
Buenos Aires ("Good Air" in Spanish language, originally meaning "Fair Winds") is the capital (politics) of Argentina and its largest city and port, as well as one of the largest cities in South America. Buenos Aires is located at the southern side of the River Plate, on the southeast coast of the South America continent. Montevideo, Uruguay is located across the river. Buenos Aires is located at 34°40' South, 58°24' West (-34.667, -58.40). [[Image:Arms.jpg|frame|Former coat of arms of Buenos Aires, used from 1591 until 1649]] After the internal conflicts of the 19th century, Buenos Aires was federalized and removed from Buenos Aires province; its city limits were enlarged to include the former towns of Belgrano and Flores (both are now neighbourhoods in the city). Argentines sometimes refer to the city as ''Capital Federal'' to differentiate the city from the province of the same name. Under the original federalization scheme, the mayor was elected directly by the President of the Republic. The 1994 constitution granted the city autonomy status, and citizens now elect both the city council and the mayor in direct elections. The current mayor is Anibal Ibarra. ==Population== The people of Buenos Aires are known as ''wikt:porteños'' (people of the port), recognizing the huge historical importance of the port in the development of the nation. The population of Buenos Aires consists primarily of Argentines of Spain, mixed Spanish-aboriginal (mestizo) and Italy descent, although there are sizable communities of people with Arab, Jewish, Armenia, Anglo-Irish, China, Japan, and Korea origins (''see also: Asian-Argentines''). Most inhabitants are Roman Catholic. Sizable Jewish and Muslim communities have existed for over 100 years, and evangelism churches have been steadily increasing their ranks since the 1980s. The city proper has a population of 2,776,234 according to the 2001 census, while the Greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area, which belongs to Buenos Aires province, has more than 12 million inhabitants. Suburbanites are called ''porteños'' and also ''bonaerenses''; only the last term applies to the rest of the province. ==Economy== Buenos Aires is the financial, industrial, commercial, and cultural hub of Argentina. Its port is one of the busiest in the world; navigable rivers connect it to the Argentine North-East, 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. To the west of Buenos Aires is the ''Pampa Húmeda'', the most productive agricultural region of Argentina (which is different from the dry and sterile south-Argentina pampa, where only bovine livestock is produced). Meat, dairy, grain, tobacco, wool and hide products are processed or manufactured in the Buenos Aires area. Other leading industries are automobile manufacturing, oil refining, metalworking, machine building, and the production of textiles, chemicals, clothing, and beverages. The Buenos Aires international airport, Ministro Pistarini International Airport, is located in the suburb of Ezeiza and is often called simply "Ezeiza". The Aeroparque Jorge Newbery airport, located within city limits near the riverbank, serves mostly domestic traffic. ==History== Spanish seaman Juan Díaz de Solís discovered the Rio de la Plata river (River Plate) in 1516 but his expedition was cut short by an attack in which he was killed (and cannibalized) by the native Charrua tribe. The city was first founded as ''Santa María del Buen Ayre'' on February 2, 1536 by a Spanish gold-seeking expedition under Pedro de Mendoza. The name was chosen by Mendoza's chaplain, who was a devout follower of the ''Virgine de Bonaria'' (Our Lady of the Fair Winds) of Cagliari, Sardinia. The location of Mendoza's city was on today's San Telmo district (south of the present 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 sailed down the River_Paran%E1 river from Asunción. From its earliest days the success of Buenos Aires depended on trade. The Spanish administration of the 17th and 18th centuries insisted that all trade to Europe initially pass through Lima, Peru so that taxes could be collected. This scheme frustrated the traders of Buenos Aires and a thriving contraband industry developed. Unsurprisingly, this also instilled a deep resentment in ''porteños'' towards Spanish authorities. Sensing this instability, Charles III of Spain progressively eased the trade restrictions and finally declared Buenos Aires an open port in the late 1700s. Those 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 desirous of independence from Spain. During the British invasions in Rio de la Plata British forces invaded Buenos Aires three times in 1806-1807 but were rebuffed by the local colonial militia. Ultimately, on May 25, 1810, while Spain endured the Peninsular War and after a week of mostly pacific deliberations, the creole citizens of Buenos Aires successfully ousted the Spanish Viceroy and established a provincial government; the date is now celebrated as a national holiday (independence from Spain was declared only in 1816). Railroad construction during the 19th century only increased the economic power of Buenos Aires as raw materials flowed into its factories. By the 1920s Buenos Aires was a favored destination for immigrants from Europe, as well as from the poorer provinces and neighboring countries, and large shantytowns (''villas miseria'') started