1. What's in a name... Even if you are already familiar with the name of the country, one can not but wonder where it came from. Actually, it is an old denomination, as before being thoroughly explored the European colonists believed not only that it had huge deposits of silver, but there was also a whole mountain made out of silver. And since the Latin name for silver is argentum...2. Some might say that video killed the radio star, but in Argentina the once so popular radio seems to be doing alright. According to recent statistics the citizens of this country listen to the radio for about two hours every week (on average) thus setting the world record. Radio seems to be here to stay, at least in Argentina.
3. If you like wine you must already be familiar with the fact that Argentina is one of the oldest and most popular wine producers in the world. With a history of vineyards and wine making going back hundreds of years, Argentina is the home of several very popular brands, and about the fifth producer in the world, when it comes both to quantity and quality.
4. But the country is not only very appreciated for it's wines, but also as a beef producer. You may have read various stories about Argentinian beef, and experts say it is maybe the best in the world.
5. Tango is nowadays famous worldwide, and seems to be gaining more and more popularity over time. It was actually “born” here, in Argentina, in the 19th century, and in the beginning was a rather controversial and frowned upon dance.
6. In the city of Buenos Aires you can visit the unusual district called “Ville Freud”. Yet, it is a district full of psychiatrists and psychoanalysts. More than that, Buenos Aires has about 145 psychologists for every 100 000 citizens, so it seems that it is a highly demanded job.7. The gauchos seem to be the heroes of countless movies and books, as well as folk legends, and seem to be a symbol of Argentina and it's history. It was surprising for historians to discover that the very first gauchos came from a wave of Jewish immigrants, who chose to flee Russia and arrived in Buenos Aires towards the end of the 19th century. And as they received large plots of land it was naturally for many of them to become the Argentinian version of cowboys.
8. And speaking of gauchos you have surely encountered the term “pampas” in books and movies, large areas used for growing and feeding cattle. So gauchos and pampas go together perfectly. But the mere term is also special and defining the identity of the people and of the country.
9. If you go to school in Argentina don't expect any favours. Not only you have to travel to school on your own account – no school buses or freebies for you – but you also have to buy your own books and school uniform.
10. Che Guevara was not born in Cuba, but in Rosario, to the south of Buenos Aires, and he grew up in Argentina.
Photo: flagpictures.org, wikimedia.org, goodfreephotos.org
