Argentines. Population Population of Argentina

Here I will talk about the Argentines. We will walk along the city streets, peering intently into the pale European Argentine faces with the question: who are you, Argentines? How did you get to all this?

Argentines are descendants of European emigrants from different years. The descendants of the conquistadors who destroyed the indigenous population and later European settlers also live here.

By the way, it is generally accepted that Argentina is an absolutely “white” country, that is, its entire population is European. This is not entirely true. In central and southern Argentina, the indigenous population was indeed completely destroyed. Moreover, the Indians were destroyed not only in the ancient 1500s, but also relatively recently, just 150 years ago, the last Indians of Patagonia were destroyed by the Argentine President Roca, who is still held in high esteem: he is depicted on money, there are monuments to him in Avenues and squares are named after him. But more about him. The indigenous population in Argentina remains in the north of the country, in Salta and the surrounding area, closer to the border with Bolivia. However, the Indians there do not have their own culture, religion and language. Religion, language and culture were forcibly imposed on them by the Spanish conquistadors. That is, the current Argentine Indians are such a strange people without their own history and culture.

In the most populated region of the country - in Buenos Aires and its suburbs, the majority of the population had Italian ancestors. And this is felt in many ways. First of all, the accent. Not even the accent, but the intonation. Residents of the central region have them exactly the same as the Italians. Well, the mentality, emotionality, gestures - everything is Italian. The surnames are also from those regions. Every resident of the capital has one of their ancestors who emigrated to Argentina: either a grandfather, or a grandmother, or both. Many Argentines have a second, Italian citizenship; many are nostalgic for their “native” Italy, which they have never been to. Families prepare risotto, pizza, lasagne and other Italian dishes. And the most popular drink of the Argentines is the Italian 38-degree balsam Fernet Branca, which, however, the Argentines consider the Argentine national drink. In some areas of the city, such as Palermo, Italian was spoken as early as the 1970s. But now this language is gone, although many families still know it. In general, Italian is the most “prestigious” nation for Argentines. There is a trend towards Italy and they talk about Italy on TV. And not at all about Russia, as it might seem from Russia, which has recently developed friendship with Argentina. But it seems so only from Russia. If you stop an Argentine on the street and ask him to list 5 countries that are friends of Argentina, he will most likely, in addition to neighboring Latin American ones, name Italy, Spain, France, China, Israel... They are unlikely to remember Russia.

In addition to Italian roots, Argentines have mixed blood such as: Spanish, French, German, Irish, Polish, Arab, Jewish, Portuguese and even Russian and Ukrainian. By the way, Argentina has the sixth largest Jewish community in the world. There are almost as many of them living here as in present-day Russia, about 180 thousand. At the same time, the population of Russia is 112 million, and Argentina is 40. And of course, there is a widespread myth that “many Russians live in Argentina.” Many of my tourists have read/heard that there is a “huge” Russian (Ukrainian) community here, but for some reason no Russian speech can be heard on the street. It's simple. During periods of dawn, Russians and Ukrainians, among others, actually came here. But that was about a hundred years ago, and all Russians long ago turned into Argentines. Moreover, turning a Russian into an Argentine (or any other foreigner) does not take as much time as it seems. Children of emigrated people may no longer know the language of their parents. I told about the unique story of how the Uruguayan dictatorship turned Russians into Uruguayans. Ethnic There are about 250 thousand Russians living in Argentina. Most of them do not speak Russian, and they know about Russia that it is cold there, bears walk there, communists live and drink vodka. Although perhaps not so. Recently, more information has been shown here about Russia, and the Argentines themselves are generally educated people. So they know something about Russia, unlike other Latin Americans. It is interesting that Jews in Argentina are considered Russians, and Russians are considered Jews. In general, for the average Argentinean, a Jew and a Russian are one and the same. Just two different names for the same nationality (can you imagine what a slap in the direction of Russian anti-Semites this is?). The fact is that in the early 1900s, Jews from Russia and Ukraine came to Argentina en masse. They fled precisely from those same anti-Semites. All of them were Russian speakers. Therefore, it is ingrained in the Argentinean’s brain that a Jew is a person who speaks Russian and comes from Russia (Ukraine, which from the point of view of the Argentines is also Russia). The last wave of emigration from Ukraine and Russia was in the harsh 90s. I talked about Russian in Argentina. It used to happen to me, you walk, you look at a person, well, it’s just a Russian face. And then you hear him speak, and you understand, he’s an Argentinean... But his face is ours, Russian!

