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Thursday, February 11, 2010

Buenos Aires, Argentina

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Buenos Aires is the capital, and largest city, of Argentina, currently the
second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent. The city of Buenos Aires is not part of Buenos Aires Province, nor is it its capital; rather, it is an autonomous federal district. Greater Buenos Aires is the third-largest conurbation in Latin America, with a population of around 13 million. 
Buenos Aires is considered an Alpha World City listed by the Loughborough University group's (GaWC) 2008 inventory.

After the internal conflicts of the 19th century, Buenos Aires was federalised and removed from Buenos Aires Province in 1880. The city limits were enlarged to include the former towns of Belgrano and Flores, which are both now neighbourhoods of the city.

Buenos Aires (English: Fair Winds or Good Air (see Names of Buenos Aires)) was originally named after the sanctuary of "Nostra Signora di Bonaria" (Italian for "Our Lady of Bonaria") in Cagliari, Sardinia. In the 1994 constitution the city became autonomous, hence its formal name: Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, in English, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.
People from Buenos Aires are referred to as porteños (people of the port).

History

First Settlement

Seaman Juan Díaz de Solís, navigating in the name of Spain, was the first European to reach the Río de la Plata in 1516. His expedition was cut short when he was killed during an attack by the native Charrúa tribe in what is now Uruguay.

The city of Buenos Aires was first established as Ciudad de Nuestra Señora Santa María del Buen Ayre (literally "City of Our Lady Saint Mary of the Fair Winds") on 2 February 1536 by a Spanish expedition led by Pedro de Mendoza. The settlement founded by Mendoza was located in what is today the
San Telmo district of Buenos Aires, south of the city center.

More attacks by the indigenous peoples forced the settlers away, and in 1541 the site was abandoned. A second (and permanent) settlement was established in 1580 by Juan de Garay, who arrived by sailing down the Paraná River from Asunción (now the capital of Paraguay). He dubbed the settlement "Santísima Trinidad" and its port became "Puerto de Santa María de los Buenos Aires."

Colonial History

From its earliest days, Buenos Aires depended primarily on trade. During
most of the 17th and 18th centuries, Spain insisted that all trade to Europe
pass through Lima, Peru so that taxes could be collected. This scheme
frustrated the traders of Buenos Aires, and a thriving contraband industry
developed. This also instilled a deep resentment in porteños towards the
Spanish authorities.

Sensing these feelings, Charles III of Spain progressively eased the trade
restrictions and finally declared Buenos Aires an open port in the late
1700s. The capture of Porto Bello by British forces also fueled the need to
foster commerce via the Atlantic route, to the detriment of Lima-based trade
Charles's placating actions did not have the desired effect, and the
porteños, some of them versed in the ideology of the French Revolution,
became even more convinced of the need for Independence from Spain.

During the British invasions of the Río de la Plata, British forces attacked
Buenos Aires twice, in 1806 and 1807, but were repelled both times by local
militias. Ultimately, on 25 May 1810, while Spain was occupied with the
Peninsular War and after a week of mostly peaceful demonstrations, the
criollo citizens of Buenos Aires successfully ousted the Spanish Viceroy and
established a provisional government. 25 May is now celebrated as a national
holiday (May Revolution Day). Formal independence from Spain was declared in
1816.

Historically, Buenos Aires has been Argentina's main venue for liberal and
free-trade ideas, while many of the provinces, especially to the northwest,
advocated a more conservative Catholic approach to political and social
issues. Much of the internal tension in Argentina's history, starting with
the centralist-federalist conflicts of the 19th century, can be traced back
to these contrasting views. In the months immediately following the 25 May
Revolution, Buenos Aires sent a number of military envoys to the provinces
with the intention of obtaining their approval. Many of these missions ended
in violent clashes, and the enterprise fueled the tensions between the
capital and the provinces.

In the 19th century the city was blockaded twice by naval forces: by the
French from 1838 to 1840, and later by a joint Anglo-French expedition from
1845 to 1848. Both blockades failed to force the city into submission, and
the foreign powers eventually desisted from their demands.

Modern History

During most of the 19th century, the political status of the city remained a
sensitive subject. It was already capital of Buenos Aires Province, and
between 1853 and 1860 it was the capital of the seceded State of Buenos
Aires. The issue was fought out more than once on the battlefield, until the
matter was finally settled in 1880 when the city was federalised and became
the seat of government, with its Mayor appointed by the President. The Casa
Rosada became the seat of the President.

In addition to the wealth generated by the fertile pampas, railroad
construction in the second half of the 19th century increased the economic
power of Buenos Aires as raw materials flowed into its factories. Buenos
Aires became a multicultural city that ranked itself with the major European
capitals. The Colón Theater became one of the world's top opera venues. The
city's main avenues were built during those years, and the dawn of the 20th
century saw the construction of South America's then-tallest buildings and
first underground system.

