Introduction
Argentina is one of the countries in which English has become a powerful language. It is a country within the Expanding Circle as Kachru refers to. The mastery of English is a requirement for any Argentine inhabitant who is searching for a good job, promotion or wants to have some social acceptance. It is used by a quite huge number of people. Some of them have learnt it at school and others have learnt it in the companies where they work. Since English is the language of business today, many companies offer free English courses to their employees. There are also people who have acquired English as their first language, especially those who belong to a British or an American family. Apart from English, Argentina has other languages such as Spanish (as an official language), Italian, German and French. Spanish is a dominant language in Argentina. It is the mother tongue of the majority of the population of Argentina. Nowadays, English is competing Spanish since it is a global language and there is a huge demand for it.
Geography
Argentina is a Spanish-speaking country located at the bottom of the American continent. It is surrounded by five countries: Uruguay and Brazil from the east, Paraguay and Bolivia from the north, and Chile throughout the west. Argentina is also open to the Atlantic Ocean. It has 2,780,400 square kilometres. It is the eighth largest country in the world. Its climate is mostly temperate. It is arid in the southeast while it is sub-Antarctic in southwest. The capital city of Argentina is Buenos Aires which was established in 1580.
Argentina is a Spanish-speaking country located at the bottom of the American continent. It is surrounded by five countries: Uruguay and Brazil from the east, Paraguay and Bolivia from the north, and Chile throughout the west. Argentina is also open to the Atlantic Ocean. It has 2,780,400 square kilometres. It is the eighth largest country in the world. Its climate is mostly temperate. It is arid in the southeast while it is sub-Antarctic in southwest. The capital city of Argentina is Buenos Aires which was established in 1580.
HISTORY
Argentina was a Spanish colony. It was under the control of Spain for many years until some of the neighbouring countries had their independence in 1816. Argentina, then, became an independent state. Argentina's population and culture were dramatically influenced by immigrants from Europe, especially from Italy and Spain. Argentina suffered from internal political conflicts which lasted until the mid-20th century. In 2001, there was an economic crisis in Argentina which triggered many violent public protests and led to the successive resignations of some presidents.
Argentina was a Spanish colony. It was under the control of Spain for many years until some of the neighbouring countries had their independence in 1816. Argentina, then, became an independent state. Argentina's population and culture were dramatically influenced by immigrants from Europe, especially from Italy and Spain. Argentina suffered from internal political conflicts which lasted until the mid-20th century. In 2001, there was an economic crisis in Argentina which triggered many violent public protests and led to the successive resignations of some presidents.
People
The number of Argentina's population has reached 43,886,748 according to the estimation of 2016. Almost one-third of the population resides in the capital city, Buenos Aires. The majority of them are white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%. The other categories are mestizo (having both Spanish and Native American ancestors), Amerindian, and other non-white groups 3%. Most Argentines are Roman Catholic 92%. Some minorities are either Protestant 2% or Jewish 2%. The remaining portion of the population (4%) follows other religions. Argentina has an adult literacy rate of 98.09% which is 4.08% higher than the world average (94.02%).
Zakaria Agourram
Spring, 2017
Spring, 2017