If you ask an ordinary Argentine what his nationality is, he will of course answer that he is Argentine! In Argentina, nationality (nacionalidad) is what we call citizenship. An Argentinean is a citizen of Argentina, therefore he is Argentinean. But what we mean by the concept of “nationality” - for Argentines - is origin. Therefore, if you ask the first Argentinean you come across what his origin is, he can easily turn out to be a quarter Swedish, a quarter Japanese, a quarter Italian and a quarter English. He does not know any of these languages, and his family has not preserved any cultural traditions. And he may well have prevailing Italian roots and Italian traditions may be observed in his family. Then he will say that he is of Italian origin. But by nationality he is Argentinean.

By the way, history has it that many fascists fled to Argentina. Yes, that's right, it ran. But many times more Germans emigrated here long before Hitler. I told about the Germans in Argentina, as well as about the fascists who received shelter here.

Over the years, different waves of emigration came to Argentina. Most Italians have arrived since 1860, and they have been traveling for almost a hundred years. In 1870, Argentina's population was only 2 million. And over the next 40 years it increased almost 4 times due to mass European migration.

The wealthiest and smartest people came from Europe. They carried capital, money and valuables. Therefore, by 1900, Argentina had become one of the most developed countries in the world. Unfortunately, over the next hundred years, Argentina gradually and steadily became poor, and is now in the natural position of a third world country. This is natural because Argentines are lazy and unpretentious people. Given the choice to work a lot and get a lot, or to work a little and relax more, the Argentine will choose rest. The main thing for an Argentine is not money, the main thing is not to overwork. It is difficult to deal with people who cannot be motivated by money.

Sometimes I find it funny to hear from an Argentinean about how he “worked a lot today and was very tired.” If you start to look into it, it turns out that all his work consisted of finding in the office, scratching my tongue with colleagues and drinking tea (mate). This is very reminiscent of the late Soviet Union, when the whole country went to work not to work, but to be present at it and received pay and not wages. And this tragic picture prevails not only in state enterprises but also in private “business”. A characteristic detail is that the vast majority of shops in Buenos Aires are private. And all these shops are closed from Saturday afternoon and all Sunday. They are closed, and they don’t care that people don’t work these days and can go shopping. Never mind. The main thing is rest. Don't overwork yourself. And on weekdays these stores are not particularly busy; they open at 9-10 and close at 19-20.

Several times life has confronted me with the need to do business with Argentines. For example, in 2013, here you could profitably buy air tickets from anywhere to anywhere in the world. This was beneficial due to the black exchange rate of the dollar. And I came to travel agencies with proposals: - let me organize the sale of 50-100 tickets a day! -50-100? The Argentines asked languidly, “Well, we’ll think about it, but it’s better not to... The Argentines didn’t want to make unnecessary gestures, but at the same time make good money.” After all, a relaxed life with get-togethers, tea and coffee and chatting with each other is so pleasant and familiar. And then there are some strange tickets, you’ll have to work. For what? So everything is fine. There were other contacts with the Argentine banking business, but there was the same result, or rather the lack thereof. No need. And that's okay. Laziness and slowness are felt in everything here. You come to a private store, the seller cannot answer you right away, he is talking to his friend. You have to stand and wait until they finish, and then the seller will tell you - hello, how can I help you? When I walk along the streets of Argentina, I always walk faster than the fastest Argentinean. I'm not some sprinter or champion walker. The Argentines are just in no hurry. To overtake leisurely Argentines, I often have to go out onto the roadway, and even there I sometimes overtake leisurely cars...

The national drink of the Argentines is mate tea. This drink comes from Paraguay and is drunk from a special cup - calabash, which in turn is made from dried pumpkin. They drink through a straw - a bomb, and water is constantly added to the calabaza from a thermos. The more provincial the place, the more Argentines drink this same mate. Many of them do not leave home without a thermos, a calabash, a bag of mate and a bomb. Well, the statements that “the birthplace of mate is Argentina” or “The national drink of Argentina is mate” are very dubious. The drink, as I already wrote, came from the Paraguayan Indians, and they drink it not only in Argentina, but also in Paraguay, Brazil and Uruguay. Moreover, in the latter - many times more than in Argentina. So it’s all about the promotion of the country itself. Argentina is well-known, but if you ask how Paraguay differs from Uruguay, hardly anyone will answer right away.

