Although "Argentina" was already in common usage by the 18th century, the country was formally named "Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata" by the Spanish Empire, and "United Provinces of the Río de la Plata" after independence.
When was Argentina first called Argentina?
The first use of the name "Argentina" can be traced back to the first voyages made by the Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors to the Río de la Plata (meaning "River of Silver"), in the first years of the 16th century.
What is the origin of the country name Argentina?
The name is derived from the Latin argentum (silver). The first use of the name Argentina can be traced to the voyages of the Spanish conquerors to the Río de la Plata. The explorers who shipwrecked in Juan Díaz de Solís' expedition found native communities in the region who gave them silver presents.
What was Argentina before 1816?
The territory of modern Argentina was part of the Spanish Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, with its capital city in Buenos Aires, seat of government of the Spanish viceroy.
Who was in Argentina before Spain?
Along with numerous nomadic tribespeople, two main indigenous groups existed in Argentina before the European arrival. In the northwest, near Bolivia and the Andes, was a people known as the Diaguita, while further south and to the east were the Guarani.
Who originally owned Argentina?
United States Recognition of Buenos Ayres, 1823. The United States recognized the Government of Buenos Ayres (predecessor of Argentina) on January 27, 1823, when Caesar Rodney was appointed as American Minister Plenipotentiary to that government. Buenos Ayres had declared independence from Spain on July 9, 1816.
Who originally colonized Argentina?
Background: Spain colonized Argentina in the 16th century; it declared its independence in 1816 and emerged as a democratic republic in the mid 19th century, but has since then periodically fallen under military rule.
Was Argentina Spanish or Portuguese?
While Argentina's official language is Spanish, Argentina has enjoyed so much international migration that Arabic, Italian, German, English, and French are also spoken—at least in pockets throughout the country. There are also over one million speakers of various tribal languages, including Quecha and Guaraní.
Is Argentina a Greek name?
Argentina: the land of silver The name of the second largest country in South America, Argentina, comes from the Latin “argentum,” which, in turn, has its roots in ancient Greek word Άργυρος (Argyros), meaning silver.
Was Argentina Colonized by Italy?
Argentina may have been colonized by the Spanish originally, but it is fair to say that the Italians had an equal, if not even greater influence, over many areas of Argentine life, such as politics, food, fashion and language.
What was the first civilization in Argentina?
The earliest known evidence of indigenous peoples in Argentina is dated 11,000 BC and was discovered in what now known as the Piedra Museo archaeological site in Santa Cruz Province. The Cueva de las Manos, also in Santa Cruz, is over 10,000 years old.
How much of Argentina is Italian?
According to Ethnologue, Argentina has more than 1,500,000 Italian speakers, making it the third most spoken language in the nation (after Spanish and English).
What happened to the original inhabitants of Argentina?
It's been almost 100 years since Indigenous tribes in the north of Argentina were violently attacked. Hundreds were killed in the Napalpí Massacre, as it has come to be known. In a unique trial for the South American country, prosecutors now say that the state committed crimes against humanity.
Why did Argentina leave Spain?
Answer and Explanation: Argentina, like other South American colonies, desired independence from Spain due to the economic exploitation that Spain had engaged in for centuries.
What was the first country to recognize Argentina?
Historian Pacho O'Donnell affirms that Hawaii was the first state that recognized Argentina's independence.
Was Argentina ever a British colony?
In a treaty of 1825, the United Kingdom became one of the first countries to recognise the independence of Argentina. English arrivals and investment played a large part in the development of Argentine railway and tramway lines, and also Argentine agriculture, livestock breeding, processing, refrigeration and export.
What happened in 1922 in Argentina?
The 1922 Argentine general election was held on 2 April 1922, in which Marcelo T. de Alvear was elected to the office of the president representing the Radical Civic Union (UCR).
What was Argentina like before Spanish?
On the eve of European colonization in 1580, Argentina was a vast tract of fertile land and a social and economic backwater with a temperate climate and a sparse indigenous population.
Was Argentina Colonised by France?
Argentina became an independent nation during the Peninsular War, a conflict between the First French Empire and the Spanish Empire. Argentina was a Spanish territory by that time, as the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, and thus at war with France, but the war never left Europe.
Was Argentina Colonized by Portugal?
Colonization. The Argentine area was within the Spanish colonial entities of: Governorate of New Andalusia (1524−1542) Governorate of the Río de la Plata (1549–1776), under the supervision of the Real Audiencia of Lima in the Viceroyalty of Peru (1541−1661), then the first Royal Audiencia of Buenos Aires (1661−1671).
Which country Colonised France?
At the close of the Napoleonic Wars, most of France's colonies were restored to it by Britain, notably Guadeloupe and Martinique in the West Indies, French Guiana on the coast of South America, various trading posts in Senegal, the Île Bourbon (Réunion) in the Indian Ocean, and France's tiny Indian possessions; however ...
What language did Argentina speak?
Spanish is the national language, although in Argentina it is spoken in several accents and has absorbed many words from other languages, especially Italian. Numerous foreign languages and dialects can be heard, from Basque and Sicilian to Welsh and Gaelic.
What is the old name of Greece?
The Greeks called their land Hellas and themselves Hellenes. It was the Romans who called them Greeks- (Graeci ) and that is the name by which we know them.
What does Argentina mean in English?
From Spanish, from Italian: literally “made of silver, silver colored” (equivalent to argento “silver” + -ino adjective suffix), shortening of Terra Argentina “Land of Silver,” or Costa Argentina “Coast of Silver”; ultimately a derivative of Latin argentum “silver”; see also -ine1.
Why did Spain colonize Argentina?
Much of Spain's effort was initially aimed at staving off Portuguese expansion in what today is Brazil. The first European known to have laid eyes on the area that would become Buenos Aires was Juan Díaz de Solís, who sailed up what is now the Río de la Plata and named it the Mar Dulce, or Sweet Sea.
Does Argentina speak Spain?
The primary language spoken in Argentina, Spanish is used by almost the entire population of the country, either as a first language or a second tongue. Well over 40 million people speak Spanish in Argentina, out of a population of around 45 million.
