Argentina
The land of music, dancing, and delicious food!
The Basics
Weather: The weather is mostly temperate, arid in the southeast, and subantarctic in the southwest.
Climate Type: The climate in Argentina is Maritime. These climates usually involve warm summers and cool winters.
Physical Characteristics: The Rio de la Plata is a major physical characteristic of Argentina called an estuary. An estuary is where river current and ocean tide meet. Another major physical characteristic of Argentina are the Pampas. The Pampas are one of the largest fertile plains in the world and covers about one-third of the country's land area.
How to Fit In
4 Folkways: A folkway of Argentina is that marriage is freely decided. Also, the country is made up of mostly small families including one or two children. Kids tend to stay with their parents until they are married or until they are pretty far into their 20s. The people of Argentina also greet everyone with a kiss on the cheek!
Taboos: If you travel to Argentina, make sure you never make the "OK" sign or give a thumbs up because these signs are considered vulgar. Also, don't eat on the street or on a type of public transportation. There is a special ritual for pouring wine in Argentina, so don't pour somebody else's wine! Lastly, never show up to a party in Argentina on time. Interestingly enough, you're actually supposed to show up to a party 30 minutes to an hour late. Even showing up 3 hours late is a normal thing in Argentina!
Values: Argentina really values their flag and national anthem, and they take great pride in their country! They display the flag during world cup soccer matches and in times of war. Most of the Argentine population is urban, but the people still highly value their past rural life as a grain and cattle exporter. This past rural life caused the country to be ranked in the top 6 wealthiest nations in 1914.
Digging Deeper Into Culture
Culture Landscape: Some examples of culture landscape in Argentina is tango, soccer, dulce de leche, and mate. Tango is the most popular dance in the country and actually originated in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. Soccer became a big part of the culture because politicians encouraged men to play the sport because they didn't think tango was appropriate. Food is a huge part of the culture and some of the most popular foods in Argentina are dulce de leche and mate.
Evidence of Cultural Diffusion: Soccer is an example of cultural diffusion in Argentina because it was introduced to the country by Britain in the 1860s. Also, the architecture of the country has been greatly influenced by immigrants and Europe.
Evidence of Culture Change: The Protestant religion is becoming more popular in the country. Also, the law used to grant most of the authority of children to the men, but now the authority of children is equal for men and women.
Jaidyn Anthoney Citations
"Argentina." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.