The Argentines themselves say about their country that the main problem here is corruption. They say it's all the government's fault. In my opinion, the Argentines are to blame for everything, and the problem here is perhaps not corruption, which in comparison with Russia is on a ridiculous scale, but nepotism. A person’s professional skills are never in the foreground here. The main thing when applying for a job is getting acquainted. Ideally, a relative, friend, acquaintance will be hired for an official job... Skills and abilities will be considered last.

But if you ask Argentines who is to blame for everything, they will definitely tell you that the government. This is probably natural. After all, if you ask Russians who is to blame for their problems, no one will say that the problem is our laziness, stupidity, and malice. Everyone will say that anyone is to blame, Putin, Americans, Europeans, Ukrainians, Jews, United Russia, but not ourselves.

The laziness of Argentines sometimes irritates. They are used to doing everything slowly, without rushing, with long conversations. The only thing Argentines are professionals at is conversations. They speak beautifully, temperamentally, artistically. At the clinic, the doctor will not tell you briefly and dryly what your diagnosis is and how to treat it. The information that can be conveyed in 3 minutes will be beautifully presented to you in 20 minutes. On the one hand, this is good. People are positive and sociable. What's wrong? But here you are asking an Argentine on the street how to get there. But he doesn't know. But he won’t tell you that he doesn’t know. This will be a long, heartfelt conversation. Saying “I don’t know” is kind of rude. Like “and didn’t talk at all.” It seems that he did not support a sincere conversation. Therefore, a person, not knowing where the street is, will tell you something like “it seems to me that you need to go left, straight there and right...”. It doesn't matter that the information he gave was incorrect. But we talked.

Hell is buying furniture in Argentina. I was doing renovations and had to travel often to buy furniture. There are currently problems with furniture, as with many other goods in Argentina. By the way, the wardrobe that would cost 250 dollars in Russia costs 2000 (two thousand!) dollars in Argentina. And this is not marble wood soaked in a decoction of miraculous herbs, this is chipboard, and crookedly slapped at that. By the way, do you know how long you need to wait for this chipboard cabinet? 30-45 days. During this time, unhurried Argentines will roll it out of planks for you. So, you go into the store. And the furniture stores are all private. There are no price tags. Would you like to know the price of, say, this chair? The seller approaches (sometimes you need to wait until he finishes CONVERSATION with other customers before doing this). Are you asking how much this chair costs? -This? - The seller clarifies. -This is very good material, look at the casing.... And off we go. Then it comes to the price (as I already said, there are no price tags on furniture in any store). The seller asks you to wait and returns with a notebook. He says, “Well, well, now, now... And with his fingers wet, he begins to look for the price in the notebook. Then he asks to wait a second, goes to get the phone and calls someone, checking with the person on the other end of the line the price and how things are there and life in general... And like this with EVERY item in EVERY furniture store. At the same time, sellers do not limit themselves to talking about furniture, but also try to include universal topics for conversation. Thus, the banal procedure of choosing furniture, which by the way you can even enjoy, turns into torture. What can be done in 3 hours stretches over weeks.

Argentines are very disliked by other Latin Americans. All. Ecuadorians, Venezuelans, Brazilians, Colombians, Mexicans, Chileans. They don't like Argentines for having their noses held high. Argentines are too different from the rest. There is a lot of arrogance and pathos in them. Although they do not do anything deliberately showing their superiority over others, it is strongly felt in many details. This is probably due to the fact that they are very different from other Latin American nations; they are too deliberately refined and sophisticated. And Argentines are very proud of their European origins. They are so proud that by God, real Europeans from Europe are much simpler than Argentines. In general, Argentines are more European than the Europeans themselves.

And one more strange feature of the Argentines. They're all the same. For a long time I felt something inexplicably strange in my interactions with them, and then I was able to formulate it. All Argentines are like one person. That is, it could be a gas station attendant or a waiter, a businessman or a football player, a driver or a homeless person, their faces are all different, but their mentality, temperament, character and individuality are the same. I know how he will approximately react, what he will answer to this or that phrase. That is, all Argentines, they are so expressive but at the same time the same. Colombians are all different. Peruvians are also different. Everyone has a different temperament, character, mentality. The Argentines have one for all. Just imagine some expressive character, for example Zhirinovsky. Or Novodvorskaya, or Boris Moiseev. You can imagine how this character will communicate, answer you, and react to certain questions. Same with the Argentines. One Argentinean with different faces. This is very strange. Maybe that's why Argentines are most interested in each other.