growing around the city's industrial areas, leading to extensive social problems. At the same time, Buenos Aires was a multicultural city that ranked itself with the major European capitals. For example, the Colón Theater was one of the world's top opera venues. Buenos Aires historically was Argentina's main stage for liberal and free-trade ideas, with many of the provinces advocating for a more conservative-Catholic approach. Many tensions within Argentine history, starting with the ''Unitarios-Federales'' wars of the 19th century, can be traced back to this contrast. During the 20th century, military juntas seized power several times, to impose a combination of political repression and neoliberal economics. The last episode, which started in 1976, produced more than 10,000 ''desaparecidos''. The silent marches of their mothers (Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo) are the most well-known image of Argentine suffering during the dictatorship. Buenos Aires was also the cradle of Peronism: the now-mythical demonstration of October 17 1945 took place in Plaza de Mayo. Industrial workers of the Buenos Aires suburbia have been Peronism's main support base ever since. On March 17, 1992 a bomb exploded in the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires killing 29 and injuring 242. Another explosion, on July 18, 1994 destroyed a building housing several Jewish organizations killing 96 and injuring many more. See AMIA bombing. ==Culture== ===Language variations=== In the early 20th century, Argentina absorbed millions of immigrants, mostly from Italy and Spain. Italian immigrants spoke mostly local dialects (mainly Nnapulitano, Sicilian language and Genoese), and their adoption of Spanish language was gradual. The pidgin of Italian language dialects and Spanish was called cocoliche. It was used roughly until the 1950s, and today survives mostly as comic relief. The ''lunfardo'' argot originated within the prison population, and spread to all ''porteños'' with time. Lunfardo uses words from Italian dialects, and tricks such as inverting the syllables within a word (vesre). Lunfardo is used by ''porteños'' mostly in informal settings. Yiddish was common in Buenos Aires, especially in the Balvanera garment district, until the 1960s. A lively Korean language and Chinese language press has developed since the 1980s, but younger immigrants assimilate into Spanish quickly. The dialect of Spanish spoken in Buenos Aires (as well as in other large cities like Rosario and Montevideo, Uruguay) is characterized by ''voseo'', ''yeísmo'' and aspiration or loss of syllable-final ''-s''. Due to its geographical location, it receives the name of Rioplatense Spanish. ===Tango=== Many immigrants arrived in Buenos Aires without their families, which led to a significant phenomenon of prostitution starting around 1870. The erotically charged Tango (dance) originated in brothels, but later found a wider audience. In 1902, the Teatro Opera started organizing tango balls. In the 1920s, tango was adopted by the Paris high society and then all over the world. The Buenos Aires style of tango music evolved into an elaborated genre. In its heyday, tango had many famous orchestras such as those led by Aníbal Troilo and Juan D'Arienzo, and singers such as Carlos Gardel and Edmundo Rivero. Buenos Aires now holds an annual "Tango Day" each December 11. In San Telmo, Sundays are devoted to tango shows on the streets and antiques trade in the bazaars around Dorrego Square. ===Miscellaneous=== Buenos Aires was home for writers Jorge Luis Borges, Ernesto Sabato, and Cortazar (who emigrated to France). The University of Buenos Aires, which used to be the premier learning institution in all of South America, has produced five Nobel Prize winners. ==Transportation== Historically, Buenos Aires used to be relatively congestion-free for a city of its size. Toll freeways opened in the late 1970s by then-mayor Osvaldo Cacciatore provided fast access to the downtown area, increasing the number of cars coming into the city. In parallel, the streets of the downtown financial district (roughly one square kilometer in size) were declared off-limits to private cars during daytime. Following the Economy of Argentina, more people started commuting by car, and congestion increased. Most major avenues are gridlocked at peak hours, and congestion also results from people driving from and to their weekends in the country. A majority of commuters use public transportation. An original Buenos Aires invention is the ''colectivo'' (a small bus built out of a truck chassis and sitting 21 to 27). Renovation of the fleet is severely lagging, and ''colectivos'' are now decried as old, noisy and polluting. The ''diferenciales'' (differential-rate buses) have better sitting arrangements and air conditioning, which is quite appreciated in the summer months. Buenos Aires has an extensive subway network, known as the ''Buenos Aires Metro'' (short for ''subterráneo'' "underground"). Also, all of Argentina's extensive railway network converges on Buenos Aires. Commuter trains are popular with suburbanites, but some lines have serious crime issues. A large number of black-and-yellow taxis roam the streets at all hours. Many units are unlicensed, and trips on them may end with the passangers being mugged by the driver (or his associates). Thus, it is advised to phone a