by Kevin Lee

Created on: September 10, 2009

Many interesting facts about Argentina:

- Eighth largest country in the world by land area

- Name derived from Latin argentum meaning white and silvery

- Mendoza Province (22,841 ft) is the highest point above sea level in the Southern and Western Hemisphere

- Argentina is the only nation in South America with a positive net migration rate

- Until 1994, the President and Vice- President had to be Roman Catholic

- A third of candidates presented by political parties must be women

- Argentina has claimed amnesty over the Falkland Islands, South Shetland Islands, South Sandwich Islands and parts of Antarctica

- The ceibo is the national flower of Argentina

- Southern Argentina is home to the world's smallest deer species, Pudu

- The world's first animated feature films were made and released in Argentina in 1917

- Corrientes Avenue in Buenos Aires is called the street that never sleeps and is compared to Broadway

- Argentines have the highest consumption of red meat in the world

- The Argentine wine industry is the largest in the world outside of Europe

- Public education is free up to and including university level education

- Argentina has contributed three Nobel laureates in Science

- Rene Favaloro performed the world's first coronary bypass surgery

- The Pierre Auger Observatory in Mendoza is the foremost cosmic ray observatory in the world

- Declared independence from Spain in 1816

- Argentina is a world leader in setting voluntary greenhouse gas targets

- Argentina has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

- The President is both the head of state and head of government

- The colours of the Argentine flag represent the clear skies and snow of the Andes

- The sun on the Argentine flag has the same features as Inti, the Incan god of the sun

- Internet country code: .ar

- Has the 6th most airports in the world with 1,150

- Has one heliport

- Source of cocaine, heroin, and pseudoephedrine to US and Europe

- The most common form of greeting between friends is kissing cheeks

- Dinner is usually eaten late - from around 9:00 pm

- Casual discussion of the Falklands/Malvinas war can seem insensitive and is best avoided

- Most of the people live in cities on the Pampas, the vast fertile prairies that cover the middle of the country

- The Pampas were home to the gauchos, the South American version of the cowboy

- Argentina was ruled by a military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983

- The Andes form a natural boundary between Argentina and Chile

- About two-fifths of Argentina's population lives in metropolitan Buenos Aires

- The Argentine elite has always regarded Paris rather than Madrid as its second home

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