March 19, 2011

A little bit about Argentina

For those of you who are geographically challenged, this post if for you.

Argentina is the 8th largest country in the world (in size). It is located in the Southern Hemisphere, bordered by the Atlantic coast to the east and Chile to the west.

[photo credit: WelcomeArgentina.com]


The population is about 41 million (as of 2011). Just ask the CIA - they know everything.


(I find this fascinating. My first time in Argentina, in 1998, the population was 33 million. That's one incredible growth spurt in just 13 short years. Many, many young people. It's not uncommon to see teenagers walking down the street with babies. Everyone's having babies.)


Anyway, Argentina is considered to have a "temperate" climate. The CIA World Factbook says it's "mostly temperate; arid in southeast [that would be the Patagonian desert]; subantarctic in southwest". It's not super tropical, like Brazil, and yet palm trees are a common sight in the northern half of the country. The capital, Buenos Aires (no, it's not Rio, although I've heard that one before... and no, Argentina is not the capital of Brazil, either... I've heard that one, also) is located at the same exact latitude as North Carolina. That means it's HOT in the summer. And humid. And they have palm trees to prove it. And no air conditioning. It's fun (that's sarcasm). I still say the Spaniards named it "Buenos Aires (Good Airs)" to trick the people into emigrating there. It's stifling in the summer (not good), and I don't recall much of a breeze (so much for the "airs" part).


The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is about $14,700. To offer some perspective, it's $47,400 in the United States.


The people are about 90% descendant from the Italian and the Spanish. It's mainly a Roman Catholic country (90%+), but nominally practicing (that is, few go to Mass, but everyone is going to heaven because, "I've never killed anyone!". I know, I've asked. A lot.)


So that's Argentina in a nutshell. If you'd like more information, check out the rest of the Argentina's country profile on the CIA World Factbook.


2 comments:

Dori Williams said...

Hello, Chris! I'm Lee's wife, Dori, and I am so excited to read what you have on your blog! Here is my email, doridew@hotmail.com. Could you email me so I have yours? I'd love to talk about everything - your plans, your transition, homeschooling, being insane for God's Kingdom! It's really encouraging just to briefly "meet" your family on the few entries that I have read so far. God bless you!

Anonymous said...

Hi Chris. My name is Jennifer and my husband just found your blog today. We are in the process of moving about an hour south of Bariloche, Argentina from the States. When we saw that you are believers in Patagonia and you also homeschool, we were so excited! Moving to Argentina November 27th and not knowing anyone is sometimes overwhelming to think about, but we are excited for our move! Do you live close to Bariloche? If you want to email us our email address is nerframsey@yahoo.com Thank you and have a very blessed day.

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