Buenos Aires Culture - ISA Money Matters What is Buenos Aires like? Buenos Aires is the largest city in Argentina and is one of the most lively cities in the world. It has rightfully been called "the Paris of the South America" as it is reminiscent of many European cities while it still maintains its natural, latin culture and flair. Buenos Aires lies in the Pampas (fertile plains), close to the coast, and is located on the edge of the great Río de la Plata. The Pampas are famous for the gauchos, or cowboys, who tend the land and raise cattle and horses there. Because Buenos Aires is a port city, the locals are commonly known as Porteños. Many of Argentina's inhabitants are descendants of Western European immigrants who traveled to Argentina in the mid 19th century. You will see the European influence in the architecture of the various suburbs of the city. La Boca's rainbow-colored houses and San Telmo's mixture of French and Italian styles are just a couple of examples. Argentines are versatile and expressive and have a passion for discussing politics.

In addition to the strong European influence, there are still a few indigenous communities, the largest being the Mapuche, Guaraní, Tobas, Kollas and Wichi. Over a third of Argentina's 34.3 million people reside in Gran Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires city and its suburbs in Buenos Aires province). The identity of Buenos Aires has been influenced by different waves of immigration, providing the city with a cosmopolitan profile. Politeness and respect are closely linked with informal treatment. The normal greeting of men and women is a kiss on the cheek. Smiles, hugs, closeness when speaking and gestures are the most common and friendly way of communication. Something to note is the use of vos (you) instead of the Spanish tú for informal treatment, and the use of che to address a person. Additionally, the pronunciation of the "ll" or "y" in Argentine Spanish carries the "sh" sound. For example, "Como te llamas" will sound like "Como te shamas". Porteños typically can understand Portuguese and most of them speak some English.

Region and Population Buenos Aires lies in the Pampas (fertile plains), close to the coast, and is located on the edge of the great Río de la Plata. About 2.8 million people live in the city of Buenos Aires, and 13 million people reside in the greater Buenos Aires area, including the suburbs. Climate The climate of Buenos Aires is mild year round. The mean annual temperature is 18º C (64.4º F), making extremely hot and cold days infrequent. Thus, visitors can enjoy walking around the city in any season. July is the coldest month. Although frosts are rare, you may want a woolen coat, a jacket or an overcoat and a scarf when going out. In winter, cold is moderate during the day, but the temperature drops considerably at night. In the summer, the weather is hot and humid. Mornings are warm and during midday and the first hours of the afternoon, the temperature rises. At night, the temperature goes down slightly, so people may wear light clothes; coats are not needed. Rains are more frequent in autumn and spring (from March to June and from September to December, respectively).

They are mild or last a short time, thus activities are not usually hampered much and people typically go out with an umbrella or a raincoat. In the sunny days of autumn and spring, mornings are slightly cold; the temperature rises at midday and drops again at night. Average monthly highs and lows (degrees Fahrenheit) and rainfall (inches) Type Argentina Country Profile - National Geographic Kids AREA: 1,073,364 square miles (2,780,400 square kilometers) Argentine Flag Map of Argentina GEOGRAPHY Argentina is a vast country located in the southern part of South America. The eighth largest country in the world, it is the second largest country in South America after Brazil , and it's about one-third the size of the United States . Argentina is bordered by the Andes Mountains and Chile to the west. To the east of the Andes, the interior of the country is flat, fertile grassland called the Pampas. The eastern border of the country is the Atlantic Ocean. Bolivia is to the northwest and Paraguay is to the north.

The high mountain spine of the Andes, called the Andes Cordillera, creates a natural 3,195-mile (5,141.9-kilometer) border with Chile . The country is divided into four regions: The Andes, the North, the Pampas, and Patagonia. The Pampas is the agricultural heartland. PEOPLE & CULTURE Unlike Mexico and South American countries such as Peru and Ecuador, Argentina has fewer native people and a large population, which came from Europe. The population is comprised as much as 95% of people of European descent, mostly from Italy, Spain, and Germany. Much of the native population died from diseases brought in by Europeans. Nearly half of the population lives in the area around Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires has been called the "Paris of South America," because of the European influences. The people are well-educated and 97% of the population can read and write. Soccer is the favorite sport in Argentina. Gauchos, like American cowboys, have been a symbol of the open plains of the Pampas region. NATURE Argentina is rich in animal species.

The coast of Patagonia is home to elephant seals, fur seals, penguins, and sea lions. The waters off the Atlantic are home to sharks , orcas , dolphins , and salmon. In the north, there are many large cat species such as the cougar , jaguar , and the ocelot . There are also crocodiles and caiman. Flamingos , toucans , turtles, and tortoises also live in the subtropical north. Patagonia is a sparsely populated area rich in natural resources and wildlife, including herons, condors , pumas , tortoises, and guanacos. The highest mountain in the Andes range is the Cerro Aconcagua, which peaks at 22,384 feet (6,960 meters). Northeast Argentina features rain forests and Iguazù Falls. These spectacular falls, on Argentina's border with Brazil, descend along a 1.6-mile (2.7-kilometer) front in a horseshoe shape. As the country develops it is being affected by deforestation and pollution.