By the 1920s Buenos Aires was a favoured destination for immigrants from
Europe, particularly Spain and Italy, as well as from Argentina's provinces
and neighbouring countries. Shanty towns (villas miseria) started growing
around the city's industrial areas during the 1930s, leading to pervasive
social problems which contrasted sharply with Argentina's image as a country
of riches. A second construction boom from 1945 to 1980 reshaped downtown
and much of the city.

Buenos Aires was the cradle of Peronism: the now-mythologized demonstration
of 17 October 1945 took place in Plaza de Mayo. Industrial workers of the
Greater Buenos Aires industrial belt have been Peronism's main support base
ever since, and Plaza de Mayo became the site for demonstrations and many of
the country's political events; on 16 June 1955, however, a splinter faction
of the Navy bombed the Plaza de Mayo area, killing 364 civilians (see
Bombing of Plaza de Mayo). This was the only time the city was attacked from
the air, and the event was followed by a military uprising which deposed
President Perón, three months later.

In the 1970s the city suffered from the fighting between left-wing
revolutionary movements (Montoneros, E.R.P. and F.A.R.) and the right-wing
paramilitary group Triple A, supported by Isabel Perón, who became president
of Argentina in 1974 after Juan Perón's death.

The military coup of 1976, led by Jorge Rafael Videla, only escalated this
conflict; the "Dirty War" resulted in 30,000 desaparecidos (people kidnapped
and killed by the military during the years of the junta). The silent
marches of their mothers (Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo) are a well-known
image of Argentines suffering during those times.

The dictatorship also drew up plans for a network of freeways intended to
relieve the city's acute traffic gridlock. The plan, however, called for a
seemingly indiscriminate razing of residential areas and, though only three
of the eight planned were put up at the time, they were mostly obtrusive
raised freeways that continue to blight a number of formerly comfortable
neighborhoods to this day.

The city was visited by Pope John Paul II twice: in 1982, due to the
outbreak of the Falklands War (Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas/Guerra del
Atlántico Sur), and a second visit in 1987, which gathered crowds never
before seen in the city.

On 17 March 1992 a bomb exploded in the Israeli Embassy, killing 29 and
injuring 242. Another explosion, on 18 July 1994 destroyed a building
housing several Jewish organizations, killing 85 and injuring many more,
these incidents marked the beginning of Middle Eastern terrorism to South
America.

Following a 1993 agreement, the Argentine Constitution was amended to give
Buenos Aires autonomy and rescinding, among other things, the president's
right to appoint the city's mayor (as had been the case since 1880). On 30
June 1996, voters in Buenos Aires chose their first elected mayor (Chief of
Government).

On 30 December 2004 a fire at the República Cromagnon nightclub killed
almost 200 people, one of the greatest non-natural tragedies in Argentine
history.

Religion

Most inhabitants are Roman Catholic, though a number of studies over the
past few decades suggest that fewer than 20% are actively practicing. Buenos
Aires is the seat of a Roman Catholic metropolitan archbishop (the Catholic
primate of Argentina), currently Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio. There are
Protestant, Orthodox Christian, Muslim, and Jewish minorities.

Geography

The limits of Buenos Aires proper are determined in the eastern part and
north-east by the Rio de la Plata, in the southern part and southeast by the
Riachuelo and to the northwest, west and Southwest by Avenida General Paz, a
24-kilometer (15 mi) long highway that separates the province of Buenos
Aires from the city.

The city of Buenos Aires lies in the pampa region, except for some zones
like the Buenos Aires Ecological Reserve, the Boca Juniors (football) Club
sports city", Jorge Newbery Airport, the Puerto Madero neighborhood and the
main port itself; these were all built on reclaimed land along the coasts of
the Rio de la Plata (the world's largest estuary).

The region was formerly crossed by different creeks and lagoons, some of
which were refilled and others tubed. Among the most important creeks are
Maldonado, Vega, Medrano, Cildañez and White. In 1908 many creeks were
channeled and rectified, as floods were damaging the city's infrastructure.
Starting in 1919, most creeks were enclosed. Notably, the Maldonado was
tubed in 1954, and currently runs below Juan B. Justo Avenue.

Economy

Buenos Aires is the financial, industrial, commercial, and cultural hub of
Argentina. Its port is one of the busiest in South America; navigable rivers
by way of the Rio de la Plata connect the port to north-east Argentina,
Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. As a result it serves as the distribution hub
for a vast area of the south-eastern region of the continent. Tax collection
related to the port has caused many political problems in the past.

The economy in the city proper alone, measured by Gross Geographic Product
(adjusted for purchasing power), totalled US$ 84.7 billion (US$ 28,200 per
capita) in 2006 and amounts to nearly a quarter of Argentina's as a whole.
Metro Buenos Aires, according to one well-quoted study, constitutes the 13th
largest economy among the world's cities. The Buenos Aires Human Development
Index (0.923 in 1998) is likewise high by international standards.

To the west of Buenos Aires is the Pampa Húmeda, the most productive
agricultural region of Argentina produces wheat, soybeans and corn (as
opposed to the dry southern Pampa, mostly used for cattle farming and more
recently production of premium Buenos Aires wines). Meat, dairy, grain,
tobacco, wool and leather products are processed or manufactured in the
Buenos Aires metro area. Other leading industries are automobile
manufacturing, oil refining, metalworking, machine building and the
production of textiles, chemicals, clothing and beverages.

