The territory of modern Argentina has a long history of settlement. A new history of the state begins only in the 16th century, then the ethnic composition and lifestyle of the country change. Argentina, whose population today is a mixture of descendants of the conquerors and indigenous people, lives a busy and difficult life.
Geography
Argentina is located in the southeast of South America and in the east of the Tierra del Fuego island group. The area of the country is about 2.8 million square kilometers. Argentina, whose population is grouped around large cities, has a diverse landscape: the north and east are occupied by the plain, and the south and west are mountainous terrain. The western borders of the state pass through the Andes, which create a special climate in the country. Mountain areas are difficult to live in, so there are very few residents.
The territory of the country is very rich in minerals, so, in terms of the amount of uranium reserves, the country is among the five leading countries. However, there are no outstanding reserves, as in Brazil, for example. There is also a clear shortage of many critical resources needed for industrial development. The great economic potential of the country is water and land resources, which are not yet fully utilized.
History of settlement of the country
The first population of Argentina is hunters and nomads who lived here as early as 8-7 millennia BC. In the pre-Columbian era, sedentary Diagitic tribes lived here, traces of several disappeared cultures are found on the territory, they had their own large cities, the most famous of which is Tastille.
Later, these lands were conquered by the Inca empire. And from 1512 the era of European colonization began. In 1527, the first Spanish colony at Parna was established. A few years later a huge expedition of 2500 people arrived from Spain, and they formed the basis of a new population of the inhabitants of future Argentina. The next few centuries is the constant replenishment of the colonies due to the arrival of new settlers. At the same time, the resettlement did not proceed peacefully, the clashes with the indigenous population permanently lasted. Also, hostilities took place between different governors. Only in 1825, after several years of civil wars and the struggle for independence from Spain, a new state is formed - independent Argentina.
The second half of the 19th century is characterized as the time of economic development, which entails an increase in population. Mass migration occurred between 1880 and 1940, when many Italians, Spaniards, and other Europeans came here. In 1880, the Indians were finally expelled from their indigenous territories. The 20th century is a time of attempts to build a new successful state, but this path is not easy and today Argentina continues to fight for its well-being.
Argentina population
Today, the total number of residents of Argentina is 43 million 646 thousand people. The natural increase over the past year amounted to about 440 thousand people, due to migrants the number of inhabitants increased by 6 thousand people. Observations of the population in Argentina have been conducted since 1951. That year, 17 million 300 thousand people lived in the country. The total population of the country over the next years has been steadily growing, although this indicator has a certain specificity.
The country is growing positively, but in 1951 it was 2%, and today it barely exceeds 1%. The increase in numbers is mainly due to migrants and a fairly high birth rate, but the country is experiencing a clear slowdown in the birth rate, and the number of migrants is also decreasing. Therefore, sociologists will soon predict zero or even negative dynamics in the country 's population .
Population density
Argentina is a sparsely populated country. On average, 15 people live here per square kilometer, which is much less than in neighboring countries. This is due to the peculiarities of farming, which does not require permanent residence of people near cultivated land. It is also affected by harsh conditions in the foothills and mountains, and arid areas are poorly populated by people. The highest density can be seen in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires and in areas with a high level of agricultural development, an average of 100 people live per square kilometer.
Ethnic composition
If you look at the genetic origin of most modern Argentines, then South European roots play a dominant role in them, and in their blood you can find traces of the indigenous population and small admixtures of immigrants from Africa. Today, the indigenous people of Argentina, the Indians, make up only 1.5% of the total population. The rest are mestizos. Moreover, when asked about nationality, almost everyone except the Indians answer that they are Argentines, which indicates the formation of a new nationality.
Language
Argentina, whose population is of such mixed origin, speaks a lot of dialects. The official language is Spanish, and it is spoken by a large part of the population. True, it is very different from the language spoken in Spain, since the Argentinean version was formed on the basis of the Castilian dialect, moreover, local languages and dialects influenced it. The second most popular language in the country is Italian, followed by Portuguese, German, French and other European languages. Native American people speak their languages and dialects, the most common of which is Quechua. In total, at least 40 languages and dialects are in use in the country.
Gender composition
The age and sex composition of the population of Argentina shows that at birth the number of men prevails over women (indicator 1.05), which fits into global trends. With aging, this indicator decreases, at the age of 25-50 it is already 1 to 1, at the age of 55 to 64 years - 0.97 in favor of women, and at the age over 65 years - 0.7 in favor of women. This is due to the high mortality rate of men whose average life expectancy is 74 years. Women live on average up to 80.9 years. The age and gender pyramid of Argentina shows that the country belongs to a rejuvenating, growing type, with a sufficiently high birth rate and not very long life expectancy.
Demographic indicators
Argentina, whose population is slowly but constantly growing, has a high percentage of the working population. The number of inhabitants of the country under the age of 15 is about a quarter of the total number of residents, people over the age of 65 are only 10%. At the same time, the demographic burden is about 57%. This means that every able-bodied Argentine must ensure the production of everything necessary for life 1.5 times more than he can consume. Such a rather high indicator complicates the functioning of the state.
Employment
The able-bodied population of Argentina is about 65% of all citizens. The literacy rate is 98%, the official unemployment rate is 5.9. Argentina, whose living standards are not very high, is characterized by the fact that there is high unemployment in cities, while agriculture is often short of labor. Therefore, official figures do not reflect reality. In the country, many people work on a part-time basis, many unemployed simply do not register.
Population distribution
Argentina is rapidly turning into a country of urban population. There has always been a very specific rural settlement: the villages were small, of a farm type. Sometimes Argentina was called an agrarian country without peasants, which is characterized by large land tenure. The owner of the land hires employees to carry out seasonal work, the rest of the time he lives in other places.
Today, the population is increasingly moving to cities. If we look at the distribution of the population between the administrative units of the country, the most saturated are the district of the capital (about 3 million people live in Buenos Aires itself), as well as the regions of Tucuman and Misiones.