Argentine Peso, Photograph by Asafta, Dreamstime GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY The country is a federal republic. There have been several democratically elected presidents after many years of political turmoil. The National Congress is made of the Senate with 72 seats and the Chamber of Deputies with a total of 257 seats. There are seven judges in the Supreme Court, but that number will be reduced to five over the next few years. The president picks the judges and the senate must approve their appointments. Sheep herding, oil, mining, agriculture, and tourism make up Patagonia's economy. HISTORY The Spanish arrived in 1516 and ruled the country for 300 years. In 1806, a British force overpowered Spanish military in Buenos Aires and attacked the Malvinas Islands, also called the Falkland Islands. Local residents recaptured the capital, but never regained control of the islands. These events led to the loosening of Spain's grip on Argentina. In 1810, Napoleon's forces conquered all major Spanish cities in Spain and the Argentine people were empowered to take control of their country. They gained independence in 1816.

In 1946, Juan Perón became president due to his popularity with the working class. His wife, Eva, known as Evita, formed a foundation and gave out cash and benefits to the poor. When she died of cancer in 1952, the people were very sad. She was a symbol of hope to all the poor in Argentina. Juan Perón was forced out of office after he tried to increase his powers. Even after he left office, his followers continued to fight for political power. After many violent years and near civil war, Perón was re-elected president and his new wife, Isabel, became vice president. He died suddenly and Isabel became president and soon the country's economy fell apart. The military took control of the country in 1976, and a period of violence called the "dirty war" ensued, during which as many as 20,000-30,000 revolutionaries or sympathizers were killed. In 1982, the president of Argentina, General Leopoldo Galtieri invaded the Falkland Islands off the coast in the Atlantic Ocean thinking the British wouldn't put up a fight.

Galtieri miscalculated and British forces won an easy victory. After the defeat, the country moved toward democracy and civilian rule. Argentina | history - geography | Britannica.com Argentina Alternative Titles: Argentine Republic, República Argentina Argentina federal republic with two legislative houses (Senate [72]; Chamber of Deputies [257]) Head of state and government Literacy: percentage of population age 15 and over literate Male: not available GNI per capita (U.S.$) (2014) 14,560 1Roman Catholicism has special status and receives financial support from the state, but it is not an official religion. list of cities and towns in Argentina Argentina, country of South America , covering most of the southern portion of the continent. The world’s eighth largest country, Argentina occupies an area more extensive than Mexico and the U.S. state of Texas combined. It encompasses immense plains, deserts, tundra, and forests, as well as tall mountains, rivers, and thousands of miles of ocean shoreline. Argentina also claims a portion of Antarctica, as well as several islands in the South Atlantic, including the British-ruled Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas).

Argentina Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Argentina has long played an important role in the continent’s history. Following three centuries of Spanish colonization, Argentina declared independence in 1816, and Argentine nationalists were instrumental in revolutionary movements elsewhere, a fact that prompted 20th-century writer Jorge Luis Borges to observe, “South America’s independence was, to a great extent, an Argentine enterprise.” Torn by strife and occasional war between political factions demanding either central authority (based in Buenos Aires) or provincial autonomy , Argentina tended toward periods of caudillo , or strongman, leadership, most famously under the presidency of Juan Perón. The 1970s ushered in a period of military dictatorship and repression during which thousands of presumed dissidents were “disappeared,” or murdered; this ended in the disastrous Falklands Islands War of 1982, when Argentina invaded the South Atlantic islands it claimed as its own and was defeated by British forces in a short but bloody campaign. Defeat led to the fall of the military regime and the reestablishment of democratic rule, which has since endured despite various economic crises. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

The country’s name comes from the Latin word for silver, argentum, and Argentina is indeed a great source of valuable minerals. More important, however, has been Argentina’s production of livestock and cereals, for which it once ranked among the world’s wealthiest nations. Much of this agricultural activity is set in the Pampas , rich grasslands that were once the domain of nomadic Native Americans, followed by rough-riding gauchos, who were in turn forever enshrined in the nation’s romantic literature. As Borges describes them in his story The South, the Pampas stretch endlessly to the horizon, dwarfing the humans within them; traveling from the capital toward Patagonia, the story’s protagonist, Señor Dahlmann, “saw horsemen along dirt roads; he saw gullies and lagoons and ranches; he saw long luminous clouds that resembled marble; and all these things were casual, like dreams of the plain.... The elemental earth was not perturbed either by settlements or other signs of humanity. The country was vast, but at the same time it was intimate and, in some measure, secret. The limitless country sometimes contained only a solitary bull.

