Argentina
Argentina is the second-largest country by area in South America and third largest by population. It was colonized by the Spanish in the sixteenth century, gaining independence in 1816.
[edit] Domestic politics
Argentine politics have tended to be revolution prone, with popular leaders displaced by authoritarian governments. The frequency with which this happened led to Gerardo Munck using it as a case study for how theories about how the legitimacy of government comes and goes. This schizophrenic relationship can best be seen in caudillo Juan Manuel de Rosas, whose legacy within Argentina has been the subject of debate, as he has been portrayed both as a brutal tyrant and a dutiful public servant. A final coup brought an end to Peronism, which itself had been guilty of heavy censorship and political chicanery, and in the 1970s and 1980s the infamous "Dirty War" was waged by the military junta of Jorge Rafael Videla against internal opposition: some ten thousand Argentines were "disappeared, mainly by being dropped from helicopters." Members of the movement Madres de Plaza de Mayo ("Mothers of May Square") still search for those missing persons.
After the return to democracy, Argentina had a couple of economic crises. The country has since experienced economic growth, but corruption, unemployment, inflation and poverty are still widespread, according to the right wingers.
[edit] International politics
After the Second World War, the Peron government provided shelter to a number of people wanted in connection with Nazi war crimes, even appointing some of them to significant government offices.
In 1982, the dictatorship ruling Argentina made the questionable decision to invade a bunch of rocks inhabited mostly by penguins. The British thought that it was their bunch of rocks; the ensuing war resulted in the resumption of the status quo and the deaths of over a thousand people (mostly Argentine).
[edit] Trivia
Argentinians love sports, especially fútbol.
Argentina's primary export is Popes, in which they have cornered 100% of the market.