Line #40 UsefulNotes/Argentina


1	[[quoteright:328:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/argentina-map_4333.gif]]
2	[[caption-width-right:328:Don't cry for her.]]
3	Ah, ''la hermosa Argentina''[[note]]the beautiful Argentina[[/note]]... home of ''la calle más larga'' [[note]]the longest street (Rivadavia Ave.)[[/note]] and ''[[Music/BersuitVergarabat la calle más ancha]]'' [[note]]the widest street (9 de Julio Ave.)[[/note]]... home of ''[[Music/BersuitVergarabat el río más ancho]]'' [[note]]the widest river (River Plate)[[/note]] and ''[[Music/BersuitVergarabat las minas más lindas del mundo]]''[[note]][[{{Narcissist}} the world's most beautiful chicks...]][[/note]]
4
5	One of the world's southernmost countries, Argentina is a diverse country, geographically and culturally speaking. Officially the '''Argentine Republic''' (Spanish: ''República Argentina''), it has a wide range of ecosystems and biomes. Argentina had significant European colonization which brought wealth to the country, and by the early [[The20thCentury 20th century]], it was a rising power. However, over the 20th century, {{military coup}}s and economic crises led to challenges. Argentina is known for its sultry, passionate {{tango}} music and dance, the horse-riding rural {{Gaucho}} people and folksingers in ThePampas (a bit like {{Cowboy}}s), and authors such as Creator/JorgeLuisBorges and Creator/JulioCortazar.
6
7	Argentina's biomes range from deserts to mountains, forests, jungles and glaciers (as exemplified by National Parks like "Nahuel Huapi", "Los Glaciares", "Iguazú" and "Perito Moreno" among several others). Argentina has the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere, Aconcagua at 6959 m[[note]]sorta like 22387 ft[[/note]]. At the same time, Argentina is also home to the Western Hemisphere's lowest depression, Laguna del Carbón at 105 m below sea level.[[note]]344 ft below sea level[[/note]] Its northern boundaries have the hot tropical weather of {{UsefulNotes/Bolivia}} and {{UsefulNotes/Brazil}}, giving (in the jungles to the east) nest to fauna like monkeys, tapirs and jaguars; while in the west the desert-like mountains are the habitat of pumas, llamas and condors. Meanwhile, in its southern lands (more than 5000 km south) the ice-cold temperature that anticipates {{UsefulNotes/Antarctica}} is the habitat (in the western mountains) of foxes, deer and maras; while in the Atlantic coast there are penguins, whales and sea lions.
8
9	Argentina has beautiful natural sights, such as the forests and lakes lying along the Andes mountain range, and also important places for scientific research, like Valle de la Luna, an area which due to geological quirks over million years has soils from different historical times placed in rows. In paleontology, there are two top research places: {{UsefulNotes/China}} and Argentina.
10
11	Argentina was scarcely populated during the [[UsefulNotes/PreColumbianCivilizations pre-Columbian era]], with just nomadic tribes. The Spanish empire sent several colonization waves that established many cities. The Portuguese empire was forced by the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) to stay at the east of UsefulNotes/SouthAmerica; the land of modern {{UsefulNotes/Uruguay}} was near the limits and became a frequent cause of conflict between the two empires. The country declared its independence during the UsefulNotes/SpanishAmericanWarsOfIndependence, but then fell into a [[{{UsefulNotes/ArgentineCivilWar}} civil war]] about the way to organize the country. It only ended after 60 years.
12
13	In the late 19th century, there was a huge immigration wave of Europeans, a kind only rivaled by the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates. Over 6 million Europeans immigrated during the period, easily doubling the population. Coupled with the fact that there were not many natives in the area to begin with, Argentina's population is distinctly "whiter" compared to most of its [[UsefulNotes/LatinAmerica Latin American]] peers (only UsefulNotes/{{Uruguay}}, which has a nonexistent native population, is whiter). The immigration brought a lot of wealth to the area, and by the early 20th century, Argentina was a rising power, with a powerful military, a strong economy that dwarfed the likes of UsefulNotes/{{France}} and UsefulNotes/{{Germany}}, and a high standard of living which was rivaling that of any European nation.
14
15	However, several factors undermined Argentina's growth and resulted in the country entering a massive decline. This included several {{military coup}}s, a couple of populist/nationalist leaders, and a reckless management of the economy that caused frequent economic crises and hyperinflation. Nowadays, although the country is not exactly ''poor'', it has really fallen hard from being a superpower candidate, and is not even considered the richest country in Latin America anymore. Simon Kuznets, who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Economics, said: "There are four kinds of countries in the world: developed countries, undeveloped countries, [rags to riches] [[RagsToRiches Japan]] and [riches to rags] [[RichesToRags Argentina]]."
