Do you know where Argentina is located? Well, Argentina is located in South America, between the countries Chile and Uruguay. Its absolute location is at 34 degrees south latitude, and 64 degrees west longitude. The official name for Argentina is the Argentine Republic! Buenos Aries is the capital of Argentina. It is on the west coast next to the Atlantic Ocean.

Just about every body in Argentina speaks Spanish. Spanish is the official language and is taught in all schools. The they speak their Spanish with an Italian accent and some Italian words because when people came over from Italy they had an Italian accent. The population in Argentina is about 39 million and the indigenous population is only about 0.5% of the population. The indigenous population speaks Spanish too.

 92% of Argentines are Roman Catholic, the other religions is Jewish (2%) Protestant (2%) and other is 4%. The official language of Argentina is Spanish, but some speak English, Italian, German, or French. The indigenous people are a European origin, and most people where still Spanish, but also Italian.

The Argentine Congress is made up of the two houses, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The Chamber of Deputies has 257 members, and is elected by the people and they serve for four years. The Senate has 72 members that are chosen by the provincial legislatures (a special group of people) and then there are three chosen again, and those end up being the senators for six years. Their form of government is just like ours, they elect presidents. They even have their own anthem! Its called the Himmo Nacional Argentino.

One sport that Argentines love to play is Gaucho. Gaucho is a game played on horse back and is not played any other place in the world. The point of the game is to beat your opponent at getting a leather ball and throwing it in a basket. People also like to have contests and play polo on horse back too. Children in Argentina like to ride bikes and race their friends and being out doors. Women like to hand make ponchos and then sell/show them at festival. 

Some holidays that Argentines celebrate are Three Kings Day and Christmas. Three Kings Day is the day that marks the visit of when the three Wise Men came to visit baby Jesus. Some people dress up to look like the three kings and ride down the streets on horses instead of camels. They celebrate Christmas the same way we do; with a Christmas tree and give out presents.

 Argentines are big on the beef! They love meats and chicken, the average Argentine consumes 190 pounds of beef per year! Most meat they eat is grilled and barbecued. Their food is also a mix of Italian, Jewish, Spanish, Polish, and even German. One of the Argentines favorite drink is called Yerba Mate, a tea made from Brazilian hollies and different types of evergreen trees. 

People in Argentina are passionate about arts, they love sports, and politics. You know that most people are Roman Catholics, and they do what most Catholic people do here, like First Communions at the age of eight. They even have a party a where people celebrate when the girl is turning 15 by having a big dance party! Family members are very important to Argentines, instead of elderly people going to a Nursing Home, they are welcome to stay with their family. There is always many gathering with everyone's whole families, including cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends!