Argentina stretches 4,000 km from its sub-tropical north to the sub-antarctic south. Its terrain includes part of the Andes mountain range, swamps, the plains of the Pampas and a long coastline. Its people have had to struggle with military dictatorship, a lost war over the Falkland Islands, and severe economic difficulties.

Argentina is rich in resources, has a well-educated workforce and is one of South America”s largest economies. But it has also fallen prey to a boom and bust cycle. Argentinians gave the world the tango. They are mad about soccer, and are reckoned to be the best polo players. Their love of horses is best personified by the figure of the Argentine “gaucho”, the solitary, independent ranch-hand. Argentina is the second largest country in South America and the eighth largest, geographically in the world. Its population is almost totally of Spanish and Italian decent, having a very small indigenous population.