16
17	Argentina's Great Writer is generally agreed to be Creator/JorgeLuisBorges, one of the best and most influential practitioners of the MindScrew. Most of Argentina's ''other'' great writers were also good friends of his, such as Adolfo Bioy Casares, Ernesto Sabato (some of his conversations with Borges were put together and published in 1976), and Silvina Ocampo. Although not a friend of his, Creator/JulioCortazar, author of the postmodern novel ''Literature/{{Hopscotch}}'', has said that Borges was a source of inspiration for his stories, most of which were brimming with MagicRealism. In regards to ComicBooks, Creator/{{Quino}}'s ''ComicStrip/{{Mafalda}}'' and Creator/HectorGermanOesterheld's ''ComicBook/ElEternauta'' are easily the most influential to come out of the country.
18
19	Argentina's most famous cultural innovation is the sultry, passionate {{tango}}. Originating from the dock areas and brothels of Buenos Aires, this musical style and dance has lyrics that emphasize nostalgia, sadness, and lost love. Beginning in Argentina and Uruguay, it has spread around the world and become a global phenomenon.
20
21	In Argentina depictions, if there isn't a couple with the man dressed in an elegant suit and the woman in a sexy red dress dancing to tango, then maybe it is a Gaucho, a horseback-riding peasant from the rural areas, perhaps playing its ''vigüela''[[note]]a kind of guitar[[/note]] near a ''fogón''[[note]]bonfire[[/note]] with its fellow ''Gauchos'', singing proudly about their life in ''[[ThePampas las pampas]]''[[note]]name of the Argentine plains where Gauchos used to roam[[/note]], or lamenting over their unfortunate lives... it is part of Argentine folklore.
22
23	Argentine folk music is diverse: music from the northwestern provinces usually are ''carnavalitos'' or other music styles like those also found in {{UsefulNotes/Bolivia}} and {{UsefulNotes/Peru}}, and are played with traditional instruments like ''bombos'', flutes and ''charangos''. Meanwhile those in the north-eastern provinces have styles like ''chamamé'' shared with {{UsefulNotes/Paraguay}}, usually played with violins, guitars and harps. Folk styles in the Patagonian and western provinces usually are shared with {{UsefulNotes/Chile}}; and many styles from the ''llanura pampeana'' associated with the Gauchos like ''milonga'' and ''chacarera'' have relatives in {{UsefulNotes/Uruguay}}.
24
25	{{Classical music}} in Argentina is also eminent, with Daniel Baremboim even creating an orchestra with Israeli and Palestinian people, for the sake of peace. As well, in TheSixties and TheSeventies, tango innovator Astor Piazzola created a new style called "Tango Nuevo" which blended Classical music (bowed string orchestra), traditional tango, and {{jazz}} improvisation.
26
27	But if we are talking about Argentina's music, its most telling is ''ROCK NACIONAL''![[note]]national rock, in the sense of "from Argentina" country-wise speaking, not politically... not that Argentine rock doesn't sing about politics, it even defied the last military dictatorship's yoke, but we will get on that later.[[/note]] With a history spanning decades, Argentine rock (or ''rock nacional'', as it is called inside the country) was one of the first versions of rock not being sung in the English language, a complete novelty at that moment with uncertain results. It became the first non English language form of rock to be commercially successful, having revolutionized the hell of Latin America countries music with the Argentine invasion in TheEighties.
28
29	Rock historians place Argentine rock in 3rd place after American and British rock, for the mark it left in the history of world's music changing it all in all the countries in the continent, even giving birth in some of that countries to their local form of rock. Bsnds include Soda Stereo, Rata Blanca, Los Gatos, Almendra, Vox Dei, Sui Generis, Aquelarre, Los Abuelos de la Nada, Seru Giran, Virus, Patricio Rey y Sus Redonditos de Ricota, Riff, V8, Almafuerte, Los Enanitos Verdes, Sumo, Divididos, Las Pelotas, Attaque 77, Flema, Dos Minutos, Embajada Boliviana, Fun People, El Otro Yo, Babasónicos, Los Piojos, Los Ratones Paranoicos, La Renga, Las Pastillas del Abuelo, Bersuit Vergarabat, Catupecu Machu, Arbol, A.N.I.M.A.L....