The solitude was perfect and perhaps hostile, and it might have occurred to Dahlmann that he was traveling into the past and not merely south.” Related People Alfredo Di Stéfano Despite the romantic lure of the Pampas and of vast, arid Patagonian landscapes, Argentina is a largely urban country. Buenos Aires, the national capital, has sprawled across the eastern Pampas with its ring of modern, bustling suburbs. It is among South America’s most cosmopolitan and crowded cities and is often likened to Paris or Rome for its architectural styles and lively nightlife. Its industries have drawn colonists from Italy , Spain, and numerous other countries, millions of whom immigrated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Greater Buenos Aires is home to about one-third of the Argentine people. Among the country’s other major cities are Mar del Plata, La Plata , and Bahía Blanca on the Atlantic coast and Rosario , San Miguel de Tucumán, Córdoba , and Neuquén in the interior. Buenos Aires, Arg. Jeremy Woodhouse—Digital Vision/Getty Images Overview of Buenos Aires.

Contunico © ZDF Enterprises GmbH, Mainz Land Countries of the World Argentina is shaped like an inverted triangle with its base at the top; it is some 880 miles (1,420 km) across at its widest from east to west and stretches 2,360 miles (3,800 km) from the subtropical north to the subantarctic south. The country is bounded by Chile to the south and west, Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, and Brazil , Uruguay , and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Its undulating Atlantic coastline stretches some 2,900 miles (4,700 km). Argentina Esteban Echeverría Argentina’s varied geography can be grouped into four major regions: the Andes, the North, the Pampas, and Patagonia. The Andean region extends some 2,300 miles (3,700 km) along the western edge of the country from Bolivia to southern Patagonia, forming most of the natural boundary with Chile . It is commonly subdivided into two parts: the Northwest and the Patagonian Andes, the latter of which is discussed below under Patagonia.

The North is commonly described in terms of its two main divisions: the Gran Chaco, or Chaco, comprising the dry lowlands between the Andes and the Paraná River ; and Mesopotamia, an area between the Paraná and Uruguay rivers. The centrally located plains, or Pampas, are grasslands subdivided into arid western and more humid eastern parts called, respectively, the Dry Pampa and the Humid Pampa. Patagonia is the cold, parched, windy region that extends some 1,200 miles (1,900 km) south of the Pampas, from the Colorado River to Tierra del Fuego. Relief The Northwest This part of the Andes region includes the northern half of the main mountain mass in Argentina and the transitional terrain, or piedmont, merging with the eastern lowlands. The region’s southern border is the upper Colorado River .

Within the region the Andean system of north-south–trending mountain ranges varies in elevation from 16,000 to 22,000 feet (4,900 to 6,700 metres) and is interrupted by high plateaus (punas) and basins ranging in elevation from about 10,000 to 13,400 feet (3,000 to 4,080 metres). The mountains gradually decrease in size and elevation southward from Bolivia. South America ’s highest mountain, Aconcagua (22,831 feet [6,959 metres]), lies in the Northwest, together with a number of other peaks that reach over 21,000 feet (6,400 metres). Some of these mountains are volcanic in origin. The Andes overlooking Lake Mascardi in Nahuel Huapí National Park, western Río Negro … Schuster/Superstock Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Pinterest To the southeast, where the parallel to subparallel ranges become lower and form isolated, compact units trending north-south, the flat valleys between are called bolsones (basins).

This southeastern section of the Northwest is often called the Pampean Sierras, a complex that has been compared to the Basin and Range region of the western United States. It is characterized by west-facing escarpments and gentler east-facing backslopes, particularly those of the spectacular Sierra de Córdoba. The Pampean Sierras have variable elevations, beginning at 2,300 feet (700 metres) in the Sierra de Mogotes in the east and rising to 20,500 feet (6,250 metres) in the Sierra de Famatina in the west. The Gran Chaco The western sector of the North region, the Gran Chaco, extends beyond the international border at the Pilcomayo River into Paraguay, where it is called the Chaco Boreal (“Northern Chaco”) by Argentines. The Argentine sector between the Pilcomayo River and the Bermejo River is known as the Chaco Central . Argentines have named the area southward to latitude 30° S, where the Pampas begin, the Chaco Austral (“Southern Chaco”).

The Gran Chaco in Argentina descends in flat steps from west to east, but it is poorly drained and has such a challenging combination of physical conditions that it remains one of the least-inhabited parts of the country. It has a subtropical climate characterized by some of Latin America’s hottest weather, is largely covered by thorny vegetation, and is subject to summer flooding. Mesopotamia East of the Gran Chaco, in a narrow depression 60 to 180 miles (100 to 300 km) wide, lies Mesopotamia , which is bordered to the north by the highlands of southern Brazil . The narrow lowland stretches for 1,000 miles (1,600 km) southward, finally merging with the Pampas south of the Río de la Plata. Its designation as Mesopotamia (Greek: “Between the Rivers”) reflects the fact that its western and eastern borders are two of the region’s major rivers, the Paraná and the Uruguay.

The northeastern part, Misiones province, between the Alto (“Upper”) Paraná and Uruguay rivers, is higher in elevation than the rest of Mesopotamia, but there are several small hills in the southern part. The Pampas Inter-American Conference for the Maintenance of Peace Pampa is a Quechua Indian term meaning “flat plain.” As such, it is widely used in southeastern South America from Uruguay, where grass-covered plains commence south of the Brazilian Highlands , to Argentina. In Argentina the Pampas broaden out west of the Río de la Plata to meet the Andean forelands, blending imperceptibly to the north with the Chaco Austral and southern Mesopotamia and extending southward to the Colorado River . The eastern boundary is the Atlantic coast. Flock of sheep in the Pampas, Argentina. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. The largely flat surface of the Pampas is composed of thick deposits of loess interrupted only by occasional caps of alluvium and volcanic ash. In the southern Pampas the landscape rises gradually to meet the foothills of sierras formed from old sediments and crystalline rocks.

