Originally inhabited by the Incas, the territory where Argentina is located was seized by the Spanish in 1516 and once went by the name of Vice Kingdom of the Rio da Prata. In 1810, inspired by the French and North American Revolutions, the country pursued its independence in May 25th in the episode known as the May Revolution, but it did not succeed. Argentina only achieved its independence thanks to the campaign of the general José de San Martín in 1816.

The country grew impressively after its independence, attracting countless immigrants and turned its capital Buenos Aires into one of the biggest and most modern cities of the world. Populist politics swept the country off its feet in the figure of Juan Domingo Perón up until the mid-1940´s, when Argentina fell into the grip of a military dictatorship that lasted from 1966 until 1983 and threw the nation into battle against England in the so called Falklands War. After that date, Argentine reestablished democracy and went through some major financial crises that crippled the country´s growth.

Argentina and soccer

As a traditional powerhouse in soccer, Argentina took the World Cup home twice (1978 and 1986), as well as being runner-up also twice (1930 and 1990). It is the greatest winner in the history of the America Cup with 14 championships (same as Uruguay), the last one in 1993. The country´s major league teams have plenty of tradition and hold the greatest number of Libertadores Cup championships – 22 up until 2010, in addition to nine world trophies.