Welcome to Argentine Republic

1. Welcome toArgentine Republic

2. Location of Argentina • Almost at the tip of South America. Surrounded by Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay. • 2nd largest country in South America after Brazil. • Capital (and largest city): Buenos Aires

3. People of Argentina • Population: 40,482 million (July 2008) 40,913,584 (July 2009 est.) • Nationality: Argentine(s) • Ethnic groups: 86% European (Italian, Spanish, French, German and Others), 8% Mestizo (mixed European and Amerindian ancestry), 2% Amerindian, 4% Other • Religions: 92% Roman Catholics, 2% Protestants, 2% Jewish, 4% Others • More than one third are living in its capital Buenos Aires • Largely influenced by European immigrants

4. Language of Argentina • Official language: Spanish • locally called Castellano (Castilian) • Other languages: Italian, English, German, French • Local greetings… Next page 

5. means: I Love You

6. Introducing yourself… Click to listen to these 3 greetings Click on the link below to listen to the pronunciation: http://www.donquijote.org/spanishlanguage/dictionary/survival/introducing.asp

7. Greetings and Polite Things to Say… Click to listen to the above polite Spanish words

8. Argentine National Anthem(Himno Nacional Argentino) Spanish lyrics Oíd, mortales, el grito sagrado: "¡Libertad, libertad, libertad!"Oíd el ruido de rotas cadenas,ved en trono a la noble igualdad. Ya su trono dignísimo abrieronlas Provincias Unidas del Sudy los libres del mundo responden:"Al gran pueblo argentino, ¡Salud!""Al gran pueblo argentino, ¡Salud!"Y los libres del mundo responden:"Al gran pueblo argentino, ¡Salud!"Y los libres del mundo responden:"Al gran pueblo argentino, ¡Salud!“ Estribillo (Chorus) Sean eternos los laurelesque supimos conseguir,que supimos conseguir.Coronados de gloria vivamos...¡o juremos con gloria morir!,¡o juremos con gloria morir!,¡o juremos con gloria morir!

9. Climate of Argentina • Mostly temperate; with extremes ranging from subtropical in the north to subpolar in the far south. • North Argentina is characterized by very hot, humid summers with mild drier winters, and is subject to periodic droughts. • Central Argentina has hot summers with thunderstorms. • Western Argentina produces some of the world's largest hail), and cool winters. • The southern regions have warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall, especially in mountainous zones.

10. Time zone of Argentina • The southern regions, particularly the far south, experience long periods of daylight from November to February (up to nineteen hours) and extended nights from May to August. • All of Argentina uses UTC-3(Singapore is UTC+8) time zone. The country does observe daylight saving time occasionally. • Daylight saving time (DST) is the convention of advancing clocks so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less. Typically clocks are adjusted forward one hour near the start of spring and are adjusted backward in autumn.

11. Economy of Argentina • Argentina has abundant natural resources, a well-educated population, an export-oriented agricultural sector and a relatively diversified industrial base. • GDP: $570.5 billion (2008) (Rank 23rd) • The gross domestic product (GDP) is one of the measures of national income and output for a given country's economy. It is the total value of all final goods and services produced in a particular economy in a given year. • GDP sector: Agriculture, 9.8%; mining, 3.8%; manufacturing, 21.5%; construction, 5.9%; commerce and tourism, 14.5%; transport, communications and utilities, 9.8%; finance, real estate and business services, 16.1%; government, social services and other, 18.6%. (2008) • Currency: Argentine Peso (ARS) DO YOU KNOW? SGD $1 = ARS $2.40 (estimated) Therefore, their currency value is about the same as Malaysian Ringgit (MYR)

12. Economy of Argentina- Natural Resources • Argentina is one of the world's major agricultural producers, ranking third worldwide in production of honey, soybeans and sunflower seeds and is ranked as fifth in the production of maize and eleventh in wheat. • Argentine fisheries bring in about a million tons of catch annually and are centered around Argentine hake which makes up 50% of the catch, pollack, squid and centolla crab. • Petroleum fuels, oil and natural gas are 12% of Argentina's exports. The most important oil fields lie in Patagonia and Cuyo. • Mining is a growing industry where the northwest and San Juan Province are the main regions of activity. • Coal is mined in Santa Cruz Province. • Metals mined include gold, silver, zinc, magnesium, sulfur, tungsten, uranium and particularly copper. View of a soy fields. Though Argentina is now an industrial and service economy, agriculture still earns more than half the foreign exchange.

13. Economy of Argentina- Manufacturing • Manufacturing is the nation's largest single sector in the economy. • Leading sectors by production value are: • food processing • chemicals & pharmaceuticals • motor vehicles • farming equipment & auto parts • iron, steel & aluminum • petroleum • home appliances • industrial machinery • Other manufactured goods includes: textiles & leather, plastics & tires, forestry products, publishing, cement, glass and tobacco products.

14. Economy of Argentina- Service Industries • The service sector is the biggest contributor to total GDP, accounting for 58%. • Argentina enjoys a diversified service sector, which includes well-developed social, corporate, financial, insurance, real-estate, transport and communication services, as well as vigorous commercial and tourist trades. • The telecommunications sector has been growing at a fast pace, and tourism is increasingly important. Well-known for its productive agriculture, Argentina also benefits from a well-developed service sector

15. Tourism in Argentina • Tourism in Argentina is favored by its ample and varied natural assets (made possible by its geographical extension) and by its cultural offerings. • Visitors may choose to visit a tango show, spend time in one of the many turn-of-the-century cafés, or make a date for a play or show in the city with one of the greatest number of theatres in the World.