30
31	After finding its first big sales in the form of Los Gatos' La Balsa, Argentine rock took an evolution to more psychedelic, experimental and progressive styles, and a more aggresive, protest-song style in their lyrics, eventually gaining the antipathy of the military dictatorship and leading to a bitter feud that brought Argentine Rock to agony. It was however UsefulNotes/TheFalklandsWar that was used by the militars to boost national pride and so prohibited broadcast of songs in the English language and instead promoted their old enemies, the ''pelilargos y melenudos''[[note]]long-haired and mane bearing[[/note]], effectively revitalizing Argentine rock.
32
33	After the loss of the war and the falling of the military dictatorship, Argentine rock moved on and influenced itself with the NewWaveMusic and SynthPop that was raging in the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates and the UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom. Rock took a twist to a more laid back and dancing style, which consequently conquered all of Latin America. While with the advent in TheNineties of the ''rock barrial''[[note]]'hood rock[[/note]] and ''rock rolinga''[[note]]Rolling Stone style rock, which is funny because it is an entire subculture named "rolingas" worshipping Music/TheRollingStonesBand, all dressing and haircutting like them, with ridiculous results... though the girls are seriously hot as hell.[[/note]]
34
35	Argentine rock forgot what put itself in the frontline of music in Latin America, and lost terrain at the hands of Mexican and Chilean rock, there is always an Argentine rock band in the top of the charts in Latin American countries, and so, ''rock nacional'' will never cease to exist.
36
37	Completing the music scene in Argentina, ''cuarteto'' and ''cumbia'' are two major players in the provinces of Córdoba and Santa Fe respectively. The later also gave birth to a local style named ''cumbia villera''[[note]]ghetto's cumbia... sort of[[/note]] in the poor neighborhoods named ''villas miseria'' (like the brazilian favelas, only on a much smaller scale) where they started to sing about what was happening in their CrapsackWorld of the Argentina that would eventually lead to the 2001 crisis. It all started in 1999 with the band Flor de Piedra's song "Sos botón". Ever since, the ''cumbia villera'' lyrics constantly shocked the ''lower-class disdaining'' Argentine society. Of course, among the lower class, ''cumbia villera'' is defended as a way of expression.
38
39	Acting-wise, the country has produced Guillermo Francella, Adrian Suar, Norma Aleandro, Rodolfo Ranni, Leticia Bredicce, the late Alberto Olmedo, Jorge Porcel, Emilio Disi and Ricardo Darín. Comedy groups like Music/LesLuthiers, [[LongRunners with more than 40 years on stage]], have made a name of themselves in all Spanish-speaking countries, even winning awards in {{UsefulNotes/Spain}}. In the last decades however, the media has been crowded with quarrel-loving scantly-clad vedettes, actresses and fashion models, with TV shows like those of host Marcelo Tinelli's ''[=VideoMatch=]'' and ''Bailando Por Un Sueño'' making an industry out of this. It is worth noting that MoralGuardians are really weak and almost absent in Argentina, for they are associated with the right-wing that supported the military dictatorship. The Argentine audience has evolved into being very laid back about sexual themes (a trait shared with, and maybe due to proximity influence from, Brazil). Nowadays everybody is fine if an actress pole-dances in a thong on TV, usually achieving the highest ratings as a result...
40
41	The country is known for its meals, and the ''parrillas'' (Argentinian grills, commonly known around the world as steak restaurants) are commonplace. One traditional way of preserving the beef for export was to pack it in coarse-grained salt, known as "corns" of salt, hence "Corned Beef". Which means very different things in Britain and America. Argentine cuisine is very rich, ranging recipes from a wide range of origins: from the Native times came corn omelettes, the ''mate'' drink and roasted fishes like the ''surubí''; in colonial times ''locro'' (a bean stew), ''empanadas'' and ''asados'' (a traditional type of barbeque) were added; later the immigration waves brought pastas, "helados" [[note]]ice creams[[/note]] (recognized and paired in quality with Italian ''gelatos'') ''fatay'' or ''Empanada árabe'' (arabic "empanada"), and ''choripanes'' [[note]]grilled sandwiches of sausages[[/note]]; currently a wide variety of oriental cuisine [[note]] brought by a relatively recent wave of chinese immigration, over a traditional but smaller Japanese community[[/note]], and the fusion of them all made the Argentine cuisine.
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43	Argentina is not the only place where [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi leaders]] escaped to after UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, and it's far more exaggerated in the media than what it actually occurred. Also, Villa Gesell has no mountains, despite how ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' might have depicted it. It's a seaside city in the east of Buenos Aires, while the big mountains are located in the west of the country, in the Andes range.
