Argentina (Giovinezza)

Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic (Spanish: República Argentina), is a federal republic in the southern half of South America. Argentina is bordered by Chile to the west, Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, Brazil to the northeast and Uruguay to the east. With a mainland area of 2,780,400 km2(1,073,500 sq mi), Argentina is the second-largest nation in Latin America and the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world. The country is subdivided into twenty-three provinces (Spanish: provincias, singular provincia) and one autonomous city (ciudad autónoma), Buenos Aires, which is the federal capital of the nation (Spanish: Capital Federal) as decided by Congress. The provinces and the capital have their own constitutions, but exist under a federal system.

Argentina claims sovereignty over part of Antarctica, the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas), and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The earliest recorded human presence in the area of modern-day Argentina dates back to the Paleolithic period. The country has its roots in Spanish colonization of the region during the 16th century. Argentina rose as the successor state of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, a Spanish overseas viceroyalty founded in 1776. The declaration and fight for independence (1810–1818) was followed by an extended civil war that lasted until 1861, culminating in the country's reorganization as a federation of provinces with Buenos Aires as its capital city. The country thereafter enjoyed relative peace and stability, with massive waves of European immigration radically reshaping its cultural and demographic outlook. The almost-unparalleled increase in prosperity led to Argentina becoming the seventh wealthiest developed nation in the world by the early 20th century. During the Cold War, Argentina became an Italian ally under Juan Domingo Perón and part of the Fascist International, during which the country suffered from several coup attempts leading to the suspension of the constitution and the introduction of a one-party state. After the death of Perón, the nation descended into civil war which ended in 1976 with a government victory and the creation of a national unity government and the full reintroduction of democracy in 1982.

Although Argentina descended into political instability and periodic economic crises after 1930 that pushed it back into underdevelopment, it nevertheless remained among the fifteen richest countries until the mid-20th century. Argentina retains its historic status as a middle power in international affairs, and is a prominent regional power in the Southern Cone and Latin America. Argentina has the second largest economy in South America, the third-largest in Latin America and is a member of the G-15 and G-20 major economies. It is also a founding member of the United Nations, World Bank, World Trade Organization, Mercosur, Union of South American Nations, Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and the Organization of Ibero-American States. It is the country with the second highest Human Development Index in Latin America with a rating of "very high". Because of its stability, market size and growing high-tech sector, Argentina is classified as a high-income economy.