Buenos Aires, Argentina

Argentina is South America's second largest country behind Brazil. It is one of the most influential cultural and political centers in all of Latin America. Though Argentina has had a dark political and economic past, they are currently living a time of relative prosperity. 

There are 40 million inhabitants in Argentina of which 15 million live in Buenos Aires. Despite being a very large country, there are many parts of Argentina that are not populated. The second largest city is Córdoba with 1.3 million inhabitants.

There is great religious diversity in Argentina. Although the Constitution provides freedom of religion, there are strong ties to the Roman Catholic Church. Most recently there has been a powerful surge of Charismatic Evangelical Movements. Argentina also has the largest Jewish community in Latin America due to an influx of immigration after World War II. Despite their Catholic roots, many Argentines claim to be atheist or profess other secular philosophic worldviews. 

Spanish is the official language of Argentina. An interesting fact of Argentine Spanish, common also in Uruguay, Paraguay and some parts of Chile is the inclusion of Lunfardo. This unique linguistic phenomenon includes words and expressions that are spoken and understood only in these countries. Many of these expressions are used in the most famous genre of Argentine music, the tango. 

Many Argentine artists have made it big on the international scene. The most famous singer was Carlos Gardel, one of the first tango singers. Although there are disputes about his birth place, he got his start singing in La Boca in Buenos Aires. Another Latin American musical legend in Mercedes Sosa, a dearly loved folk singer. 

Porteño life or life in Buenos Aires is very tied to the arts. There are cafés and bookshops on almost every corner. There is a historic opera house as well as many theatres and museums. Most porteños, Argentines from the heart of Buenos Aires enjoying discussing literature and philosophy. Many Argentines are well educated and enjoy preparing themselves through further study. 

Argentina is also well known for their contributions to the film industry. The first full-length animated features were made in Argentina in 1917. More than eighty full-length features are made annually. Most recently, Argentine filmmakers have won awards for The Motorcycle Diaries and The Secret in Their Eyes which won the 2009 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

In addition to their filmmaking, Argentina is well known for the sports. Argentina has won the World Cup on two occasions and once again is a strong contender in South Africa. The most famous Argentina soccer player of all time is Diego Maradona, the current head coach of the Argentine national team at the World Cup. 

For more information about Argentina, visit Wikipedia.