And of course, where can one go without the main Argentine trait, the love of protests. From the outside it seems that these people adore protests and live by them. Every tourist who has visited Argentina will definitely encounter some kind of demonstration. Yes, there are a lot of protests here. But 95% of Argentines do not go to them and hate them, because for the sake of any, even the smallest protest, the police here block the street: everything is for the protesters. The pros have been busy with protests here for a long time. And these pros are foreigners who do it for a salary. Read more about this.

In Buenos Aires, a pedestrian needs to be careful: pedestrians are not allowed to cross the zebra crossing, and if you get out there, they may inadvertently get hit. Although I must give Argentina its due, I see MUCH fewer accidents on the streets here than in Moscow. If in Moscow you can see 2-3 accidents during a two-hour trip around the city, then I see the same number of them in Buenos Aires in 2 weeks. On the other hand, it is not considered a problem for the Argentine to lightly touch another car. At the same time, they often don’t even go to the showdown, but calmly drive on, although there are scratches on the car. Well, the bumper in Argentina is a consumable part. When parking, you can move until you touch another car. That's why all Argentinean bumpers are damaged.

In general, the manners of Argentines vary depending on how he is separated from you: if he is alone, and face to face with you, this is usually the height of courtesy and good manners: on the street, anyone will tell you, show you where to go, and will always answer very politely. And if you, for example, enter an entrance, office or elevator, then a whole performance will play out in front of you, with the door opening and holding, smiles, the words “oh please, oh only after you...” However, with the same Argentinean who he’s so kind to you, the most wonderful metamorphoses happen when he’s driving and you’re a pedestrian; or when you and an Argentine get on the subway, or in a queue for a taxi. In the subway, Argentines begin to enter the carriage, not allowing others to exit first. One would think that they are not yet accustomed to using the metro, but no! The Buenos Aires metro is over a hundred years old! There are signs posted and announced over the loudspeaker that you must be allowed to exit before entering. Nothing helps. Some kind people push right through, others yell at them “let me go out!” One could object to me that those who ride the subway are probably people of a lower class, less well brought up - some kind of Peruvians. Then another example: people of a higher class who drive cars will never let a pedestrian pass on a zebra crossing. The pedestrian must stand and wait patiently for all the cars to pass, and if a random European tourist crosses the zebra crossing, they will honk at him, and some drivers will also yell and show with gestures that they are thinking about him. And this same person in the elevator will bow to you. While I was a pedestrian, the Argentinean tradition of not letting people pass at zebra crossings was very annoying. But when I got behind the wheel, I appreciated how great it was that there was no need to let anyone through, it saved a lot of time.

Another interesting detail: some Argentines, if they are in any vehicle, like to make faces at passers-by, whistle or shout something vulgar to the girls they like. Here's an example: a young man from a nearby bus noticed me with a camera. And he began to attract my attention in every possible way. Every time our buses were equal, he showed me the same thing. I finally took a photo of it.

It’s amazing, but the same person, if he were in front of you on the sidewalk, he would be a completely ordinary passer-by, and if you asked him how to get there, he would tell you everything very politely and with a smile. In any case, during the entire time, not a single person within my physical reach made faces at me or showed obscene gestures. Perhaps this is how the Argentines give out a splash of accumulated negative energy. I would like to especially note that not everyone turns into pigs. It’s the same with my wife: if she walks alone, without me, then the Argentines begin to show her their “signs of attention” - with gazes, or, even worse, with gestures, whistling and phrases like “Ay, beauty, come here.” Maybe they adopted these manners from their Peruvian brothers, where national traditions are much more fun. There, the most luxurious joke is to throw a bag of water, or a bag of water and paint, at a passerby on a bus (from a bus/car/house), and then lean out of the window and laugh. Fortunately, this does not last all the time in Peru, but only in February, and is called carnival.