Patagonia This region consists of an Andean zone (also called Western Patagonia) and the main Patagonian plateau south of the Pampas, which extends to the tip of South America. The surface of Patagonia descends east of the Andes in a series of broad, flat steps extending to the Atlantic coast. Evidently, the region’s gigantic landforms and coastal terraces were created by the same tectonic forces that formed the Andes, and the coastline is cuffed along its entire length as a result. The cliffs are rather low in the north but rise in the south, where they reach heights of more than 150 feet (45 metres). The landscape is cut by eastward-flowing rivers—some of them of glacial origin in the Andes—that have created both broad valleys and steep-walled canyons. Sheep raising in Patagonia, southern Argentina. Contunico © ZDF Enterprises GmbH, Mainz Perito Moreno Glacier, Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina, 2006.

It is one of the Patagonia … © Lisa Lubin - (A Britannica Publishing Partner) Patagonia includes a region called the Lake District , which is nestled within a series of basins between the Patagonian Andes and the plateau. There are volcanic hills in the central plateau west of the city of Río Gallegos . These hills and the accompanying lava fields have dark soils spotted with lighter-coloured bunchgrass, which creates a leopard-skin effect that intensifies the desolate, windswept appearance of the Patagonian landscape. A peculiar type of rounded gravel called grava patagónica lies on level landforms, including isolated mesas. Glacial ice in the past extended beyond the Andes only in the extreme south, where there are now large moraines. Drainage The largest river basin in the area is that of the Paraguay–Paraná– Río de la Plata system. It drains an area of some 1.2 million square miles (3.2 million square km), which includes northern Argentina, the whole of Paraguay, eastern Bolivia, most of Uruguay, and a large part of Brazil.

In Argentina the principal river of this system is the Paraná, formed by the confluence of the Paraguay and Alto Paraná rivers. The Río de la Plata (often called the River Plate) is actually the estuary outlet of the system formed by the confluence of the Paraná and Uruguay rivers; its name, meaning “River of Silver,” was coined in colonial times before explorers found that there was neither a single river nor silver upstream from its mouth. Other tributaries of this system are the Iguazú ( Iguaçu ), Pilcomayo, Bermejo, Salado, and Carcarañá. Just above its confluence with the Alto Paraná, the Iguazú River plunges over the escarpment of the Brazilian massif, creating Iguazú Falls —one of the world’s most spectacular natural attractions. Iguazú Falls, Argentina-Brazil border. Aerial views of Iguazú (Iguac̦u) Falls, on the border of Argentina and Brazil. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Aside from the Paraná’s main tributaries, there are few major rivers in Argentina.

Wide rivers flow across the Gran Chaco flatlands, but their shallow nature rarely permits navigation, and never with regularity. Moreover, long-lasting summer floods cover vast areas and leave behind ephemeral swamplands. During winter most rivers and wetlands of the Gran Chaco dry up, the air chills, and the land seems visibly to shrink. Only three of the region’s numerous rivers—the Pilcomayo, Bermejo, and Salado—manage to flow from the Andes to the Paraguay-Paraná system in the east without evaporating en route and forming salt pans (salinas). The region’s largest rivers follow a veritable maze of courses during flood season, however. In the Northwest the Desaguadero River and its tributaries in the Andes Mountains water the sandy deserts of Mendoza province. The principal tributaries are the Jáchal, Zanjón, San Juan, Mendoza, Tunuyán, and Diamante. In the northern Pampas, Lake Mar Chiquita , the largest lake in Argentina, receives the waters of the Dulce, Primero, and Segundo rivers but has no outlet.

Its name, meaning “Little Sea,” refers to the high salt content of its waters. Rivers that cross Patagonia from west to east diminish in volume as they travel through the arid land. The Colorado and Negro rivers , the largest in the south-central part of the country, produce major floods after seasonal snow and ice melt in the Andes. Farther south the Santa Cruz River flows eastward out of the glacial Lake Argentino in the Andean foothills before reaching the Atlantic. Soils Soil types in Argentina range from the light-coloured saline formations of the high puna in the Northwest to the dark, humus-rich type found in the Pampas. Golden-brown loess soils of the Gran Chaco are sometimes lighter where salinity is excessive but turn darker toward the east in the Mesopotamian border zone. These give way to soils ranging from rust to deep red colorations in Misiones. Thick, dark soils predominate in the fertile loess grasslands of the Pampas, but lighter brown soils are common in the drier parts of northern Patagonia. Light tan arid soils of varying texture cover the rest of this region.