reputable radio-link company and avoid hailing taxis on the street. Limousine services (known locally as ''remises'') have become more popular in the last few years. ==''Barrios''== The city is divided into 47 ''barrios'' (neighbourhoods). See: Barrios de Buenos Aires ==Sports== Football (soccer) is a passion for Argentines. The city has many teams playing in the major league. The best-known rivalry is the one between Boca Juniors and Club Atlético River Plate. Diego Armando Maradona, who was born in a poor suburb of Buenos Aires and is widely hailed as one of the greatest players ever, started his career with Argentinos Juniors and later played for Boca Juniors (he also played for other clubs, notably Italian side SSC Napoli). Buenos Aires hosted the first Pan American Games which started on February 25, 1951, as well as the 1950 and 1990 Basketball World Championship and the Football World Cup 1978 (Argentina national football team won the final on June 25, 1978, defeating the Netherlands by a score of 3-1). Buenos Aires Autodromo Oscar Alfredo Galvez track hosted twenty editions of the Formula One Argentine Grand Prix between 1953 and 1998; its discontinuation was due to financial reasons. The track also hosts local categories on most weekends. Other popular sports in Buenos Aires are basketball, rugby, tennis, field hockey... Also horse racing can be seen in the ''Jockey Club'' as well as the national game pato, a kind of basketball played on horseback (sometimes called "horseball" in english). Argentina is also the uninterrupted world champion of Polo since 1949, and source of most world's 10 goal players. See also: List of cities, List of national capitals ==External links== * [http://www.buenosaires.gov.ar www.buenosaires.gov.ar - Buenos Aires City Government] * [http://english.buenosaires.com english.buenosaires.com - Tourism Portal] * [http://vester.com.ar/argentina/buenosaires.html Pictures of Buenos Aires] ;Online newspapers: * ''[http://www.buenosairesherald.com/ The Buenos Aires Herald]'' Online edition of a local English language newspaper * ''[http://www.clarin.com/ Clarín]'' * ''[http://www.lanacion.com.ar/ La Nación]'' * ''[http://www.pagina12web.com.ar/ Página 12]'' ---- ''Buenos Aires'' is also a canton in Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica. Capitals in South America Cities in Argentina Coastal cities Buenos Aires
==Change Log, comments, etc. == * Please don't correct "Good Winds" back to "Good Airs". Also, when discussing the origin of name, it's ''Virgine'' and not ''Virgen'' because it is in Sardinian, not in Spanish. Reference: http://www.sandanzas.com.ar/NUEVO/espanol/historia_buenosaires.htm * Please don't correct "Argentines" back to "Argentinians". Reference: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ar.html ==Miscellaneous Clarifications== Buenos Aires is the Federal Capital of Argentina, but it is not a part of Buenos Aires province. To symbolize federalism, it is an autonomous city belongs to no province -- like Washington, DC, Mexico City, and Brasilia. The capital of Buenos Aires province is La Plata, 60 km to the south. The inhabitants of City of Buenos Aires are called ''porteños''. The adjective spreads to anything related to the city. The inhabitants of the province of Buenos Aires are called "bonaerenses". ==Argentine Lore== "Dios está en todas partes, pero atiende en Buenos Aires" (God is everywhere, but conducts His business in Buenos Aires) ==Needed== Somebody please write a page on Leonel Edmundo Rivero. A lot of barrios can use a page and still lack it. Ponerse las pilas muchachos. == Subway Network == Shouldn't we add something about the subway network? (Subte) Yes Here is the link!!! Buenos Aires Metro == Immigrants == Mestizo population? You would be hard pressed to find many other than those of foreign origin in the Capital. They are found mostly in the outlying provinces. What about the large number of Germans and Poles in Buenos Aires; recent indications are that Polaco-Argentinos constitute a large chunk of the population. Someone make note of the rich immigrant history besides Italian! : Disagree. Lots of people with mixed Spanish-indigenous roots in Buenos Aires if you venture outside the rich parts. Ever been to Soldati? Or to a choripan stand? And about the Poles... not so many. Definitely. They don't even have a club worth mentioning. There are quite a few newcomers from the Ukraine though. User:Elpincha 00:12, 5 Nov 2004 (UTC) : That is interesting, but: what is the definition of mestizo we are going for? The "one-drop rule" of the Jim Crow Southern United States? My grandmother was half-native (noticeably), but the rest of my grandparents were white. Does that make me a mestizo when I'm nothing but obviously white, and the strains are not even noticeable in my mother? Yes, a few choripan vendors and mani sellers have their "look" but I must stress the mestizo element, if we are searching for a significant Indian "look," is minimal compared to the European in most of Capital Federal. I ran into one, exactly one Mapuche in my entire life, and he was of the type that did not marry into the Euro population. He too, was from Buenos Aires. Just to note: traditionally Jewish area around Corrientes and Pasteur (near Once as well) is flooded with Koreans immigrants, with Argentine born children. --User:Tuttobene 21:50, 9 Nov 2004 (UTC) :: For