Claim: South America contains at least five countries and these countries contain people who speak at least Spanish or Portuguese.

Argentina -LRB- -LSB- ɑrdʒənˈtiːnə -RSB- -LSB- aɾxenˈtina -RSB- -RRB- , officially the Argentine Republic -LRB- República Argentina -RRB- , is a federal republic in the southern portion of South America . Sharing the bulk of the Southern Cone with its neighbor Chile to the west , the country is also bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay to the north , Brazil to the northeast , Uruguay and the South Atlantic Ocean to the east , and the Drake Passage to the south . With a mainland area of 2780400 km2 , Argentina is the eighth-largest country in the world , the second largest in Latin America , and the largest Spanish-speaking one . The country is subdivided into twenty-three provinces -LRB- provincias , singular provincia -RRB- and one autonomous city -LRB- ciudad autónoma -RRB- , Buenos Aires , which is the federal capital of the nation -LRB- -LSB- Capital Federal , links = no -RSB- -RRB- 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 -LRB- -LSB- Islas Malvinas , links = no -RSB- -RRB- , 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 -LRB- 1810 -- 1818 -RRB- 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 .   After 1930 , Argentina descended into political instability and periodic economic crises that pushed it back into underdevelopment , though 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 .