But from my speeches it may seem that the Argentines are so-and-so, there is nothing good about them. Of course this is not true, but reading about the good is not as interesting as reading about the bad. Would you have read my such a long essay to this point if I had filled everything here with sweet pink snot? And of course, for the sake of objectivity, I simply have to write this. Argentines are a positive and friendly people. They are not angry, they try to give their interlocutor a positive charge, smile once again, and give a compliment. And most importantly, look at all those faces in the photos. Almost everywhere you can feel class, aristocracy, some kind of sublime style, although a person may be dressed quite simply and cheaply. Well, the saddest comparison is not in favor of Russians - these are older people and men. Argentine men are all eagles and handsome, and pensioners are well dressed and look very dignified. Women over 60 undergo plastic surgery as a matter of course. Women take care of themselves until the end of their days, do their hair, manicures and pedicures, and this makes them nice to look at.

By the way, the residents of Buenos Aires call themselves “portenos,” which translates from Spanish as a resident of the port. In articles about Buenos Aires, the word "porteño" is presented as a term that exclusively refers to residents of Buenos Aires. Don't read these stupid articles, it's not true. Residents of ANY Latin American port city or area are called "porteños". For example, my Colombian wife was born and raised in the Colombian port city of Buenaventura. People there are also called “porteños”.

Argentines are sports fans. And at the same time, they are light drinkers and light smokers (compared to Russians). I talked about the love of Argentines for sports.

Argentines love music, holidays, and concerts. You can also see Argentines at city festivals.

And now, knowing who they really are, these Argentines, let’s just look closely at their faces. It is most convenient to peer into the faces of Argentines when there are large crowds of them, so here are Argentines walking in the Puerto Madero area.

The territory of modern Argentina has a long history of settlement. The new history of the state begins only in the 16th century, when the ethnic composition and way of life of the country changes. Argentina, whose population today is a mixture of descendants of conquerors and lives a rich and difficult life.

Geography

Argentina is located in the southeast of South America and in the east of the Tierra del Fuego island group. The country's area is about 2.8 million square kilometers. Argentina, whose population is clustered around large cities, has a varied landscape: the north and east are occupied by plains, while the south and west are mountainous. The western borders of the state run along the Andes, which create a special climate in the country. Mountainous areas are difficult to live in, so there are very few inhabitants.

The territory of the country is very rich in mineral resources, so in terms of the amount of uranium reserves the country is one of the five leading countries. However, there are no outstanding reserves like in Brazil, for example. There is also a clear shortage of many critical resources needed for industrial development. A large country consists of water and land resources, which are not yet fully used.

History of the country's settlement

The first population of Argentina were hunters and nomads who lived here back in the 8th-7th millennium BC. In the pre-Columbian era, settled Diaguita tribes lived here; traces of several disappeared cultures are found on the territory; they had their own large cities, the most famous of which is Tastil.

These lands were later conquered by the Inca Empire. And in 1512, the era of European colonization began. In 1527, the first Spanish colony was established near Parna. A few years later, a huge expedition of 2,500 people arrived from Spain, and they formed the basis of a new population of residents of the future Argentina. The next few centuries are a constant replenishment of the colonies due to the arrival of new settlers. At the same time, the resettlement did not take place peacefully; clashes with the indigenous population continued permanently. Also, hostilities took place between different governors. Only in 1825, after several years of internecine wars and the struggle for independence from Spain, a new state was formed - independent Argentina.

The second half of the 19th century is characterized as a time of economic development, which entails an increase in population. Mass migration occurred between 1880 and 1940, when many Italians, Spaniards and other Europeans came here. In 1880, the Indians were finally expelled from their native territories. The 20th century is a time of attempts to build a new successful state, but this path is not easy and today Argentina continues to fight for its well-being.

Population of Argentina

Today the total number of inhabitants of Argentina is 43 million 646 thousand people. The natural increase over the past year was about 440 thousand people; due to migrants, the number of residents increased by 6 thousand people. Population observations in Argentina have been carried out since 1951. That year, 17 million 300 thousand people lived in the country. The total population of the country has been steadily growing in all subsequent years, although this indicator has certain specifics.

The country maintains positive growth, but in 1951 it was 2%, and today it barely exceeds 1%. The increase in numbers is mainly due to migrants and a fairly high birth rate, but the country is experiencing a clear slowdown in the birth rate, and the number of migrants is also decreasing. Therefore, sociologists predict zero or even negative countries in the near future.

Population density

Argentina is a sparsely populated country. On average, 15 people live here per square kilometer, which is much less than in neighboring countries. This is due to the peculiarities of farming, which does not require permanent residence of people near the cultivated land. This is also influenced by the harsh conditions in the foothills and mountains; arid areas are sparsely populated by people. The highest density can be seen in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area and in areas with a high level of agricultural development, with an average of 100 people per square kilometer living here.