the Jewish part, see the article on Balvanera. Anyway, and about the main point, most people would disagree with you about the subject matter, and most people would refuse to even start a racial debate like the ones they have in the USA all the time. In fairness you cannot talk about communities and leave out the ones that make up such a large part of the population - even if noticeably less so than in the rest of the country. User:Elpincha 19:33, 10 Nov 2004 (UTC) ::: Even though, statistics show that 85% of the Argentine population is of european origin, what is highly noticeable in Buenos Aires. I'm not saying that there are not mestizos at all, but at least not in the quantity and way that in other places. Just go to the street in different barrios, and make your own stats on how many white and real mestizo people you see. ::::To the last person, please signature your paragraph when commenting, otherwise it gets bewildering. In any event, you basically touched on my intitial point, and what elpincha didn't quite grasp from my comment. That is, there is a metizo element, and that should be duly mentioned, but they are few and far between when compared to the European in Buenos Aires. In any event, the city is a wonderful melange of peoples and it is ony getting richer as more immigrants arrive, albeit slowly with the present economy. --User:Tuttobene 21:56, 6 Jan 2005 (UTC) OK, no more colons:-). I still disagree with Tuttobene. The pre-immigration-waves stock runs the gamut between Spanish (mostly from Extremadura) and aboriginal (Indian). This component, whilst a minority in the city proper, is still very noticeable if you go to the poorer areas (I stand by my previous Soldati reference) or to a football (soccer) match. Avoidance of this specific element comes naturally for expats working in financials who don't venture much, but for many of us natives (and I am not being personal here) carries some vague left-over smell of old-time mild-racism-slash-anti-Peronism à la ''Revolución Libertadora''. As a counter-example, you could argue that the black community in Buenos Aires is very small (the historical reasons are that there ware never many slaves in this area, plus the ousting of Juan Manuel de Rosas, the massive draft over the Paraguay war, the humid climate, etc.) and be basically correct. Anyway, I am not reverting anything. Somebody else will do it better than I could. User:Elpincha 15:39, 9 May 2005 (UTC) == Colectivos and Taxis == I don´t know if it´s fair to say that the "colectivo" is an Argentine invention. It may have different names in different places, but the idea of a bus, or truck, or large car that drives people around the city on a regular route for a given rate is hardly unique or original to Argentina or Buenos Aires. Similar examples of "colectivos" are found in the history of other cities and public transport systems. Also, the taxi drives that mug people... While it is a reality, I find it hardly representative of the majority of cabs one hails from the street. Jorge :When everybody you know has been mugged at least once, I think its a sound advice to give. User:Ejrrjs | User talk:Ejrrjs 19:22, 15 Jun 2005 (UTC) ::The original ''colectivo'' was different from nowadays buses un Buenos Aires, which are the same as the ones in most cities of the world. The original colectivo was an oversized car adapted to drive five to ten passengers at the same time, on a fixed route (the first one was the present line 1, beetween Plaza de Mayo and Plaza Once). Some years later, colectivos grew to a small bus of 20 passengers (''un mundo de veinte asientos''). In the 1960s they were replaced by common buses, and people called them ''omnibus'', to distinguish them from colectivos. Finally, when old colectivos were totally replaced by omnibuses, people slowly started to call omnibuses colectivos again. About taxis, I lived in Buenos Aires for 25 years and I don´t recall knowing nobody who was ever mugged by a taxi driver (when I was little, a taxi driver tried to steal my mother saying that the $20 bill she gave him was a $5, but I found the bill on the passenger seat and that was it, - he was a ''pichi''). I agree that you should have some criteria taken a cab, but saying that all cab that aren´t in a radio-taxi company are muggers, is an exageration. Sorry the lenght, --User:Jfa 20:33, 15 Jun 2005 (UTC) :Unfortunately, a lot has changed in the last 10 years. A couple of assorted examples in the media (in Spanish): [http://www.clarin.com/diario/2000/02/19/e-05501d.htm], [http://www0.luna.uol.com.ar/edicion_0942/actualidad_02.htm] User:Ejrrjs | User talk:Ejrrjs 21:05, 15 Jun 2005 (UTC) ::Well, I moved away last year, so I´m not out of date.--User:Jfa 14:00, 16 Jun 2005 (UTC)
Argentina Provinces of Argentina
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
Words begining with Buenos_Aires:
Buenos_Aires
Buenos_Aires
Buenos_Aires
Buenos_Aires,_Argentina
Buenos_Aires_(province)
Buenos_Aires_Capital_Federal
Buenos_Aires_City
Buenos_Aires_city
Buenos_Aires_Convention
Buenos_Aires_Marathon
Buenos_Aires_Metro
Buenos_Aires_metro
Buenos_Aires_metro
Buenos_Aires_Neighbourhoods
Buenos_Aires_Province
Buenos_Aires_province
Buenos_Aires_province
