Welcome to
Argentine Republic
Location of Argentina
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Almost at the tip of South America. Surrounded
by Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay.
2nd largest country in South America after
Brazil.
Capital (and largest city): Buenos Aires
People of Argentina
• Population: 40,482 million (July 2008)
40,913,584 (July 2009 est.)
• Nationality: Argentine(s)
• Ethnic groups: 86% European (Italian, Spanish,
French, German and Others), 8% Mestizo (mixed
European and Amerindian ancestry), 2% Amerindian,
4% Other
• Religions: 92% Roman Catholics, 2%
Protestants, 2% Jewish, 4% Others
• More than one third are living in its
capital Buenos Aires
• Largely influenced by European
immigrants
Language of Argentina
• Official language: Spanish
– locally called Castellano (Castilian)
• Other languages: Italian, English, German, French
• Local greetings… Next page 
English
Spanish
Yes
Sí
No
No
Hello
Hola
[oh-lah]
How are you?
¿Cómo estás? (informal)
[ko-mo es-tas]
¿Cómo está (usted)?
(formal)
English
Spanish
What is your name?
¿Cómo te llamas?
(informal)
[ko-mo te lya-mas]
¿Cómo se llama? (formal)
[ko-mo se lya-mah]
My name is Rachel
Mi nombre es Rachel
[mi nom-bre es Rachel]
Please
Por favor
[por fa-vor]
(Very) Good
(Muy) Bien
[(muy) byen]
Thank you
(Very) Bad
(Muy) Mal
[(muy) mal]
Gracias
[gra-thyas]
Excuse me
Perdón
Good morning
Buenos días
[bwe-nos di-yahs]
Why?
¿Por qué?
Who?
¿Quién?
What?
¿Qué?
When?
¿Cuándo?
Where?
¿Dónde?
How?
¿Cómo?
Good afternoon/evening
Buenas tardes
[bwe-nas tar-des]
Good night
Buenas noches
[bwe-nas noh-ches]
Goodbye
Adiós
[a-dhyos]
Do you speak English?
(informal)
¿Hablas inglés?
I am sorry
Lo siento
I do not understand
No entiendo
means: I Love You
Introducing yourself…
English
Spanish
How are you?
¿Cómo estás? (informal)
[ko-mo es-tas]
¿Cómo está (usted)? (formal)
Good morning
Buenos días
[bwe-nos di-yahs]
Good afternoon/evening
Buenas tardes
[bwe-nas tar-des]
Good night
Buenas noches
[bwe-nas noh-ches]
What is your name?
¿Cómo te llamas?
My name is...
Me llamo...
How old are you?
¿Cuántos años tienes?
Click to listen
to these 3
greetings
Click on the link below to listen to the pronunciation:
http://www.donquijote.org/spanishlanguage/dictionary/survival/introducing.asp
Greetings and Polite Things
to Say…
Click to listen to the above polite Spanish words
Argentine National Anthem
(Himno Nacional Argentino)
Spanish lyrics
Oíd, mortales, el grito sagrado:
"¡Libertad, libertad, libertad!"
Oíd el ruido de rotas cadenas,
ved en trono a la noble igualdad.
Ya su trono dignísimo abrieron
las Provincias Unidas del Sud
y los libres del mundo responden:
"Al gran pueblo argentino, ¡Salud!"
"Al gran pueblo argentino, ¡Salud!"
Y los libres del mundo responden:
"Al gran pueblo argentino, ¡Salud!"
Y los libres del mundo responden:
"Al gran pueblo argentino, ¡Salud!“
Estribillo (Chorus)
Sean eternos los laureles
que supimos conseguir,
que supimos conseguir.
Coronados de gloria vivamos...
¡o juremos con gloria morir!,
¡o juremos con gloria morir!,
¡o juremos con gloria morir!
Climate of Argentina
• Mostly temperate; with extremes
ranging from subtropical in the north to
subpolar in the far south.
• North Argentina is characterized by very
hot, humid summers with mild drier
winters, and is subject to periodic
droughts.
• Central Argentina has hot summers with
thunderstorms.
• Western Argentina produces 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.
Time zone of Argentina
• 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 (Singapore is UTC+8)
time zone. The country does observe daylight
saving time occasionally.
• Daylight saving time (DST) is the convention of advancing clocks
so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less.
Typically clocks are adjusted forward one hour near the start of
spring and are adjusted backward in autumn.
Economy of Argentina
• Argentina has abundant natural resources, a well-educated
population, an export-oriented agricultural sector and a relatively
diversified industrial base.
• GDP: $570.5 billion (2008) (Rank 23rd)
•
The gross domestic product (GDP) is one of the measures of national income and
output for a given country's economy. It is the total value of all final goods and services
produced in a particular economy in a given year.