Ethnic composition

If you look at the genetic origins of most modern Argentines, they have a dominant role of Southern European roots, and in their blood you can also find traces of the indigenous population and small admixtures of people from Africa. Today, the indigenous population of Argentina, the Indians, makes up only 1.5% of the total population. The rest are mestizos. Moreover, when asked about nationality, almost everyone, except Indians, answers that they are Argentines, which indicates the formation of a new nationality.

Language

Argentina, whose population is of such mixed origin, speaks many dialects. The official language is Spanish and is spoken by most of the population. True, it is very different from the language spoken in Spain, since the Argentine version was formed on the basis of the Castilian dialect, and was also influenced by local languages ​​and dialects. The second most popular language in the country is Italian, followed by Portuguese, German, French and other European languages. The Indian population speaks its own languages ​​and dialects, the most widespread of which is Quechua. In total, at least 40 languages ​​and dialects are spoken in the country.

Gender composition of the population

The gender and age composition of the population of Argentina shows that at birth the number of men over women predominates (indicator 1.05), which fits into global trends. With age, this figure decreases, at the age of 25-50 it is already 1 to 1, at the age from 55 to 64 years - 0.97 in favor of women, and at the age of over 65 years - 0.7 in favor of women. This is due to the high mortality rate of men, whose average life expectancy is 74 years. Women live on average to 80.9 years. Argentina shows that the country belongs to the rejuvenating, growing type, with a fairly high birth rate and not very long life expectancy.

Demographics

Argentina, whose population is slowly but constantly growing, is distinguished by a high percentage of the country's population under the age of 15, making up about a quarter of the total population; people over the age of 65 make up only 10%. At the same time, the demographic burden is about 57%. This means that every able-bodied Argentine must ensure the production of everything necessary for life 1.5 times more than he himself can consume. This rather high figure complicates the functioning of the state.

Employment

Argentina's working-age population makes up about 65% of all citizens. The literacy rate of the population is 98%, the official unemployment rate is 5.9. Argentina, which does not have a very high population, is characterized by high unemployment in urban areas, while agriculture often suffers from labor shortages. Therefore, official figures do not reflect reality. There are many people in the country who work part-time, and many unemployed people simply do not register.

Population distribution

Argentina is rapidly becoming an urban country. There has always been a very specific rural settlement here: the villages were small in size, farm-type. Argentina was sometimes called an agrarian country without peasants, characterized by large landholdings. The owner of the land hires employees to perform seasonal work; the rest of the time they live in other places.

Today, the population is increasingly moving to cities. If you look at the distribution of the population between the administrative units of the country, the most saturated are the capital region (about 3 million people live in Buenos Aires itself), as well as the regions of Tucuman and Misiones.