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ("Good Air" in Spanish language, originally meaning "Fair Winds") is the capital (politics) of Argentina and its largest city and port, as well as one of the largest cities in South America. Buenos Aires is located at the southern side of the River Plate, on the southeast coast of the South America continent. Montevideo, Uruguay is located across the river. Buenos Aires is located at 34°40' South, 58°24' West (-34.667, -58.40). [[Image:Arms.jpg|frame|Former coat of arms of Buenos Aires, used from 1591 until 1649]] After the internal conflicts of the 19th century, Buenos Aires was federalized and removed from Buenos Aires province; its city limits were enlarged to include the former towns of Belgrano and Flores (both are now neighbourhoods in the city). Argentines sometimes refer to the city as ''Capital Federal'' to differentiate the city from the province of the same name. Under the original federalization scheme, the mayor was elected directly by the President of the Republic. The 1994 constitution granted the city autonomy status, and citizens now elect both the city council and the mayor in direct elections. The current mayor is Anibal Ibarra. ==Population== The people of Buenos Aires are known as ''wikt:porteños'' (people of the port), recognizing the huge historical importance of the port in the development of the nation. The population of Buenos Aires consists primarily of Argentines of Spain, mixed Spanish-aboriginal (mestizo) and Italy descent, although there are sizable communities of people with Arab, Jewish, Armenia, Anglo-Irish, China, Japan, and Korea origins (''see also: Asian-Argentines''). Most inhabitants are Roman Catholic. Sizable Jewish and Muslim communities have existed for over 100 years, and evangelism churches have been steadily increasing their ranks since the 1980s. The city proper has a population of 2,776,234 according to the 2001 census, while the Greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area, which belongs to Buenos Aires province, has more than 12 million inhabitants. Suburbanites are called ''porteños'' and also ''bonaerenses''; only the last term applies to the rest of the province. ==Economy== Buenos Aires is the financial, industrial, commercial, and cultural hub of Argentina. Its port is one of the busiest in the world; navigable rivers connect it to the Argentine North-East, 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. To the west of Buenos Aires is the ''Pampa Húmeda'', the most productive agricultural region of Argentina (which is different from the dry and sterile south-Argentina pampa, where only bovine livestock is produced). Meat, dairy, grain, tobacco, wool and hide products are processed or manufactured in the Buenos Aires area. Other leading industries are automobile manufacturing, oil refining, metalworking, machine building, and the production of textiles, chemicals, clothing, and beverages. The Buenos Aires international airport, Ministro Pistarini International Airport, is located in the suburb of Ezeiza and is often called simply "Ezeiza". The Aeroparque Jorge Newbery airport, located within city limits near the riverbank, serves mostly domestic traffic. ==History== Spanish seaman Juan Díaz de Solís discovered the Rio de la Plata river (River Plate) in 1516 but his expedition was cut short by an attack in which he was killed (and cannibalized) by the native Charrua tribe. The city was first founded as ''Santa María del Buen Ayre'' on February 2, 1536 by a Spanish gold-seeking expedition under Pedro de Mendoza. The name was chosen by Mendoza's chaplain, who was a devout follower of the ''Virgine de Bonaria'' (Our Lady of the Fair Winds) of Cagliari, Sardinia. The location of Mendoza's city was on today's San Telmo district (south of the present 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 sailed down the River_Paran%E1 river from Asunción. From its earliest days the success of Buenos Aires depended on trade. The Spanish administration of the 17th and 18th centuries insisted that all trade to Europe initially pass through Lima, Peru so that taxes could be collected. This scheme frustrated the traders of Buenos Aires and a thriving contraband industry developed. Unsurprisingly, this also instilled a deep resentment in ''porteños'' towards Spanish authorities. Sensing this instability, Charles III of Spain progressively eased the trade restrictions and finally declared Buenos Aires an open port in the late 1700s. Those 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 desirous of independence from Spain. During the British invasions in Rio de la Plata British forces invaded Buenos Aires three times in 1806-1807 but were rebuffed by the local colonial militia. Ultimately, on May 25, 1810, while Spain endured the Peninsular War and after a week of mostly pacific deliberations, the creole citizens of Buenos Aires successfully ousted the Spanish Viceroy and established a provincial government; the date is now celebrated as a national holiday (independence from Spain was declared only in 1816). Railroad construction during the 19th century only increased the economic power of Buenos Aires as raw materials flowed into its factories. By the 1920s Buenos Aires was a favored destination for immigrants from Europe, as well as from the poorer provinces and neighboring countries, and large shantytowns (''villas miseria'') started growing around the city's industrial areas, leading to extensive social problems. At the same time, Buenos Aires was a multicultural city