Culture

Strongly influenced by European culture, Buenos Aires is sometimes referred
to as the "Paris of South America".

Buenos Aires is the site of the Teatro Colón, one of the world's greatest
opera houses. It is closed for renovations until at least 2010. There are
several symphony orchestras and choral societies. The city has numerous
museums related to history, fine arts, modern arts, decorative arts, popular
arts, sacred art, arts and crafts, theatre and popular music, as well as the
preserved homes of noted art collectors, writers, composers and artists. The
city is home to hundreds of bookstores, public libraries and cultural
associations, as well as the largest concentration of active theatres in
Latin America. It has a world-famous zoo and Botanical Garden, a large
number of landscaped parks and squares, as well as churches and places of
worship of many denominations, many of which are architecturally noteworthy.

Language

Known as Rioplatense Spanish, Buenos Aires' Spanish (as that of other cities
like Rosario and Montevideo, Uruguay) is characterised by voseo, yeísmo and
aspiration of s in various contexts. It is heavily influenced by the
dialects of Spanish spoken in Andalusia and Murcia. A phonetic study
conducted by the Laboratory for Sensory Investigations of CONICET and the
University of Toronto showed that the prosody of porteño is closer to the
Neapolitan language of Italy than to any other spoken language.

In the early 20th century, Argentina absorbed millions of immigrants, many
of them Italians, who spoke mostly in their local dialects (mainly
Neapolitan, Sicilian and Genoan). Their adoption of Spanish was gradual,
creating a pidgin of Italian dialects and Spanish that was called cocoliche.
Its usage declined around the 1950s.

Many Spanish immigrants were from Galicia, and Spaniards are still
generically referred to in Argentina as gallegos (Galicians). Galician
language, cuisine and culture had a major presence in the city for most of
the 20th century. In recent years, descendants of Galician immigrants have
led a mini-boom in Celtic music (which also highlighted the Welsh traditions
of Patagonia).

Yiddish was commonly heard in Buenos Aires, especially in the Balvanera
garment district and in Villa Crespo until the 1960s. Korean and Chinese
have become significant since the 1970s. Most of the newer immigrants learn
Spanish quickly and assimilate into city life.

The Lunfardo argot originated within the prison population, and in time
spread to all porteños. Lunfardo uses words from Italian dialects, from
Brazilian Portuguese, from African and Caribbean languages and even from
English. Lunfardo employs humorous tricks such as inverting the syllables
within a word (vesre). Today, Lunfardo is mostly heard in tango lyrics; the
slang of the younger generations has been evolving away from it.

Tango

Tango music was born in the suburbs of Buenos Aires, notably in the brothels
of the Junín y Lavalle district and in the arrabales (poorer suburbs). Its
sensual dance moves were not seen as respectable until adopted by the
Parisian high society in the 1920s, and then all over the world. In Buenos
Aires, tango-dancing schools (known as academias) were usually men-only
establishments.

Tango consists of a variety of styles that developed in different regions
and eras of Argentina and Uruguay as well as in other locations around the
world. The dance developed in response to many cultural elements, such as
the crowding of the venue and even the fashions in clothing. The styles are
mostly danced in either open embrace, where lead and follow connect at arms
length, or close embrace, where the lead and follow connect chest-to-chest.

Early tango was known as tango criollo, or simply tango. Today, there are
many tango dance styles, including Argentine tango, Uruguayan tango,
Ballroom tango (American and International styles), Finnish tango and
vintage tangos.

Notable Streets and Avenues

* Avenida Alvear (the avenue passes through the upscale Recoleta area
and is the address for a number of five-star hotels and embassies, many of
them former mansions)
* Caminito (colorfully restored by local artist Benito Quinquela Martín)
* Avenida Corrientes (a principal thoroughfare in Buenos Aires, the
avenue is intimately tied to the Tango and Porteño culture)
* Avenida del Libertador (this avenue connects downtown to upscale areas
to the northwest, passing by many of the city's best-known museums, gardens
and cultural points of interest)
* Avenida de Mayo (the avenue is often compared with those of Madrid,
Barcelona and Paris for its sophisticated buildings of Art Nouveau,
Neoclassic and eclectic styles)
* Florida Street (an elegant pedestrian street, downtown)
* Avenida 9 de Julio (one of the widest avenues in the World, its name honors Argentina's Independence Day)

1 comment:

Unknown said...

That is a lot of information you´ve got there! Well, what I knew before reaing this article is that it had been colonized by people from Spain, there was kind of a battle between the aborigines that had been living there for a long time and the colonizers. Finally Argentina won its freedom in 1810 and the final settlement was set on 1816. After that, the country became an attractive place for Italian immigrants and that is why Buenos Aires looks like Europe nowadays(this I know because last year I rented an apartment in buenos aires and stayed there for a whole month.) I knew that their main economic industry was agriculture.
Well, but now I know a lot more, thanks!
Summer