It is present in all its forms: cinema, theatre, paintings and sculpture, music and literature with many outstanding exponents and practitioners, many of whom have acquired international renown and acceptance.
The Teatro Colón Theatre has its place amongst the top three lyrical halls on the planet; of beautiful architecture and with perfect acoustics. Its ample stage allows for important scenographies and the presence of many actors simultaneously. The most prominent figures of music and ballet have and continue to act there.
Painting and sculpture have a privileged position in the local cultural life. In all the principal Argentinean cities you will find prestigious art galleries. Popular and folklore music find many and relevant ways of expression. The most outstanding of these is without doubt that typically urban and also locally Rio de la Plata music: the Tango. Its foremost idol, Carlos Gardel, became a legend for millions of fans. Because of its lyrics and unmistakeable rhythm, the Tango is obviously a child of the Porteño of Buenos Aires, in spite of which it is still taking the world with storm. Five Nobel Prize winners grace the local intelligentsia, such as those of Medicine: B. Houssay (1947) and C. Milstein (1984); in Chemistry: L.F. Leloir (1970); C. Saavedra Lamas (1936) and A. Pérez Esquivel (1980) have received the Nobel Peace Price.
A special mention must be made regarding the Argentinean gaucho, which archetype, Martín Fierro, is to be found in the writings of the Buenos Aires poet José Hernández. The Argentineans have inherited his b personality, the love for freedom and the permanent thirst for justice. Thus, it is not hard to understand that, in spite of his Pampas country background, his figure has become a universal symbol for and of the Argentinean people.

Gastronomy
The quality of its beef and wines has created for Argentina a special place in world gastronomy. The local cuisine is varied and tasty. In the North-eastern part you will find specialties such as "Empanadas" or Turnover Pies, Tamales, "Humitas" or Sweet Corn Tamales, "Carbonada", a local meat stew mixed with rice, pumpkin, potatoes and corn, as well as the "Locro", or pumpkin mush. But the many different immigrants that have populated the country have all brought with them their different culinary skills and tastes, so today you can find excellent International food from many countries: Italian, Spanish, French, German, Swiss, English, Chilean, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Arab, Kosher, Basque, Greek, Russian, Scandinavian, Dutch and Hungarian, just to mention some. The new Argentinean cuisine, pushed forward by qualified chefs and applauded on by exiguous gourmets has acquired International reputation, competing with the best available anywhere on the planet.