ExperienceArgentina.net

Argentine Culture

Population

Argentina's current population is approximately 40 million inhabitants, almost half of which live in the city (around 12 million) and the province of Buenos Aires. Population density calculated on a national basis is 13 inhabitants per square kilometer, but does not reflect the true distribution. The average age in 2007 was 30 years, whilst life expectancy was at 76 years (average).
Around 95% of the population is white and most are descendants of Italians and Spaniards. As a result of the massive European immigration, the white and Indian half-castes were slowly reduced and at the present they amount only to 4.5 % of the population. The pure indigenous population - Mapuches, Collas, Tobas, Matacos and Chiriguanos - amount to the remaining 0.5 % of the population.

Constitution and Government

Argentina consists of 23 regions plus a federal district, the City Buenos Aires. The Argentine Constitution defines a Republic under a representative and federal system, and three separate branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial.
The executive branch is exercised by the President and Vice-president of the Nation, elected for a 4-year term, and who may be re-elected for one additional term. The legislative branch consists of two cameras : the Senate (composed of three senators from each province and from the City of Buenos Aires) and the House of Representatives (composed of 257 representatives elected directly and in proportion to the population of each district). The judicial branch is vested in the Supreme Court and lower courts of justice.
Each province has adopted its own Constitution in accordance with the National Constitution, to rule its administration. The current National Constitution dates from 1853. Nevertheless, it was amended in 1860, 1898, 1957 and 1994. The last amendment made in August 1994, allows the President's reelection for an additional term.

Historic dates

March 24 - National Day of Memory for Truth and Justice
It was declared the National Day of Memory for Truth and Justice in remembrance of the state of siege of 1976. At the first light of that tragic day, the Armed Forces overthrew the democratically elected government of Isabel Per�n, enforced a strict economic program and established a systematic repression plan that lead to the disappearance of around 30,000 persons.

April 2 - Veterans Day and Day of Those who Died in Malvinas War
In 2000, the National Congress of the Argentine Republic declared April 2 the Veterans Day and the Day of Those who Died in Malvinas War (the war between Argentina and the United Kingdom between April and June 1982), this is now a national holiday.

May 25 (1810) - First National Government
On that day the local authority of the time acknowledged the authority of the Revolutionary Junta and in turn the first national government was created. The May Revolution was a crucial change that marked a before and an afterwards in Argentine history. It underwent a critical time during the so-called May Week , from May 18 to 25 in 1810.

June 20 - The Flag�s Day
The Argentine flag was raised for the first time on February 27, 1812 at the banks of the Paran� river by Leiutenant General Manuel Belgrano. It is said that its creator was inspired by the colour of the sky or the Virgin�s cloak when he chose its colours, but in fact, it was the light blue and white of the escarapela (already worn by that time) which finally gave the colour to the national flag. On June 20, 1816 the Congress officially declared the flag designed by Belgrano as the national symbol. In 1918 the sun was added on the white strip to be used in case of a war. In 1938, June 20 was declared The Flag�s Day and a national holiday, in homage to its creator, who died on June 20, 1820.

July 9 (1816) - Declaration of the Independence
In 1816, the Congress gathered in Tucum�n decided to proclaim the Declaration of Independence, thus declaring the formation of a new nation �free and independent from the King of Spain and any other foreign dominance".

August 17 - Death of Lieutenant Jose de San Martin
That day in 1850 Jose de San Mart�n died in Boulogne-Sur-Mer, France. His remains were repatriated in 1880 and today rest in peace in the mausoleum built inside Buenos Aires Cathedral. In most cities in Argentina there is a square, a street, a school or a social club with his name. Apart from the numerous monuments built in his name, his portrait is stamped on bills, coins and postal stamps.

September 11 - Teacher�s Day
The Inter American Conference on Education, attended by education professionals from all over America, gathered in 1943, 55 years alter Domingo Faustino Sarmiento�s death and declared September 11 as the Teacher�s Day in the entire American continent.

October 12 - Race Day
After navigating for 72 days, on October 12, 1492, sailor Rodrigo de Triana saw a piece of land in the horizon. This discovery changed the general idea about the planet and brought about something that not even Col�n had imagined: the union of two worlds. This discovery allowed America to receive a major cultural input, of artistic expressions, both occidental and oriental, and also allowed Europe to perceive the cultural richness, progress, creativity and art of the New World.

National emblems

The Argentine flag has three horizontal stripes: the one in the middle is white and bears the golden sun, and the two outside stripes are light blue. The national flower is the ceibo, and the national stone is the manganese spar (rodocrosita) or "Inca Rose".

Language

Spanish is the official language in the Argentine Republic. It was originally brought by the Spanish conquerors and then underwent changes due to its coexistence with the native aboriginal peoples that enriched it, especially in its lexical aspects. The successive immigration waves that took place in the course of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th Century also contributed to the language. There are various dialectic differences in the different regions which, far from making communication difficult, enrich it, whilst still being fully understood by all. The Spanish language in Buenos Aires uses lunfardo forms, a slang of Buenos Aires City.