Grayish podzolic types and dark brown forest soils characterize the Andean slopes. Page 1 of 18 Tango History - Trio Garufa Trio Garufa Tango Classes A brief Tango History by Murray Pfeffer The Tango, often called 'The Argentine Tango', is Argentina's contribution to the world of dance. The Tango came from the brothels and low cafes of Buenos Aires at the turn of the century. However, at it's very beginning, it was a ballet-like dance between two men, which, just a little later, became the obscene dance of the brothels where both men and women had the opportunity to rub their bodies together. Over the years, the Tango has changed becoming an elegant and stylish dance evoking a picture of high society, with women in sleek glittering evening gowns and men in tuxedos and tails. During the last 25 years of the nineteenth century, the desperate poverty of a disintegrating Europe caused a great migration - "to make America" was the saying. Very large numbers of eastern Europeans emigrated to the New World.

While New York City was a favorite desitnation, a great many landed in Buenos Aires with their few tattered belongings and a pocket full of dreams for a better life. Although a few emigres did bring their families, generally it was the men who came first to build a home and then later sent for their wives and children. Many found a new home in the outskirts of Buenos Aires during the 1880's. Here, instead of their dreams, they found the stark reality of the meat packing houses along the Riachuelo in Buenos Aires, and near the port in Montevideo, Uruguay. In places like the Mataderos district of Buenos Aires and El Cerro in Montevideo; or along the docks on both shores of the mud colored Rio de la Plata, they worked from dawn till dusk amid the heat and the stench of spoiling meat. Many lived five and six to a room, in various housing conglomerates that came to be called "conventillos", while others lived in sewer pipes stored on an empty lot belonging to a Frenchman named A. Touraint and, in the Argentine vernacular, became known as the "atorrantes", - a slang expression which today still describes homeless 'bums'.

The Conventillos housed thousands of poor immigrants, mostly from Spain and Italy, but elsewhere too, along with Argentineans from the provinces. Nights were often the worst times. Italian, French, Turkish, Irish and German immigrants would congregate on street corners of the "arrabales" (the city's outskirts), or crowd into the bars where they could dull their desires with cheap wine and sing mournful Andalucian and Neapolitan love songs to the women left behind. In this 'male world' there was often violence as the alcohol and the cocaine took effect. Knife wielding toughs, called "compadrones," ruled the arrabales. In the beginning, the Tango was danced by two men - "the tango of the compadron". They danced not arm in arm, but in something of a ballet-like, style, expressing a tale of two men locked in symbolic mortal combat (and often ending in real combat). The expression 'ballet-style' may be confusing. In the Spanish ethos, there is a history of men dancing either alone, or in a group.

Nowadays, we can conjure up a vision of modern day male Flamenco dancers dancing in bolero jackets, with a hat pulled low over one eye, and such. So too, with the early Tango. It was danced by one man alone, -expressing his sorrows and hopes, or by two men expressing some sort of moral combat. This is the type of dancing to which 'ballet-style'makes reference. In time, women - many of them prostitutes - made their way to the ports. They too, found their way into the Tango. The "kilombos" and "enramadas" (brothels), where they plied their trade around the turn of the century, became show places for the Tango. French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, and German women were brought in to work in these bordellos. Supply very often did not meet Demand and eager men would wait in long lines. Not wishing to lose the "customers" to boredom while they were waiting, the bordello owners hired musicians - usually trios playing guitar, violin and flute -as entertainment. Mostly they would play the popular music of the time: polkas, habaneras, waltzes, and mazurkas.

And, the customers, might often "dance" with a prostitute. Since these humble people had no dance training whatsoever, it must have been some very simple "walking" dance, with quite a bit of body rubbing. (In today's ballroom, the Basic steps of the Tango are 'walks' and the dance protocol demands that the dancer's bodies be in contact.) Many men found momentary respite in these brothels of Buenos Aires. Here, both the new immigrants and the 'portenos' (men born in Bueno Aires) could find some companionship and drown their troubles in a few drinks. The grey stone and muddy streets of their barrio (neighborhoods) echoed their sadness. Only the rising sun would dull the pain of memories. It was a time when the Tango belonged to the night. This eclectic mix of cultures, the European emigres, the peasants from the Argentine hinterland, and the disadvantaged "portenos" became a new social class. They began to create their own cultural expressions. This "Tango culture", -the particular slang, usages and customs of the group, is earlier than Tango dance as an artistic expression. Today it is generally accepted that the Tango is borrowed from many nations.

It took the relentless African slave rhythms -the 'Candombe' and the beat of their drums (known as tan-go), and added the popular dance music of the Pampas (Argentina's prarie land) called the 'Milonga' .(The Milonga, was an early rural dance-form that mutated into the Tango around 1880.) It combined Indian rhythms with music of early Spanish colonists. The "Candombe", was a typical Uruguayan rhythmic form, well known in the nearby port city of Buenos Aires. (As an aside, it is interesting to note that 'True' Tango music does NOT use any drums in the ensemble.) The Salon dances (mainly the Waltz), -those involving men and women embracing, were the precedent for the dance, which was refined until it became what we now know as Tango. These early immigrants and societal outcasts, seeking escape from their own emotions and feelings, would soon develop a music and a dance that epitomized their loneliness and desires. The wail of "their" Tango spoke of more than just frustrated love. It spoke of fatality and of destinies engulfed in pain. It was a dance of sorrow. "El Tango no est en los pies.