• GDP sector: Agriculture, 9.8%; mining, 3.8%; manufacturing, 21.5%;
construction, 5.9%; commerce and tourism, 14.5%;
transport, communications and utilities, 9.8%;
DO YOU KNOW?
finance, real estate and business services, 16.1%;
SGD $1 = ARS $2.40
(estimated)
government, social services and other, 18.6%. (2008)
• Currency: Argentine Peso (ARS)
Therefore, their currency
value is about the same
as Malaysian Ringgit
(MYR)
Economy of Argentina
- Natural Resources
•
Argentina is one of the world's major agricultural
producers, ranking third worldwide in production of
honey, soybeans and sunflower seeds and is ranked as
fifth in the production of maize and eleventh in wheat.
•
Argentine fisheries bring in about a million tons of
catch annually and are centered around Argentine hake
which makes up 50% of the catch, pollack, squid and
centolla crab.
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Petroleum fuels, oil and natural gas are 12% of
Argentina's exports. The most important oil fields lie in
Patagonia and Cuyo.
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Mining is a growing industry where the northwest and
San Juan Province are the main regions of activity.
– Coal is mined in Santa Cruz Province.
– Metals mined include gold, silver, zinc, magnesium,
sulfur, tungsten, uranium and particularly copper.
View of a soy fields. Though
Argentina is now an industrial and
service economy, agriculture still
earns more than half the foreign
exchange.
Economy of Argentina
- Manufacturing
• Manufacturing is the nation's largest single sector in the economy.
• Leading sectors by production value are:
– food processing
– chemicals & pharmaceuticals
– motor vehicles
– farming equipment & auto parts
– iron, steel & aluminum
– petroleum
– home appliances
– industrial machinery
• Other manufactured goods includes:
textiles & leather, plastics & tires, forestry products, publishing,
cement, glass and tobacco products.
Economy of Argentina
- Service Industries
• The service sector is the biggest
contributor to total GDP, accounting for
58%.
• Argentina enjoys a diversified service
sector, which includes well-developed
social, corporate, financial, insurance,
real-estate, transport and
communication services, as well as
vigorous commercial and tourist trades.
• The telecommunications sector has
been growing at a fast pace, and
tourism is increasingly important.
Well-known for its productive
agriculture, Argentina also benefits
from a well-developed service
sector
Tourism in Argentina
• Tourism in Argentina is favored by its ample and
varied natural assets (made possible by its
geographical extension) and by its cultural
offerings.
• Visitors may choose to visit a tango show,
spend time in one of the many turn-of-thecentury cafés, or make a date for a play or show
in the city with one of the greatest number of
theatres in the World.
Argentina - Tourist sites
• Buenos Aires, considered by travelers the
"Paris of the Southern Hemisphere", offers a
broad range of cultural activities.
Obelisk of Buenos Aires
is a modern monument placed
at the heart of Buenos Aires,
Argentina.
The Museum of Latin American Art
"Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe" church
"Club de Pescadores" (Fisherman's Club)
The Obelisk at night
North face of the obelisk
Argentina - Tourist sites
The waterfalls are located on the
border of the Brazil and the
northeast of Argentina.
• Places of interest at the
Northern Region…
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Iguazu Falls
Quebrada de Humahuaca
Seven Colors Hill
Valles Calchaquíes
Talampaya
Valle de la Luna
Esteros del Iberá
Parana River
Seven Colors Hill, Purmamarca
Puna de Atacama
Calamuchita Valley
Sierras de Córdoba
Mar Chiquita, Córdoba
Argentina
– Traslasierra Valley
– San Ignacio Miní
San Ignacio Miní
The most impressive of the
falls is known as the Devil's
Throat, shared with Brazil
Talampaya National Park
Argentina - Tourist sites
• Places of interest at the Southern Region…
Ushuaia is also the southernmost city in the world.
Los Glaciares National Park
Punta Tombo - an important colony
of Magellanic Penguins.
Cerro Catedral is a
mountain located inside
the Nahuel Huapí
National Park, Patagonia,
Argentina.
Cerro Catedral
during winter time.
Tallest building in
Argentina…
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Unico Buenos Aires Hotel (Buenos Aires)
Height: 220m
Number of floors: 66
Expected opening date: 2010
Still under
construction
Culture of Argentina
• Argentine culture has significant European
influences.
• Buenos Aires (its capital), is often said to be the
most European city in South America.
• European styles in architecture.
• Well-known for Tango.
Art Nouveau Barolo Tower,
Buenos Aires.
Music of Argentina
• Argentina is known
mostly for the tango,
which developed in
Buenos Aires and
surrounding areas, as
well as Montevideo,
Uruguay. Folk, pop and
classical music are also
popular.
• Argentine Tango is a
social dance and a
musical genre that
originated in Argentina.
