South America · ARG

Argentina

The story · 12 chapters

How it was drawn

Spain's southern frontier became a viceroyalty, then a quarrelsome union of provinces that pushed south into Patagonia and fixed its long Andean border with Chile.

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Through the ages

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Argentina fought or stood against, from the first to today.

Spanish Empire1536 to 1667
Spanish conquerors met long resistance in the northwest. In the Calchaqui Wars, between 1560 and 1667, Diaguita peoples rose three times against Spanish rule before they were defeated and many of them deported.
Portuguese Empire1680 to 1777
In 1680 Portugal founded Colonia del Sacramento, facing Buenos Aires across the Rio de la Plata, to tap its trade. The fort changed hands several times until Spain took it for good in 1777.
Kingdom of Great Britain1806 to 1807
A British force captured Buenos Aires in June 1806, but local militias under Santiago de Liniers drove it out in August. A larger British attack in 1807 was also defeated in the streets of the city.
Spanish Empire1810 to 1824
After the May Revolution of 1810, armies from Buenos Aires fought royalist forces in Upper Peru and Paraguay. Jose de San Martin crossed the Andes in 1817 to free Chile, then Peru, until Spanish power in South America collapsed in 1824.
Empire of Brazil1825 to 1828
The Cisplatine War was fought over the Banda Oriental, which Brazil had annexed. Neither side could win: British mediation in 1828 made the disputed land the independent state of Uruguay.
United KingdomSince 1833Still open
Britain took the Falkland Islands in 1833, expelling the Argentine garrison. Argentina never accepted it, invaded in 1982 and lost a ten week war. It still claims the islands, whose people voted in 2013 to remain British.
Mapuche and Tehuelche peoples1833 to 1885
Indigenous nations held the pampas and Patagonia long after independence. Rosas campaigned against them in 1833 and 1834, and the Conquest of the Desert, from 1878 to 1885, destroyed their independence and opened their lands to ranchers.
Kingdom of France1838 to 1850
France blockaded Buenos Aires from 1838 to 1840 in a dispute with Rosas, then joined Britain in a blockade of the river ports from 1845 to 1850, after forcing the Parana at Vuelta de Obligado.
Republic of Chile1843 to 1984
Both countries claimed Patagonia and the Strait of Magellan. Treaties in 1881 and a British arbitration in 1902 drew most of the Andean line. A quarrel over Beagle Channel islands nearly led to war in 1978, until papal mediation produced the 1984 treaty.
Paraguay1865 to 1870
Paraguay invaded Corrientes in 1865, bringing Argentina into the War of the Triple Alliance with Brazil and Uruguay. The war devastated Paraguay, and Argentina kept Misiones and the central Chaco.

Today

Argentina now

In 1816, the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata declared their independence from Spain. After Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay went their separate ways, the area that remained became Argentina. European immigrants heavily shaped the country's population and culture, with Italy and Spain providing the largest percentage of newcomers from 1860 to 1930.

Capital: Buenos Aires
Government: presidential republic
Head of government: Javier Milei
Languages: Spanish
Area: 2,780,400 km²

Through time

Then and now

Population45.5 million2023 · 17.0 million in 1950
Life expectancy77.4 years2023 · 61.3 years in 1950
GDP per person$18,2922022 · $7,949 in 1950
Living in cities92%2025 · 65% in 1950
Literacy99%2020 · 88% in 1950
Political regimeElectoral democracy2025 · Electoral autocracy in 1950
Military alliancesRio Pact2024 · Rio Pact in 1950
Military spending0.6% of GDP2025 · 2.9% of GDP in 1950
War deaths0.1 per 100,0002025

Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.

Relations

Close partners and tensions

Close partners

Switzerland
Brazil

Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 23 October 2026.

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Argentina fought or stood against, from the first to today.

Spanish Empire1536 to 1667

Spanish conquerors met long resistance in the northwest. In the Calchaqui Wars, between 1560 and 1667, Diaguita peoples rose three times against Spanish rule before they were defeated and many of them deported.

Portuguese Empire1680 to 1777

In 1680 Portugal founded Colonia del Sacramento, facing Buenos Aires across the Rio de la Plata, to tap its trade. The fort changed hands several times until Spain took it for good in 1777.

Kingdom of Great Britain1806 to 1807

A British force captured Buenos Aires in June 1806, but local militias under Santiago de Liniers drove it out in August. A larger British attack in 1807 was also defeated in the streets of the city.

Spanish Empire1810 to 1824

After the May Revolution of 1810, armies from Buenos Aires fought royalist forces in Upper Peru and Paraguay. Jose de San Martin crossed the Andes in 1817 to free Chile, then Peru, until Spanish power in South America collapsed in 1824.

Empire of Brazil1825 to 1828

The Cisplatine War was fought over the Banda Oriental, which Brazil had annexed. Neither side could win: British mediation in 1828 made the disputed land the independent state of Uruguay.

United KingdomSince 1833Still open

Britain took the Falkland Islands in 1833, expelling the Argentine garrison. Argentina never accepted it, invaded in 1982 and lost a ten week war. It still claims the islands, whose people voted in 2013 to remain British.

Mapuche and Tehuelche peoples1833 to 1885

Indigenous nations held the pampas and Patagonia long after independence. Rosas campaigned against them in 1833 and 1834, and the Conquest of the Desert, from 1878 to 1885, destroyed their independence and opened their lands to ranchers.

Kingdom of France1838 to 1850

France blockaded Buenos Aires from 1838 to 1840 in a dispute with Rosas, then joined Britain in a blockade of the river ports from 1845 to 1850, after forcing the Parana at Vuelta de Obligado.

Republic of Chile1843 to 1984

Both countries claimed Patagonia and the Strait of Magellan. Treaties in 1881 and a British arbitration in 1902 drew most of the Andean line. A quarrel over Beagle Channel islands nearly led to war in 1978, until papal mediation produced the 1984 treaty.

Paraguay1865 to 1870

Paraguay invaded Corrientes in 1865, bringing Argentina into the War of the Triple Alliance with Brazil and Uruguay. The war devastated Paraguay, and Argentina kept Misiones and the central Chaco.

Argentina now

Capital

Buenos Aires

Government

presidential republic

Head of government

Javier Milei

Languages

Spanish

Area

2,780,400 km²

Then and now

Population45.5 million2023 · 17.0 million in 1950

Life expectancy77.4 years2023 · 61.3 years in 1950

GDP per person$18,2922022 · $7,949 in 1950

Living in cities92%2025 · 65% in 1950

Literacy99%2020 · 88% in 1950

Political regimeElectoral democracy2025 · Electoral autocracy in 1950

Military alliancesRio Pact2024 · Rio Pact in 1950

Military spending0.6% of GDP2025 · 2.9% of GDP in 1950

War deaths0.1 per 100,0002025