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15 Nations Global Tour: Argentina (Stop #2)

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Surnames/tags: Argentina 15_Nations_Tour Notables
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This sub-project is part of the larger 15 Nations Global Tour. Please visit the main project page for details on the goals and objectives of this project.

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Contents

Geography

The Argentine Republic is located in the southern portion of South America, sharing the bulk of the Southern Cone with the nation of Chile. It is the eighth-largest country in the world, the fourth-largest country in the Americas, and the second-largest country in South America after only Brazil. Argentina consists of twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city, Buenos Aires, the federal capital and the nation's largest city. Argentina also claims sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and a portion of Antarctica.

Demographics

Argentina, with a population of over 46 million people, ranks second only to the United States among countries of the world that have received the most immigrants in modern history. As such, Argentina has developed into a multiethnic and multilingual society, with most Argentines being of European descent with a significant indigenous component. Native cultures are still represented in the country mainly by the Mapuches, the Kollas, the Wichís, and the Tobas, which together represent about 1.5% of the total Argentine population. Argentina has no national language, although the Spanish language is the only one used in the wording of laws and other official documents, thus making it the nation's de facto official language. Nearly 50% of Argentinians practice Roman Catholicism, with another 10% practicing other forms of Christianity. Almost 40% of the country claims to identify with no formal religious denomination, with only about 1% practicing non-Christian faiths.

History

Until the period of European colonization, Argentina was relatively sparsely populated by a wide number of diverse cultures, some dating back as far as the Paleolithic period. By the time the first Europeans arrived in the region with the 1502 voyage of Amerigo Vespucci, it is estimated that there were than about 300,000 people belonging to numerous indigenous civilizations, cultures, and tribes then living in the territory known today as Argentina.

In 1553, Francisco de Aguirre founded the first Spanish settlement of Santiago del Estero. Other settlements quickly followed. But by the end of the 16th century, the Spanish Empire had shifted its attention away from Argentina and its long-term economic potential, in favor of the immediate wealth to be had from the silver and gold mines of Bolivia and Peru. Argentina then became a part of the Viceroyalty of Peru until 1776, when it became known as the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, with Buenos Aires as its capital. It should be noted that a significant African population, primarily of Bantu origin, was forcibly brought into Argentina as slave labor between the 17th and 19th centuries.

The 1810 May Revolution overthrew the Viceroy and replaced him with what has come to be known as The First Junta, a new government in Buenos Aires composed by locals. Soon, the French-Argentine Hippolyte Bouchard brought his fleet to wage war against Spain overseas, attacking Spanish California, Spanish Philippines, Spanish Chile, and Spanish Peru. He also secured the diplomatic recognition of Argentina from Hawaiian King Kamehameha I, making Hawaii the first nation to recognize Argentina's independence. On 9 July 1816, the Congress of Tucumán formalized a Declaration of Independence from Spain, which is now celebrated in Argentina as Independence Day. Decades of turmoil followed, however, and it wasn't until 1861 that Bartolomé Mitre was elected as the first president of a truly unified Argentina. It was he and his immediate predecessors who set up the basis of the modern Argentine State.

In 1880, Argentina began emphasizing liberal economic policies which led to a massive wave of European immigration and a near-reinvention of Argentine society. Immigration in the 19th century and early 20th century included Europeans (mainly Italian and Spanish) who were focused primarily on colonization, along with significant currents of Arabs and Jews, as well as people from nearby countries including Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. In more recent times, Argentina has seen increased immigration from eastern Europe, the nations of Korea, China, and Japan, and many countries across South and Central America, as well as the Caribbean.

Resources

Click here for a list of resources relevant to Argentine genealogical research:

This resource page is part of the 15 Nations Argentina Project.

RESOURCES

MyHeritage: Argentina, Baptisms, 1645-1930 (Records in Spanish) ($) MyHeritage: Argentina, Marriages, 1722-1911 (Records in Spanish) ($)

Notable Argentines

In the below list, columns can be sorted by clicking on the arrow button in any category heading box. A "C" in the final column denotes a Notable who has been successfully connected to the Big Tree. "N/C" stands for Not Connected.

Notable Born Died Claim to Fame Photo C
Carlos Saavedra Lamas18781959First Latin American Nobel Peace Prize LaureateC
José María Sobral18801961Antarctic ExplorerC
Violet Jessop18871971Survivor of the Titanic, Britannic, and Olympic shipwrecksC
Victoria Ocampo18901979Magazine Publisher / Writer C
Antonio Berni19051981ArtistC
Alberto Zorrilla19061986Olympic SwimmerC
Libertad Lamarque19082000ActressN/C
Juan Manuel Fangio19111995Formula 1 DriverC
Raúl Alfonsín19272009Father of Modern Argentine DemocracyC
Isabel Sarli19292019Glamor Model / ActressC
Quino19322020CartoonistN/C
Mercedes Sosa19352009Folk SingerN/C
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner1953LIVINGCurrent Vice President of ArgentinaN/C
Alberto Fernández 1959LIVINGCurrent President of ArgentinaN/C
Emiliano Sala19902019FootballerN/C

10 More Notable Argentines

Notable Born Died Claim to Fame Photo C
Bernardo Houssay188719711st Latin American Nobel Laureate in the SciencesN/C
Luis Ángel Firpo18941960BoxerN/C
Leanor Fini19071996PainterN/C
Atahualpa Yopanqui19081992Folk MusicianN/C
Lolita Torres19092002Film actress and singerN/C
Alberto Ginastera 19161983Classical music composerN/C
Omar Sívori19352005Football PlayerN/C
Alejandra Pizarnik 19361972PoetN/C
Norma Cappagli193920201st Argentine Miss WorldN/C
Carlos Reutemann19422021 Formula One Race Car Driver and PoliticianN/C




Collaboration


Comments: 5

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Juan Manuel Fangio is now connected
Thanks Tara. I love the fact that members are still working on our prior 15 Nations Tour profiles.
posted by David Randall
I connected Alberto Zorrilla the Olympic swimmer to the tree. I went through his wife Sonja's sister Asta's husband to his family in the United States.
Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín (1927-2009) is now connected. Raúl Alfonsín is 28 Degrees from Darren Kellett
posted by Darren Kellett