Demography. In 1997, Argentina's population was estimated at 35 million people. According to the 1991 census, the country had a population of 32,615,528; If we compare this figure with the data of the previous 1980 census - 27,947,446 people, then the average population growth during this period was 1.1% per year. The birth rate in 1995 was 19.5 per 1000 people, and the death rate was 8.6 per 1000 people. Infant mortality was 28.8 per 1000 births. Life expectancy is 68.2 years for men and 75 years for women.
Ethnic composition. Unlike some other countries in South America, the population of Argentina is dominated by a Caucasian element - descendants of Spanish colonists and emigrants from European countries, mainly from Italy. The indigenous people of Argentina and other areas of the eastern coast did not create a developed civilization like the Incas; they maintained communal tribal relations and led a nomadic lifestyle. The first Spanish settlers entered this territory in three ways: by sea through Buenos Aires and by land - from Chile, overcoming the Andes, and from Peru, through the territory of modern Bolivia. The ruling classes and the educated part of society preserved Spanish traditions and way of life; owning huge estates and mines, they were distinguished by a high level of culture and sophistication. From the unions of the Spaniards with Indian women, mestizos were born, who made up a significant part of the population. The famous gauchos - riders and cattle breeders who lived in Pampa and played approximately the same role in the history of Argentina as cowboys in the USA - had such a mixed - Spanish-Indian - origin. The transformation of Argentina from a country of mestizos to a country with a predominantly white population occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The beginning of this process is associated with the names of positivist thinkers Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Juan Bautista Alberdi and Bartolome Miter. The concept they developed for the country's development provided for an increase in the proportion of the population with European roots (through increased immigration from Europe) and the gradual assimilation of mestizo gauchos. Argentine sociologist Jose Ingeneros provides the following data: in 1852 the population of Argentina was approximately 800 thousand people, incl. 552 thousand mestizos, 100 thousand Indians, 15 thousand blacks, 110 thousand mulattoes and 22 thousand whites. By 1914, the total number had increased to 7,885,237 people, including 4 million whites, 3 million mestizos, 300 thousand mulattoes and 40 thousand Indians. In 1932, the population of Argentina was estimated at 11,846,655 people, of which only approx. 1 million did not belong to the white race. In 1947, when the country's population was close to 16 million people, approx. 89% were whites of European descent, 9% were mixed race and 2% were Indians. The most powerful wave of immigration into the country occurred during the years in power of President Julio Roca (1880-1886 and 1898-1904). In the first year of his presidential rule, 27 thousand immigrants arrived in Argentina; their influx reached its maximum in 1889 (219 thousand people). While not yet president, General Roca led military expeditions against the Indians, during which their numbers were greatly reduced; Indian tribes survived mainly in the north of the country. The seizure of land belonging to the Indians marked the beginning of the prosperity of Argentina. The government received at its disposal vast areas suitable for both agriculture and grazing; a significant part of these lands was transferred to the ownership of soldiers who participated in campaigns against the Indians, and to politicians who advocated organizing these campaigns. The value of land increased rapidly. The influx of foreign investment increased, and the development of steamship communications made ties with Europe closer. Grain exports increased, and Argentina soon gained a reputation as one of the richest countries in the world. Despite financial crises and political unrest, the flow of European immigrants, attracted by reports of the country's prosperity, increased until the outbreak of the First World War. From 1900 to 1914, almost 4 million people arrived in the country, of whom approx. 4/5 were Italians and Spaniards. Italians alone accounted for up to 45% of the total number of immigrants, although many of them later returned to their homeland. The repeated crossings of the Italians across the Atlantic earned them in Argentina the nickname “birds of passage” or “swallows” (Spanish. golondrina).
Language. The official language of the country is Spanish, although Italian, French, English, German and Portuguese are also widely spoken.
Population distribution. About two-thirds of Argentina's population is concentrated in the Low Pampas region. More than half of this number lives in cities with a population of more than 20 thousand people (mainly in Buenos Aires). Rural population density is strikingly low; it exceeds 40 people per 1 sq. km in only a few areas near Buenos Aires. In the zone, which extends approximately 320 km west of the capital, the population density is 25 people per 1 sq. km, and in most of the Low Pampa it ranges from 4 to 10 people per 1 sq. km. Other relatively densely populated areas include the oases located at the eastern foothills of the Andes, where, in particular, the cities of San Miguel de Tucuman, San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca (Catamarca), La Rioja, San Juan, Mendoza and San Rafael. These oases contain approx. 10% of the country's total population. Another 3% live in the province of Entre Rios, in the southern part of the interfluve of the Uruguay and Paraná rivers. The Chaco region is sparsely populated. The share of Patagonia, which occupies approx. quarter of the entire area of ​​Argentina, accounts for only 2% of the country's population, concentrated mainly on the irrigated lands of the oases along the Rio Colorado, Rio Negro and Chubut rivers. However, the beginning of oil and gas production caused an increase in the population of this area. The cosmopolitan city of Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, is the third largest city in South America, behind only Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro; According to the 1991 census, 2965.4 thousand people lived in the city itself, and 11,328 thousand people lived in the urban agglomeration. Large cities also include Cordoba (population as of 1991 - 1167 thousand people), Rosario (1096 thousand people), La Plata (644 thousand people), Tucuman (626 thousand people), Mar del -Plata (523 thousand people), San Juan (358 thousand people), Salta (342 thousand people), Santa Fe (338 thousand people), Resistencia (295 thousand people), Bahia Blanca (264 thousand people), Corrientes (223 thousand people), Parana (194.5 thousand people), Santiago del Estero (191 thousand people).

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"ARGENTINA. POPULATION" in books

Argentina

Argentina

Argentina The most popular way to consume mate is to drink it from a small calabash with bombilla. Sometimes sugar, lemon, or orange peel are added to taste. After the mate has already been poured into the calabash, add warm water (sometimes with sugar), and immediately

Argentina