Buenos Aires - City of Argentina

Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina. It is geographically located on the southern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent. Greater Buenos Aires is the third largest conurbation in Latin America, with a population of about 13 million. In English, Buenos Aires means "Fair Winds" or "Good Air."

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.

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, supposedly 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 February 2, 1536 by a Spanish expedition led by Pedro de Mendoza. The city founded by Mendoza was located in what is today the San Telmo district of Buenos Aires, south of the city centre.

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). Although upon the refounding, the city itself was named Holy Trinity (Spanish: Santisima Trinidad) and only the port was still called Buenos Aires, over the next two centuries the port's name won out.

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.

The Executive of the city is held by the Chief of Government ("Jefe de Gobierno"), who is directly elected for a four-year term, together with a Deputy Chief, who presides over the 60-member Legislature.

The city is divided into 48 barrios or, neighborhoods, for administrative purposes (see list at right). The division was originally based on Catholic parroquias (parishes), but has undergone a series of changes since the 1940s. A newer scheme has divided the city into 15 comunas (communes).

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 Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio. There are Protestant, Orthodox Christian, Jewish and Muslim minorities.

The city has a humid subtropical climate. The average year temperature is 17.6 °C (63.7 °F). The city gets 1,147 mm (45 in) of rainfall per year. The average high temperatures ranges from 30.4 °C (86.7 °F) in January, to 14.9 °C (58.8 °F) in Winter (1981-1990 period). Rain can be expected at any time of year and hailstorms are not unusual.

The lowest temperature ever recorded in central Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires Central Observatory) was 5.4 °C (22 °F) on July 9, 1918. The highest temperature ever recorded was 43.3 °C (109.9 °F) on January 29, 1957. The last snowfall (see July 2007 Argentine winterstorm) occurred recently on July 9, 2007 when the entry of a massive polar cold snap made as a result the worst winter of Argentina in almost thirty years, where severe snowfalls and blizzards affected the country. It was the first major snowfall in the city in 89 years[24] (since June 22, 1918).

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. There are plenty of sculptures from famous sculptors like Auguste Rodin and Antoine Bourdelle.

It has many public libraries and cultural associations as well as the largest concentration of active theatres in Latin America[citation needed]. 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.

Landmarks

Avenida Alvear (along its westward route through the Recoleta area, its home to a concentration of boutiques, five-star hotels and belle époque palaces).

Corrientes Avenue (one of the city's principal thoroughfares. The avenue is intimately tied to the Tango and Porteño culture).

Avenida de Mayo (the avenue is often compared with those of Madrid, Barcelona and Paris due of its sophisticated buildings of art Nouveau, neoclassic and eclectic styles).

Cabildo (a public building dating from the 1720s used as the government house during colonial times).

Caminito (restored in 1955 by Benito Quinquela Martín, its pastel-hued walls have become one of the city's icons).

Casa Rosada (the official seat of the executive branch of government in Argentina).

Cementerio de la Recoleta (the cemetery houses the crypts of some of the most important Argentine historical figures, including several presidents, scientists and the forbears of many of Argentina's most influential families).

Florida Street (an elegant pedestrian street in downtown Buenos Aires).

Metropolitan Cathedral (the mother church of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires).

National Congress (Argentine Parliament, completed in 1906).

National Library (the largest library in Argentina and one of the most important in the Americas).

Nueve de Julio Avenue (its name honors Argentina's Independence Day and is the widest avenue in the world).

The Obelisk (one of the icons of the city and a venue for various cultural activities and other events).

Palermo (A trendy neighborhood filled with restaurants, shops and clubs, it's also home to the Palermo Gardens and its over 200 acres).

Plaza de Mayo (arguably the nervecenter of Buenos Aires and witness to many demonstrations and pivotal events in Argentine history).

Plaza San Martín (the heart of the distinguished Retiro area and former redoubt of Jorge Luis Borges).

Puerto Madero (developed over the 1880-era docklands, some of the city's tallest high-rise condominiums share the landscape with refurbished vintage wharf buildings).

San Telmo (one of the oldest neighborhoods of Buenos Aires. Well-preserved, it is characterized by its European and colonial architecture).

Teatro Colón (opened in 1908, it is one of the world's major opera houses).