Est en el coraz¢n." (Tango is not in the feet. It is in the heart.) The Tango dance originated as an "acting out" of the relationship between a prostitute and her pimp. Tango songs and dances, often highly improvised, had no lyrics, and were generally quite obscene. Titles usually referred to characters in the world of prostitution. During this period, Tango music largely consisted of the melancholy wailing of a bandoneon, an accordion-like instrument imported to Argentina from Germany in 1886. Between 1880 and 1930, Argentina developed qjuickly. Buenos Aires was virtually entirely rebuilt during this period. The beautiful old colonial Spanish city, with it's one story buildings and narrow streets, was replaced by a metropolis of wide avenues and beautiful parks. The tall buildings were of French and Italian architecture. (Argentina became one of the ten richest nations in the world, maintaining that position until the early 1950's when it's economy began a lengthy decline, lasting for the next 30 years.) During the prosperous period, the very rich had the habit of going to Europe at least once a year. They.

maintained big homes in Paris or London, where the nobility, the famous and the very rich regularly attended their parties. The French coined the phrase "he is as rich as an Argentinean" to mean extremely rich. Some young Argentineans visiting Europe introduced their "indecent" Argentine Tango to the Parisian nobility, and the dance took Paris by storm. Tango became the craze of the time. Parties were given with Argentinean orchestras, tango lessons and milongas. Even women's fashion changed. Bulky dresses were replaced by lighter, looser ones so the ladies could adjust to the moves of Tango. Tango rapidly migrated to the other big capitals, London, Rome, Berlin, and finally New York. Now the Tango became "respectable", and was soon re-imported to the shores of the Rio de la Plata and featured in the cafes and clubs frequented by rich Argentinians. But it was no longer the Tango of the compadron - the two men in combat.

"The compadron was replaced by the "compadrito" who dressed like him; the "fungi," a wide rimmed hat thrown over one eye, a white handkerchief tied around his neck, the short coat and tight trousers and, as a last connection to the toughness of the port, the knife at his side. But it was all 'looks', he had none of the compadron's substance." By 1912, the Tango, helped by Argentina's passage of Universal Suffrage, was becoming absorbed into the larger Argentine society. While the dance lost some of it abrasiveness, it's structure remained intact, and soon the Tango developed into a worldwide phenomenon. One writer said that even the Americans were doing it, although noting that "some ladies were given to wearing "bumpers" to protect themselves from rubbing a bit too closely against their male partners". "Eventually, the evolution of the tango took it to the better dance halls closer to "el centro," (downtown) of Buenos Aires.

The "fungi" and the silk neckerchief were replaced by the black tuxedo, patent leather shoes, spats and silk top hat." In this new culture, the tango musicians were now elevated to professional composer status. Roberto Firpo, an early pioneer of the genre, created the typical Tango orchestra. The piano and double bass carried the rhythm. The melody, with strong counter melodies and variations, was played on the bandoneon and the violin. Performance stars of this era included such men as Osvaldo Fresedo and Julio de Caro. A somewhat more rigorous classification of this history, that has become widely used, includes the dates and commonly used labels for the eras: 1900 - 1920 : La Guardia Vieja (The Old Guard) 1920 - 1940 : La Guardia Nueva (The New Guard) - The Epoca de Oro of Argentine Tango.

1940 - 1960 : La Post-Guardia Nueva (The New Post-Guard), - aka: "The generation of the 40's" 1960 - present : El Nuevo Tango (The New Tango ) 1900 - 1920 : Mainly the sung and small instrumental tangos (fundamentally trios and quartets), until 'La Orquesta Tipica' arrives on the scene, with the incorporation of the bandone¢n. Musicians like: Vicente Greco, Villoldo, Arolas, etc. One of the more representative tangos is La Morocha (Saborido and Villoldo). Perhaps, the Tango "El Choclo", best exemplifies the "Guardia Vieja". In 1907, one of the very first genuine Argentine Tangueros to visit Paris (France)was the song's composer, Angel Villoldo, who wanted to do some recording.

(At the time, Paris had the best recording facilities and techniques.) In 1918, writing Lyrics for the tango became all the rage with singers such as the tragic Carlos Gardel and celebrated salon orchestras like Francisco Canaro's giving the music a new legitimacy and acceptance. Carlos Gardel is still revered today, five decades after his death. Another of the more representative Tangos of this period is "La Morocha" (by: Saborido and Villoldo). 1920 - 1940 : Here, besides the tango with lyrics and authors such as Discepolo, the instrumental Tango becomes prominent. There are two groups of writers. The composers most identified with the 'Traditional' Tango include Juan Darienzo, Francisco Canaro, Pugliese, D'Arienzo, Di Sarli, Troilo, Tanturi, and (early) Salgan. While such composers as Astor Piazzolla, Julio and Francisco de Caro, Juan Carlos Cobian, Elvino Vardaro, try to take Tango into a newer form. But probably the most important evolutionist was Astor Piazzolla.