44	----
45	[[index]]
46	!!Works created in Argentina
47	* ArgentineMedia
48	* {{Tango}}
49
50	!!Tropes associated with Argentina
51	* ArgentinaIsNaziland
52	* TheCapitalOfBrazilIsBuenosAires
53	* {{Gaucho}}
54	* ThePampas
55
56	!!History
57	* UsefulNotes/PreColumbianCivilizations
58	* UsefulNotes/BritishInvasionsOfTheRioDeLaPlata
59	* UsefulNotes/SpanishAmericanWarsOfIndependence
60	** UsefulNotes/JoseDeSanMartin
61	* UsefulNotes/ArgentineCivilWar
62	* UsefulNotes/WarOfTheTripleAlliance
63	* UsefulNotes/JuanDomingoPeron
64	** UsefulNotes/EvaPeron
65	** UsefulNotes/IsabelPeron
66	* UsefulNotes/NationalReorganizationProcess
67	** UsefulNotes/JorgeRafaelVidela
68	** UsefulNotes/TheFalklandsWar
69	* UsefulNotes/RaulAlfonsin
70	* UsefulNotes/CarlosMenem
71	* UsefulNotes/FernandoDeLaRua
72	* UsefulNotes/AdolfoRodriguezSaa
73	* UsefulNotes/EduardoDuhalde
74	* UsefulNotes/NestorKirchner
75	* UsefulNotes/CristinaFernandezDeKirchner
76	* UsefulNotes/MauricioMacri
77	* UsefulNotes/JavierMilei
78
79	!!Other
80	* UsefulNotes/ArgentinesWithArmoredVehicles
81
82	[[/index]]
83	----
84	[[AC:The Argentine flag]]
85	https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/argentina_flag_8342.png
86	->The flag's sky-blue and white stripes, as well as the golden sun, have various interpretations: popular interpretation attribute them to the colors of the sky, while some historians attribute the colors to Argentina's pledge of loyalty to the House of Bourbon, though not necessarily to the Spanish Empire itself. In fact, the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_of_May Sun of May]], a representation of Inti, Inca god of the sun, was named after the May Revolution of 1810.
87	----
88	[[AC:The Argentine national anthem]]
89
90	->Oíd, mortales, el grito sagrado:
91	->"¡Libertad! ¡Libertad! ¡Libertad!"
92	->Oíd el ruido de rotas cadenas
93	->ved en trono a la noble igualdad
94
95	->Ya su trono dignísimo abrieron
96	->las Provincias Unidas del Sud
97	->y los libres del mundo responden:
98	->"¡Al gran pueblo argentino, salud!"
99	->"¡Al gran pueblo argentino, salud!"
100	->Y los libres del mundo responden:
101	->"¡Al gran pueblo argentino, salud!"
102	->Y los libres del mundo responden:
103	->"¡Al gran pueblo argentino, salud!"
104
105	->Sean eternos los laureles,
106	->que supimos conseguir.
107	->Que supimos conseguir.
108	->Coronados de gloria vivamos
109	->¡O juremos con gloria morir!
110	->¡O juremos con gloria morir!
111	->¡O juremos con gloria morir!
112
113	--
114
115	->Hear, mortals, the sacred cry:
116	->"Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!"
117	->Hear the sound of broken chains
118	->See noble equality enthroned.
119
120	->Their most worthy throne have now opened
121	->The United Provinces of the South.
122	->And the free people of the world reply:
123	->"To the great Argentine people, hail!"
124	->"To the great Argentine people, hail!"
125	->And the free ones of the world reply:
126	->"To the great Argentine people, hail!"
127	->And the free ones of the world reply:
128	->"To the great Argentine people, hail!"
129
130	->May the laurels be eternal
131	->that we were able to achieve
132	->That we were able to achieve
133	->Let us live crowned in glory
134	->Or let us swear to die with glory!
135	->Or let us swear to die with glory!
136	->Or let us swear to die with glory!
137	->Or let us swear to die with glory!
138	----
139	[[AC:Government]]
140	* Federal presidential constitutional republic
141	** President: UsefulNotes/JavierMilei
142	** Vice President: Victoria Villaruel
143	** Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers: Nicolás Posse
144	** President of the Chamber of Deputies: Martín Menem
145	** President of the Supreme Court: Horacio Rosatti
146
147	----
148	[[AC:Miscellaneous]]
149	* '''Capital and largest city:''' Buenos Aires
150	* '''Population:''' 44,938,712
151	* '''Area:''' 2,780,400 km (1,073,500 sq mi) (8th)
152	* '''Currency''': Argentine peso ($) (ARS)
153	* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' AR
154	* '''Country calling code:''' 54
155	* '''Highest point:''' Aconcagua (6,960 m/22,835 ft) (9th)

Context UsefulNotes / Argentina