A Bandoneon used in Tango music
Cuisine of Argentina
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One of major world’s food producers of beef, wheat, corn, milk and
soybeans.
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Given the country's vast production of beef, red meat is an especially
common part of the Argentine diet.
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Typical food eaten: European style, high in protein diet
– Asado (Grilled meat particularly steak and beef ribs, pork sausages)
– Pizzas & Pasta
Asado (grill)
Fideo is the Spanish word
for a noodle of any type.
Farinata (which literally
means floured) is a thin,
crisp, pizza-like pancake
Empanadas (similar to our Curry Puff);
the dough is usually made of wheat flour
and the fillings is mainly chicken/beef
(cubed or ground), perhaps spiced with
cumin and paprika, while others include
onion, boiled egg, olives, or raisins.
Beverages of Argentina
A traditional drink of Argentina is an infusion called mate.
The dried leaves and twigs of the yerba mate plant are placed in a small cup,
also called mate, usually made from a gourd, but also bone or horn.
The drink is sipped through a metal or cane straw called a bombilla.
Mate can be sweetened with sugar, or flavored with aromatic herbs or dried orange peel,
to hide its bitter flavour. Hot water is poured into the gourd at near-boiling point so as to
not burn the herb and spoil the flavour.
Sport in Argentina
• Football (locally called futbol) is the most popular sport in Argentina,
whose national team was twice FIFA World Cup Champion (1978 &
1986) and Olympic Gold (2004 & 2008), medalist as well as Copa
América winners fourteen times.
• Football in Argentina, it could be said, is more than a sport, as it is
arguably part of the country's culture.
• The sport is played all over the country by children during breaks at
school and by grown-ups in the indoor football fields that can be
found almost everywhere.
• Other sports like basketball, rugby, tennis, rink hockey, boxing,
volleyball, auto racing, golf and polo are also increasingly important.
Holidays in Argentina
Date
English name
Remarks
January 1
New Year's Day
International holiday
floating
Maundy Thursday
International Catholic holiday (optional)
floating
Good Friday
International Catholic holiday
March 24
Day of Remembrance for
Truth and Justice
Anniversary of the coup d'état that started the dictatorial rule of the Proceso in 1976.
April 2
Malvinas Day
Tribute to the fallen in the Falklands War
(Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas/Guerra del Atlántico Sur)
May 1
Labor Day
International holiday
May 25
Anniversary of the First
Independent Government in
Buenos Aires
Revolution in Buenos Aires in 1810, first step towards independence.
(June 20)²
National Flag Day
Anniversary of the death of Manuel Belgrano, who created the current flag.
July 9
National Independence Day
Argentine Declaration of Independence from Spain in 1816.
(August 17)²
Anniversary of the death of
General José de San Martín
Anniversary of the death of José de San Martín, who liberated part of Argentina and helped
liberate Chile and Peru.
(October 12)¹
Columbus Day
Literally "Race Day", which suggests a celebration of diversity among native Americans and
Europeans. Some indigenous communities and activists for their rights consider the arrival
of Columbus the prelude of destruction for native civilizations in the Americas, and
occasionally stage a protest/mourning holiday on October 11, the "last day of freedom".
December 8
Immaculate Conception Day
Also known as Día de la Virgen ("Virgin Mary's Day")
December 24
Christmas Eve
Begins at midday.
December 25
Christmas Day
International Christian holiday
December 31
New Year's Eve
Final day of the Gregorian Calendar. Begins at midday.
Moveable holidays:
¹ If the date falls on a Tuesday or Wednesday, the holiday is the preceding Monday. If it falls on a Thursday or a Friday then the holiday is the following Monday.
² Always the third Monday of the month.
Holidays in Argentina
• Mother's Day (Third Sunday of October)
• Father's Day (Third Sunday of June)
• Children's Day (Second Sunday of August)
• Teacher's Day (Día del Maestro) on September 11,
commemorating the death of D. F. Sarmiento (former
President); only observed by primary school students.
• Spring Day (Día del Estudiante/Día de la Primavera) on
September 21; only observed by high-school students.
Education in Argentina
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School attendance is compulsory between the ages of 5 and 17.
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Education in Argentina is divided in three phases.
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The first comprises grades first to ninth (Primary education), and is called
Educación General Básica or EGB (meaning: Basic General Education).
EGB is divided in three stages
– EGB I: 1st, 2nd and 3rd school years
– EGB II: 4th, 5th and 6th school years
– EGB III: 7th, 8th and 9th school years
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Once the EGB is completed, the student finishes the mandatory schooling
period and can choose to start secondary education, called Polimodal.
– Polimodal is usually 3 years of schooling, although some
schools have a fourth year.
– Polimodal is not yet obligatory but its completion is a
requirement to enter colleges across the nation.
•
The third stage is college education.