Argentina

Argentina is a country in the southern half of South America. It shares most of the Southern Cone with Chile to the west and borders Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, Brazil to the northeast, Uruguay and the South Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Drake Passage to the south. Argentina covers an area of ​​2,780,400 km2 (1,073,500 sq mi), making it the largest Hispanic country globally. It is the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourth largest country in America, and the eighth-largest country globally. Argentina is divided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city, the federal capital and largest city in the country, Buenos Aires. The provinces and the capital have their constitutions, but they exist within the national system. Argentina claims sovereignty over Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands.

The earliest recorded human presence on the territory of modern Argentina dates back to the Paleolithic period. The Inca Empire expanded to the northwest of the country in pre-Columbian times. The country had its roots in the Spanish colonization of the region in the 16th century. Argentina grew up as the successor state to the Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata, the Spanish overseas Viceroyalty, founded in 1776. The proclamation of independence and the struggle for independence (1810–1818) was followed by a prolonged civil war, which lasted until 1861, completing the country's reorganization into a federation. After that, relative peace and stability reigned in the country, with several waves of immigration from Europe, mainly Italians, and Spaniards, radically changing its cultural and demographic views; more than 60% of the population is of full or partial Italian descent, and Argentine culture has significant links with Italian culture.

Almost unprecedented growth in prosperity led Argentina to become the seventh-largest country in the world by the beginning of the 20th century. In 1896, Argentina's GDP per capita exceeded the United States and was consistently in the top ten until at least 1920. It is currently ranked 71st in the world. After the Great Depression of the 1930s, Argentina plunged into political instability and economic recession, throwing it back backward. However, for several decades, it remained among the fifteen most prosperous countries.  Following the death of President Juan Perón in 1974, his widow and vice-president Isabel Martinez de Perón took over as president and was then ousted in 1976. The subsequent military junta persecuted and killed thousands of political critics, activists, and leftists in the government. A dirty war, a period of state terrorism and civil unrest that lasted until Raoul Alfonsin was elected president in 1983.

Argentina is a developing country that ranks very high on the Human Development Index, ranking second in Latin America after Chile. It is a regional power that retains its historic status as a middle power in international affairs. It supports the second-largest economy in South America and is a member of the G-15 and G20. Argentina is also a founding member of the United Nations, the World Bank, the World Trade Organization, MERCOSUR, the Community of Latin American and the Caribbean States, and the Organization of Ibero-American States.