"La Cumparsita", is an excellent example of a 'Golden Age' song. Another example is the Tango "Celos", ("Jealousy" is the English name). Paris, France, was first to take the Tango to her heart, and soon after, the Tango took all Europe by storm. "Tango Jalousie" is a European tango written by the Danish composer Jacob Gade, and may be the best known Tango of the "golden age".In 1930, an Argentine military coup ended universal suffrage. No longer able to vote, the citizenry became largely apathetic with a concomitant depressing effect on dancing the Tango. A rather pessimistic philosopher/singer of the Tango emerged at this time. Enrique Santos Discepolo is perhaps most famous for his lyric, "The 20th Century is a trash heap. No one can deny it."The late 1930's saw a Tango revival when Argentinean's regained a good measure of political freedom. Celebrating their social rise, the Tango again became a symbol of solidarity and a part of people's daily life. Tango musicians emerged taking the form into new paths.

Among those musicians were such men as Fresedo, de Caro, Pugliese, and Anibal Troilo. Even wealthy intellectuals, far removed from the working class "orilla", were writing new lyrics for Tango songs. Due to their influence, The Tango became more romantic, more nostalgic, and much less threatening, -"a sweet remembrance of youth in an idyllic society that never existed". 1940 - 1960 : Musicians such as Anibal Troilo, Osvaldo Pugliese, Leopoldo Federico, Osmar Maderna, Atilio Stampone, are writing, strongly influenced by Astor Piazzolla's evolutionist line with "La Ulltima Curda" being a good example of the songs then written. Such poets as Homero Manzi, Enrique Cadicamo, and Homero Exposito are writing. In 1946, Juan Peron rose to power and the Tango reached a new pinnacle of popularity in Argentina with both the generalisimo and his wife Evita embracing it wholeheartedly. But with Evita's death in 1952, the Tango again fell from public favor.

With the advent of American rock-and-roll, the Tango seemed "out of step" with the times. 1960 - To The Present: Piazzolla's influence is so very strong, that many now divide Tango into Before and After Piazzolla. Piazzolla's big hit, "Balada para un Loco", convinced many doubting Argentinians that the "New Tango" was "for real". Another example is "La Bestia Potenciada", a big hit from the Tango heartland, Buenos Aires.The Tango still enjoys wide favor. Immensely popular (it is virtually the "national" dance of Finland), the Tango is again enjoying a world-wide renaissance. Several shows have already appeared on New York's Broadway stages, and another version is still a very popular and required ballroom dance in international DanceSport Competitions. . Many attempts have been made to trace the history of Tango, but nobody has ever found the exact root of its origins. It suffices to say that that Tango was the music of the "portenos", - the inhabitants of the city of Buenos Aires.

It is a "rags to riches" story that began in the late 1800s, when poor immigrants danced in Argentine brothels, and continued on to the glittering evening Galas of high society. Tango is still sexy and elegant, and danced with passion not only in Buenos Aires, but in London, Berlin, Tokyo, Paris, and New York, - but in fact, in every nation of the world, including Zambia. . TANGO GLOSSARY The Pampas Grasslands Biome The Pampas of South America are a grassland biome . They are flat, fertile plains that covers an area of 300,000 sq. miles or 777,000 square kilometers, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Andes Mountains. It is found primarily in Argentina and extends into Uruguay. The word Pampas comes from the Guarani Indian word for level plain. The Argentinean Pampas are the home of the 'Gaucho', the original South American cowboy. The pampas is located just below Buenos Aires, between 34° and 30° south latitude, and 57° and 63° west latitude.

The average temperature in the Pampas is 18° C. The pampas has a 'high sun' or dry season in the summer, which in the Southern Hemisphere is in December. The wind blows most of the time. The climate in the pampas is humid and warm. There are many kinds of animal and plant life in the Pampas. Native plants and animals on the Pampas have made adaptations to living in a windy grassland. Many animals browse on grass or burrow in the ground. There is even an owl that builds its nest in underground burrows. A few of the plants in the pampas include cattails, water lillies, reeds. These plants usually prefer wetlands but they have adapted to the dryer Pampas grasslands. There are not very many trees because fires frequently occur in the pampas. The fires do not kill the grasses, which regenerate from their root crowns, but destroy the trees, which have shallow root systems. The exception is the Ombu which has made adaptations to protect itself from fires.

Some animals include seed eating birds such as the Double Collard Seedeater, the great Pampas Finch, the grassland Yellow Finch, and the Long Tailed Reed Finch. It is also home to the Greater Rhea , a relative of the African Ostrich and the Australian Emu. In addition to birds, several interesting mammals can be found in the pampas. The Geoffroy's Cat , for example, with its gray coat and black stripped legs, is almost invisible in the mesquite and bunchgrass. The Maned Wolf has very long legs so it can see over the tall grasses. Also, one can find a llama-like Guanaco that lingers among the ponds. It is important to know that at least fifteen mammal species, twenty bird species, and fifteen plant species are at serious risk of extinction in the Pampas. The humid Pampas ecosystem is one of the richest grazing areas in the world. Because of its temperate climate and rich, deep soil, most of the Pampas has been cultivated and turned into croplands. Unfortunately, domestic livestock and farming have severely affected the pampas. Fertilizers and overgrazing are a serious threat to the pampas.