that ranked itself with the major European capitals. For example, the Colón Theater was one of the world's top opera venues. Buenos Aires historically was Argentina's main stage for liberal and free-trade ideas, with many of the provinces advocating for a more conservative-Catholic approach. Many tensions within Argentine history, starting with the ''Unitarios-Federales'' wars of the 19th century, can be traced back to this contrast. During the 20th century, military juntas seized power several times, to impose a combination of political repression and neoliberal economics. The last episode, which started in 1976, produced more than 10,000 ''desaparecidos''. The silent marches of their mothers (Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo) are the most well-known image of Argentine suffering during the dictatorship. Buenos Aires was also the cradle of Peronism: the now-mythical demonstration of October 17 1945 took place in Plaza de Mayo. Industrial workers of the Buenos Aires suburbia have been Peronism's main support base ever since. On March 17, 1992 a bomb exploded in the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires killing 29 and injuring 242. Another explosion, on July 18, 1994 destroyed a building housing several Jewish organizations killing 96 and injuring many more. See AMIA bombing. ==Culture== ===Language variations=== In the early 20th century, Argentina absorbed millions of immigrants, mostly from Italy and Spain. Italian immigrants spoke mostly local dialects (mainly Nnapulitano, Sicilian language and Genoese), and their adoption of Spanish language was gradual. The pidgin of Italian language dialects and Spanish was called cocoliche. It was used roughly until the 1950s, and today survives mostly as comic relief. The ''lunfardo'' argot originated within the prison population, and spread to all ''porteños'' with time. Lunfardo uses words from Italian dialects, and tricks such as inverting the syllables within a word (vesre). Lunfardo is used by ''porteños'' mostly in informal settings. Yiddish was common in Buenos Aires, especially in the Balvanera garment district, until the 1960s. A lively Korean language and Chinese language press has developed since the 1980s, but younger immigrants assimilate into Spanish quickly. The dialect of Spanish spoken in Buenos Aires (as well as in other large cities like Rosario and Montevideo, Uruguay) is characterized by ''voseo'', ''yeísmo'' and aspiration or loss of syllable-final ''-s''. Due to its geographical location, it receives the name of Rioplatense Spanish. ===Tango=== Many immigrants arrived in Buenos Aires without their families, which led to a significant phenomenon of prostitution starting around 1870. The erotically charged Tango (dance) originated in brothels, but later found a wider audience. In 1902, the Teatro Opera started organizing tango balls. In the 1920s, tango was adopted by the Paris high society and then all over the world. The Buenos Aires style of tango music evolved into an elaborated genre. In its heyday, tango had many famous orchestras such as those led by Aníbal Troilo and Juan D'Arienzo, and singers such as Carlos Gardel and Edmundo Rivero. Buenos Aires now holds an annual "Tango Day" each December 11. In San Telmo, Sundays are devoted to tango shows on the streets and antiques trade in the bazaars around Dorrego Square. ===Miscellaneous=== Buenos Aires was home for writers Jorge Luis Borges, Ernesto Sabato, and Cortazar (who emigrated to France). The University of Buenos Aires, which used to be the premier learning institution in all of South America, has produced five Nobel Prize winners. ==Transportation== Historically, Buenos Aires used to be relatively congestion-free for a city of its size. Toll freeways opened in the late 1970s by then-mayor Osvaldo Cacciatore provided fast access to the downtown area, increasing the number of cars coming into the city. In parallel, the streets of the downtown financial district (roughly one square kilometer in size) were declared off-limits to private cars during daytime. Following the Economy of Argentina, more people started commuting by car, and congestion increased. Most major avenues are gridlocked at peak hours, and congestion also results from people driving from and to their weekends in the country. A majority of commuters use public transportation. An original Buenos Aires invention is the ''colectivo'' (a small bus built out of a truck chassis and sitting 21 to 27). Renovation of the fleet is severely lagging, and ''colectivos'' are now decried as old, noisy and polluting. The ''diferenciales'' (differential-rate buses) have better sitting arrangements and air conditioning, which is quite appreciated in the summer months. Buenos Aires has an extensive subway network, known as the ''Buenos Aires Metro'' (short for ''subterráneo'' "underground"). Also, all of Argentina's extensive railway network converges on Buenos Aires. Commuter trains are popular with suburbanites, but some lines have serious crime issues. A large number of black-and-yellow taxis roam the streets at all hours. Many units are unlicensed, and trips on them may end with the passangers being mugged by the driver (or his associates). Thus, it is advised to phone a reputable radio-link company and avoid hailing taxis on the street. Limousine services (known locally as ''remises'') have become more