Argentina
The land of cities that never sleep
The Basics
Weather: The average temperature in Argentina is around 80 degrees in the northern half and about 50 degrees toward the south. Average rainfall can range anywhere between 500 and 1000mm annually. Rainfall is dependent upon where in the country you are, Usually the east side of the country will experience more rain. Argentina experiences all four seasons with a hot summer between December and March, and mild winters between June and August.
Climate: Argentina is very environmentally diverse. They mainly have a temperate climate but also have subtropical, wetlands and arid plains. The climate ranges depending on where you are located in the large country.
Uncommon Characteristics: Did you know that Argentina is the 8th largest country in the world? Did you also know that the Andes Mountains run right along the western edge of Argentina, splitting the country from Chile?
Fitting in and digging deeper
Language: The official language of Argentina, is Spanish. Other languages you may hear would be English, German, French and Indigenous.
4 Folkways: Four folkways of Argentina would be, know "enough" Spanish, dress casual, family comes first, and the fact that men get more power and have more options than women.
Taboos: In this country you may find a few strange taboos. One taboo to know is that you should not make the "ok" sign or a thumbs up. These are considered to be vulgar actions. You should never show up on time to a party at someone's house, it is very rude! You should arrive between 30 and 60 minutes late. It is also not allowed for average citizens to kill criminals no matter what the circumstances. Finally, Police brutality is also a big taboo in Argentina, although it still tends to happen occasionally.
Values: The people of Argentina have very custom values that play huge roles in the creation of their culture. They highly value traditional music, along with that they also value dance as well. Most popular in Argentina, would be the Tango. Along with song and dance, the people highly value their family life. Family is a major role in their culture. To top it off, traditional home cooked meals are highly valued in Argentina as well.
Subcultures: Two major subcultures found in Argentina are the people of white ethnicity, and the culture of the Roman Catholic religion.
Culture Landscape: When considering transportation, Argentina has over 1,000 airports, but only about 161 of them have actual paved runways. The most popular sports in Argentina are soccer, rugby, polo, and even hockey.
Cultural Diffusion: You will mostly find evidence of cultural diffusion through the food in Argentina. Many of the popular dishes are either French or Italian influenced. You can find Italian influence in everyday meals while French influenced food is usually made for special occasions. Surprisingly, Argentina has many steak houses and pizzerias. They also sell a lot of gelato ice cream.
Cultural Change: In recent years, trade in Argentina has increased and improved the economy. Exports are increasing and the country is finding more and more ways to use their resources efficiently. Lives for women are also slowly beginning to change and they are finding better jobs that were previously only for men. This is a slow change but it is gradually improving.
Kailee Williams
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"Countries and Their Cultures." Culture of Argentina. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
"Argentina Travel Tips – DOs and DONTs." : Travel Taboo Guide – Dos and Donts. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.