Argentina

A country of southeast South America stretching about 3,701 km (2,300 mi) from its border with Bolivia to southern Tierra del Fuego, an island it shares with Chile. Europeans first explored the region in the early 1500s, and in 1776 Spain established a viceroyalty that included present-day Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia. Argentina achieved its independence from Spain in 1816. Buenos Aires is the capital and the largest city. Population: 40,300,000.