popular in the last few years. ==''Barrios''== The city is divided into 47 ''barrios'' (neighbourhoods). See: Barrios de Buenos Aires ==Sports== Football (soccer) is a passion for Argentines. The city has many teams playing in the major league. The best-known rivalry is the one between Boca Juniors and Club Atlético River Plate. Diego Armando Maradona, who was born in a poor suburb of Buenos Aires and is widely hailed as one of the greatest players ever, started his career with Argentinos Juniors and later played for Boca Juniors (he also played for other clubs, notably Italian side SSC Napoli). Buenos Aires hosted the first Pan American Games which started on February 25, 1951, as well as the 1950 and 1990 Basketball World Championship and the Football World Cup 1978 (Argentina national football team won the final on June 25, 1978, defeating the Netherlands by a score of 3-1). Buenos Aires Autodromo Oscar Alfredo Galvez track hosted twenty editions of the Formula One Argentine Grand Prix between 1953 and 1998; its discontinuation was due to financial reasons. The track also hosts local categories on most weekends. Other popular sports in Buenos Aires are basketball, rugby, tennis, field hockey... Also horse racing can be seen in the ''Jockey Club'' as well as the national game pato, a kind of basketball played on horseback (sometimes called "horseball" in english). Argentina is also the uninterrupted world champion of Polo since 1949, and source of most world's 10 goal players. See also: List of cities, List of national capitals ==External links== * [http://www.buenosaires.gov.ar www.buenosaires.gov.ar - Buenos Aires City Government] * [http://english.buenosaires.com english.buenosaires.com - Tourism Portal] * [http://vester.com.ar/argentina/buenosaires.html Pictures of Buenos Aires] ;Online newspapers: * ''[http://www.buenosairesherald.com/ The Buenos Aires Herald]'' Online edition of a local English language newspaper * ''[http://www.clarin.com/ Clarín]'' * ''[http://www.lanacion.com.ar/ La Nación]'' * ''[http://www.pagina12web.com.ar/ Página 12]'' ---- ''Buenos Aires'' is also a canton in Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica. Capitals in South America Cities in Argentina Coastal cities Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
==Change Log, comments, etc. == * Please don't correct "Good Winds" back to "Good Airs". Also, when discussing the origin of name, it's ''Virgine'' and not ''Virgen'' because it is in Sardinian, not in Spanish. Reference: http://www.sandanzas.com.ar/NUEVO/espanol/historia_buenosaires.htm * Please don't correct "Argentines" back to "Argentinians". Reference: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ar.html ==Miscellaneous Clarifications== Buenos Aires is the Federal Capital of Argentina, but it is not a part of Buenos Aires province. To symbolize federalism, it is an autonomous city belongs to no province -- like Washington, DC, Mexico City, and Brasilia. The capital of Buenos Aires province is La Plata, 60 km to the south. The inhabitants of City of Buenos Aires are called ''porteños''. The adjective spreads to anything related to the city. The inhabitants of the province of Buenos Aires are called "bonaerenses". ==Argentine Lore== "Dios está en todas partes, pero atiende en Buenos Aires" (God is everywhere, but conducts His business in Buenos Aires) ==Needed== Somebody please write a page on Leonel Edmundo Rivero. A lot of barrios can use a page and still lack it. Ponerse las pilas muchachos. == Subway Network == Shouldn't we add something about the subway network? (Subte) Yes Here is the link!!! Buenos Aires Metro == Immigrants == Mestizo population? You would be hard pressed to find many other than those of foreign origin in the Capital. They are found mostly in the outlying provinces. What about the large number of Germans and Poles in Buenos Aires; recent indications are that Polaco-Argentinos constitute a large chunk of the population. Someone make note of the rich immigrant history besides Italian! : Disagree. Lots of people with mixed Spanish-indigenous roots in Buenos Aires if you venture outside the rich parts. Ever been to Soldati? Or to a choripan stand? And about the Poles... not so many. Definitely. They don't even have a club worth mentioning. There are quite a few newcomers from the Ukraine though. User:Elpincha 00:12, 5 Nov 2004 (UTC) : That is interesting, but: what is the definition of mestizo we are going for? The "one-drop rule" of the Jim Crow Southern United States? My grandmother was half-native (noticeably), but the rest of my grandparents were white. Does that make me a mestizo when I'm nothing but obviously white, and the strains are not even noticeable in my mother? Yes, a few choripan vendors and mani sellers have their "look" but I must stress the mestizo element, if we are searching for a significant Indian "look," is minimal compared to the European in most of Capital Federal. I ran into one, exactly one Mapuche in my entire life, and he was of the type that did not marry into the Euro population. He too, was from Buenos Aires. Just to note: traditionally Jewish area around Corrientes and Pasteur (near Once as well) is flooded with Koreans immigrants, with Argentine born children. --User:Tuttobene 21:50, 9 Nov 2004 (UTC) :: For the Jewish part, see the article on Balvanera. Anyway, and about the main point, most people would