16. Argentina - Tourist sites • Buenos Aires, considered by travelers the "Paris of the Southern Hemisphere", offers a broad range of cultural activities. Obelisk of Buenos Aires is a modern monument placed at the heart of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Museum of Latin American Art "Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe" church The Obelisk at night North face of the obelisk "Club de Pescadores" (Fisherman's Club)

17. Argentina - Tourist sites The waterfalls are located on the border of the Brazil and the northeast of Argentina. • Places of interest at the Northern Region… • Iguazu Falls • Quebrada de Humahuaca • Seven Colors Hill • Valles Calchaquíes • Talampaya • Valle de la Luna • Esteros del Iberá • Parana River • Puna de Atacama • Calamuchita Valley • Sierras de Córdoba • Mar Chiquita, Córdoba Argentina • Traslasierra Valley • San Ignacio Miní The most impressive of the falls is known as the Devil's Throat, shared with Brazil Seven Colors Hill, Purmamarca Talampaya National Park San Ignacio Miní

18. Argentina - Tourist sites • Places of interest at the Southern Region… Ushuaia is also the southernmost city in the world. Los Glaciares National Park Punta Tombo - an important colony of Magellanic Penguins. Cerro Catedral is a mountain located inside the Nahuel Huapí National Park, Patagonia, Argentina. Cerro Catedral during winter time.

19. Tallest building inArgentina… Still under construction • Unico Buenos Aires Hotel (Buenos Aires) • Height: 220m • Number of floors: 66 • Expected opening date: 2010

20. Culture of Argentina • Argentine culture has significant European influences. • Buenos Aires (its capital), is often said to be the most European city in South America. • European styles in architecture. • Well-known for Tango. Art Nouveau Barolo Tower, Buenos Aires.

21. Music of Argentina • Argentina is known mostly for the tango, which developed in Buenos Aires and surrounding areas, as well as Montevideo, Uruguay. Folk, pop and classical music are also popular. • Argentine Tango is a social dance and a musical genre that originated in Argentina. A Bandoneon used in Tango music

22. Cuisine of Argentina • One of major world’s food producers of beef, wheat, corn, milk and soybeans. • Given the country's vast production of beef, red meat is an especially common part of the Argentine diet. • Typical food eaten: European style, high in protein diet • Asado (Grilled meat particularly steak and beef ribs, pork sausages) • Pizzas & Pasta Asado (grill) Farinata (which literally means floured) is a thin, crisp, pizza-like pancake Empanadas (similar to our Curry Puff); the dough is usually made of wheat flour and the fillings is mainly chicken/beef (cubed or ground), perhaps spiced with cumin and paprika, while others include onion, boiled egg, olives, or raisins. Fideo is the Spanish word for a noodle of any type.

23. Beverages of Argentina A traditional drink of Argentina is an infusion called mate. The dried leaves and twigs of the yerba mate plant are placed in a small cup, also called mate, usually made from a gourd, but also bone or horn. The drink is sipped through a metal or cane straw called a bombilla. Mate can be sweetened with sugar, or flavored with aromatic herbs or dried orange peel, to hide its bitter flavour. Hot water is poured into the gourd at near-boiling point so as to not burn the herb and spoil the flavour.

24. Sport in Argentina • Football (locally called futbol) is the most popular sport in Argentina, whose national team was twice FIFA World Cup Champion (1978 & 1986) and Olympic Gold (2004 & 2008), medalist as well as Copa América winners fourteen times. • Football in Argentina, it could be said, is more than a sport, as it is arguably part of the country's culture. • The sport is played all over the country by children during breaks at school and by grown-ups in the indoor football fields that can be found almost everywhere. • Other sports like basketball, rugby, tennis, rink hockey, boxing, volleyball, auto racing, golf and polo are also increasingly important.

25. Holidays in Argentina • Moveable holidays: • ¹ If the date falls on a Tuesday or Wednesday, the holiday is the preceding Monday. If it falls on a Thursday or a Friday then the holiday is the following Monday. • ² Always the third Monday of the month.

26. Holidays in Argentina • Mother's Day (Third Sunday of October) • Father's Day (Third Sunday of June) • Children's Day (Second Sunday of August) • Teacher's Day (Día del Maestro) on September 11, commemorating the death of D. F. Sarmiento (former President); only observed by primary school students. • Spring Day (Día del Estudiante/Día de la Primavera) on September 21; only observed by high-school students.

27. Education in Argentina • School attendance is compulsory between the ages of 5 and 17. • Education in Argentina is divided in three phases. • The first comprises grades first to ninth (Primary education), and is called Educación General Básica or EGB (meaning: Basic General Education). EGB is divided in three stages • EGB I: 1st, 2nd and 3rd school years • EGB II: 4th, 5th and 6th school years • EGB III: 7th, 8th and 9th school years • Once the EGB is completed, the student finishes the mandatory schooling period and can choose to start secondary education, called Polimodal. • Polimodal is usually 3 years of schooling, although some schools have a fourth year. • Polimodal is not yet obligatory but its completion is a requirement to enter colleges across the nation. • The third stage is college education.

28. Rulang acoge con satisfacción la Argentina! Rulang welcomes Argentina!