Argentina

Located in Southern South America, Argentina is bordered by the Andes in the west and the South Atlantic Ocean to the east. Neighboring countries are Chile to the west, Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, and Brazil and Uruguay to the northeast.

Population, 46,294,198. Size, 2,780,400 km^2.

Capital is Buenos Aires.

Languages spoken include Spanish, English, Portuguese, Italian, and Arabic.

Religion is majorly Roman Catholic.

Currency is the Argentinean peso.

Major cities include Cordoba, Rosario, Mendoza, and Tucuman.

National dish is Asado, a meat dish with potatoes and salad. Principal crops include soybeans, wheat, corn, sunflower, and barley.

Argentina has a diverse range of climates, spanning from the almost tropical climate of the north, to the temperate climate of Buenos Aires and the Pampas, to the cold and windy climate of Patagonia, and finally to the subpolar climate of Tierra del Fuego. Moreover, there is the cold mountainous climate of the Andes, arid in the northern and central part, and cold and snowy in the south. Rainfall is abundant in the north-east, while snowfalls are frequent in the extreme south.

Argentina's national sport is El Pato which is a mix of polo, basketball, and horseback riding. Buenos Aires has the widest street in the world spanning 459 ft in width and 16 lanes of traffic. Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world. Argentina is known as "The Land of Silver" due to the large quantities of the precious metal discovered by a Spanish colony in the 16th Century. There is a law against naming a child "Messi" thanks to the football legend. Pope Francis worked as a nightclub bouncer in his younger days in Buenos Aires.