There are only a very few pristine remnants of the legendary "ocean of grass" that was the Pampas. It is considered to be one of the most endangered habitats on earth. by Claire L. 2002 Gauchos from Argentina. The Gauchos Rare facts about argentine cowboys They've been called the wanderers of the Pampas . Gauchos have been known to wander the countryside as early as the 1600's, time in which the 'flatlands' were overpopulated by 'cimarron' cattle, brought to South America by Pedro de Mendoza in 1538. At that time and through many centuries, cow leather was one of most traded goods between the old world and the colonies. The main importance of cattle was not the meat but the leather obtained from it. Since the commercial value of a cow was narrowed to such item once slaughtered, cows posed no interest except for gauchos who would use as much of it as possible feeding themselves. They would quickly cook the meat in an open fire before it turned bad. This habit of gauchos was considered rather unwelcomed and unhealthy and added a further negative note to their already low reputation.

Eventually, after many many decades the habit of grilling meat 'the gaucho way' -in an open fire-, turned into a national passtime: cooking asado. Gauchos belonged to the countryside. They would be the ones who were familiar with all intricacies of the land and their animals, as well as the life of the natives they would fight. Gauchos would gather together in "vaquerias" for hunting purposes. In hunting trips they would be armed with 'boleadoras' -a 3 hardrock leather balls tied to a rope- that they would use to stop animals from running away. Then, Gauchos would cut the tendons of their legs with a sharp half-moon shaped iron device. And thus, they would constantly struggle to survive. By 1620, gauchos were known to cause many troubles and were the subject of attention from the 'Cabildo', the Buenos Aires based government organization. The actual concern was not so much themselves, but the economic consequences of their behaviour. Slaughtering animals without consideration would soon put at risk a highly valued staple, the leather. Making matters worse, natives would also be involved in the slaughtering for the same reasons gauchos were doing it.

By 1715 Europe's heavy demand of leather was taken a toll on 'cimarron' cattle head count, which was reaching a low point. Therefore, the government took action against gauchos, further underestimating their potential. The word 'gaucho' came into existence for the first time in 1790 to describe a very rough individual, with heavy manners, that would travel alone, sometimes with a woman, having as his only baggage, a knife called 'facon', boleadoras and a 'lazo' to hunt. The term in the begining was so derogatory that it wouldn't be part of public statements from the Federal Government, even when gauchos were fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with Criollos against the domination of the Spanish Crown. By then, Gauchos' reputation seemed to have hit bottom... Very slowly, their image started a transformation. By joining the resistance movement against Spain they started to gain some respect. In particular in provinces like Salta, were their services were strongly needed. Gauchos would gather under a charismatic figure, a 'caudillo' , that would organize them in a military unit. A later development in the economy was of great help to further their image.

With the discovery of the salt and the development of 'saladeros' it was now possible to make better economic use of cattle in general. Meat had become now as valuable as leather. Gauchos were in a good position to put to work all they had learned by themselves in those lonely moments living in close contact with animals. Soon, commercial ranches dveloped that needed managers to control cattle production. Noone could do a better job than the gauchos. Thus, they were now being seen as a valuable element of the whole domestic scene. By the time the fiction story "Don Segundo Sombra", taking as a model for his 'gaucho' book real characters from the town San Antonio de Areco. Ironically, further developments in the economy, relegated gauchos once again to the backburner and were quickly becoming extinct. Strangely, their disappearance from the local scene coincided with their highest point in history. At the time the novel was published, gauchos had become a Myth...and nowhere to be seen. Today, Gauchos enjoy much recognition and perform valuable tasks. They do exist and can be seen in many villages or towns in the countryside carrying themselves with a well deserved pride.

There was a long period of darkness after the novel had been published but as much as Tango and other Argentine traditions, gauchos emerged as they usually did in the past, overcoming prejudices to consolidate their 'revival'. They are a definite symbol of argentine history and every citizen regards them highly. Regarding Gauchos' dance with "boleadoras": Typically, there are three or more Gauchos on stage where they bounce the boleadoras in a circular motion hitting the floor with one of them at a time. The "boleadoras" follow the beat of the music or the rhythm of the "bombo drum, and the "zapateo" (gauchos tap dance). The Gauchos hand clapping leads the compass of the tempo, the variations, and the accentuation of the beats on the floor. This creates a certain "rythm" and since there are several Gauchos hitting the floor, they combine the sounds to create something spectacular, that also looks very dangerous for they bounce the boleadores at high speed. All the while they continue to tap the floor with their feet (boots). This is called "malambo".

From the presentation of Gauchos' group dance " Sol Argentino" in Luna Park. Watch boleadoreas dance

Question: What city has been called "The Paris of the Pampas"?
Answer: Buenos Aires