disagree with you about the subject matter, and most people would refuse to even start a racial debate like the ones they have in the USA all the time. In fairness you cannot talk about communities and leave out the ones that make up such a large part of the population - even if noticeably less so than in the rest of the country. User:Elpincha 19:33, 10 Nov 2004 (UTC) ::: Even though, statistics show that 85% of the Argentine population is of european origin, what is highly noticeable in Buenos Aires. I'm not saying that there are not mestizos at all, but at least not in the quantity and way that in other places. Just go to the street in different barrios, and make your own stats on how many white and real mestizo people you see. ::::To the last person, please signature your paragraph when commenting, otherwise it gets bewildering. In any event, you basically touched on my intitial point, and what elpincha didn't quite grasp from my comment. That is, there is a metizo element, and that should be duly mentioned, but they are few and far between when compared to the European in Buenos Aires. In any event, the city is a wonderful melange of peoples and it is ony getting richer as more immigrants arrive, albeit slowly with the present economy. --User:Tuttobene 21:56, 6 Jan 2005 (UTC) OK, no more colons:-). I still disagree with Tuttobene. The pre-immigration-waves stock runs the gamut between Spanish (mostly from Extremadura) and aboriginal (Indian). This component, whilst a minority in the city proper, is still very noticeable if you go to the poorer areas (I stand by my previous Soldati reference) or to a football (soccer) match. Avoidance of this specific element comes naturally for expats working in financials who don't venture much, but for many of us natives (and I am not being personal here) carries some vague left-over smell of old-time mild-racism-slash-anti-Peronism à la ''Revolución Libertadora''. As a counter-example, you could argue that the black community in Buenos Aires is very small (the historical reasons are that there ware never many slaves in this area, plus the ousting of Juan Manuel de Rosas, the massive draft over the Paraguay war, the humid climate, etc.) and be basically correct. Anyway, I am not reverting anything. Somebody else will do it better than I could. User:Elpincha 15:39, 9 May 2005 (UTC) == Colectivos and Taxis == I don´t know if it´s fair to say that the "colectivo" is an Argentine invention. It may have different names in different places, but the idea of a bus, or truck, or large car that drives people around the city on a regular route for a given rate is hardly unique or original to Argentina or Buenos Aires. Similar examples of "colectivos" are found in the history of other cities and public transport systems. Also, the taxi drives that mug people... While it is a reality, I find it hardly representative of the majority of cabs one hails from the street. Jorge :When everybody you know has been mugged at least once, I think its a sound advice to give. User:Ejrrjs | User talk:Ejrrjs 19:22, 15 Jun 2005 (UTC) ::The original ''colectivo'' was different from nowadays buses un Buenos Aires, which are the same as the ones in most cities of the world. The original colectivo was an oversized car adapted to drive five to ten passengers at the same time, on a fixed route (the first one was the present line 1, beetween Plaza de Mayo and Plaza Once). Some years later, colectivos grew to a small bus of 20 passengers (''un mundo de veinte asientos''). In the 1960s they were replaced by common buses, and people called them ''omnibus'', to distinguish them from colectivos. Finally, when old colectivos were totally replaced by omnibuses, people slowly started to call omnibuses colectivos again. About taxis, I lived in Buenos Aires for 25 years and I don´t recall knowing nobody who was ever mugged by a taxi driver (when I was little, a taxi driver tried to steal my mother saying that the $20 bill she gave him was a $5, but I found the bill on the passenger seat and that was it, - he was a ''pichi''). I agree that you should have some criteria taken a cab, but saying that all cab that aren´t in a radio-taxi company are muggers, is an exageration. Sorry the lenght, --User:Jfa 20:33, 15 Jun 2005 (UTC) :Unfortunately, a lot has changed in the last 10 years. A couple of assorted examples in the media (in Spanish): [http://www.clarin.com/diario/2000/02/19/e-05501d.htm], [http://www0.luna.uol.com.ar/edicion_0942/actualidad_02.htm] User:Ejrrjs | User talk:Ejrrjs 21:05, 15 Jun 2005 (UTC) ::Well, I moved away last year, so I´m not out of date.--User:Jfa 14:00, 16 Jun 2005 (UTC)
Buenos Aires
Argentina Provinces of Argentina
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
B
BA | BC | BD | BE | BF | BG | BH | BI | BJ | BK | BL | BM | BN | BO | BP | BR | BS | BT | BU | BW | BX | BY | BZ |Words begining with Buenos_Aires:
Buenos_Aires
Buenos_Aires
Buenos_Aires
Buenos_Aires,_Argentina
Buenos_Aires_(province)
Buenos_Aires_Capital_Federal
Buenos_Aires_City
Buenos_Aires_city
Buenos_Aires_Convention
Buenos_Aires_Marathon
Buenos_Aires_Metro
Buenos_Aires_metro
Buenos_Aires_metro
Buenos_Aires_Neighbourhoods
Buenos_Aires_Province
Buenos_Aires_province
Buenos_Aires_province
Sponsored links: praca.
These materials are based on Wikipedia and licensed under the GNU FDL
YouTube.com videos better site than Turbo Tax 2007
