Partner Country of the Month February 2024: Argentina
Argentina is known for football enthusiasm, tango, barbecues and hospitality. The world's largest Spanish-speaking country is as long from north to south as the distance between the North Cape and Sicily in Europe. With a wealth of climatic zones comes a great diversity of landscapes - from subtropical rainforest to pampas grassland and deserts to the snow-capped mountains of Patagonia in the south. Argentina's vast expanses are sparsely populated, with most of the population living in the cities. Almost one third of Argentinians live in Buenos Aires, the vibrant capital city.
With the "Partner Country of the Month" campaign, we want to shine a spotlight on the wide diversity of countries, regions and partner universities of TU Dresden that our students can explore during a semester abroad.
Table of contents
General facts and figures about Argentina
Capital: Buenos Aires
Population: 46 million (2022)
Official language: Spanish; regionally there are co-official indigenous languages
National holiday: Día de la Patria on 25th May (Independence from Spain)
Currency: Argentine Peso (ARS / $)
You can find further facts, figures and information on Wikipedia or on the website of the German Federal Foreign Office. For travel info, see wikivoyage and argentina.travel.
Language matters
Like most of South America, Argentinians speak Spanish. During Spain’s colonial era (from the 15th century onwards), Spanish was spread across the continent and is now one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. Over the centuries, many regional peculiarities have developed, with slang and terms for food and everyday items often differing from country to country. Fortunately, they are unlikely to cause major communication problems.
Argentinian Spanish is known for its striking accent and uses vos instead of tú for informally addressing someone. Many words that are specific for Argentina have Italian origins, as about half of the country's population has Italian roots. Let's learn a few useful argentinismos.
- groso / grosa – great, amazing
- colectivo / bondi – bus
- ¡Qué qilombo! – What a mess!
- birra – beer
- che – hey / mate
- chamuyo – talking hot air
- laburo – work
Our partner university in Argentina mainly offers courses in Spanish. You will most likely need a certificate of proficiency in Spanish for an exchange. Please check the exact requirements before applying.
Being able to speak Spanish will definitely pay off for an exchange in Argentina. Even among younger Argentinians, proficiency in English is not very common. Of course, this will give you the opportunity to improve your Spanish skills quickly, as you will get to practice a lot. In Dresden, you can study Spanish at TUDIAS or at VHS, starting from German. TUDIAS offers an advanced Spanish profile course specifically to prepare for an exchange. Inlingua also teaches courses in English.
Did you know that ....?
- Argentinian football icon Diego Maradona is worshipped as a god? "Our religion is football and, like all religions, it must have a god," says a member of the Iglesia Maradoniana (Church of Maradona). The parody religion was founded in the 1990s and has strong catholic influences: Christmas is celebrated on the footballer's birthday and there is a Maradona version of the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments (which include "Love football above all else" and "Name your first son Diego").
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Argentina is the only country in the world to be named after a metal? Derived from Latin argentum (silver), the name goes back to rumours of fabulously rich silver deposits that prompted the first European expeditions to the region. Such deposits were never found, at least not in Argentina, but many Argentine place names bear witness to the hopes of the Spanish conquerors - like the border river Río de la Plata (river of silver) or our partner city Mar del Plata (sea of silver).
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Argentina has by far the highest density of psychotherapists in the world, according to WHO data? There is a particularly high concentration of them in a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires known colloquially as Villa Freud. Sigmund Freud's traditional method of psychoanalysis is alive and in demand in Argentina, where talking about emotional problems and seeking psychological help meet with little stigmatisation.
- Argentina was the first country in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage? Since 2010, Argentinians can marry regardless of sexual orientation. That’s well ahead of Germany, which only recognized same-sex marriages in 2017.
- Che Guevara was Argentinian? Although he gained fame as a revolutionary in Cuba, his nickname Che (his real name was Ernesto) reveals his origins. Che is a typical Argentinian expression that can show surprise, be a filler or draw someone's attention like a "hey!". Guevara is said to have used the word constantly, to the amusement of his Cuban comrades. But how did Guevara end up in Cuba? His journey began with extensive travels through South America during his studies. The great social inequality he saw there ignited his interest in politics.
- mate is Argentina's national drink? However, it has little in common with German Club-Mate. Argentinians brew an infusion of the mate plant in a special cup and like to drink it together at social gatherings. The cebador makes all infusions, ensuring a balanced taste, and passes the cup around to everyone. You don't have to miss out when on the road - people often bring along thermos bottles filled with hot water for preparing mate, and there are hot water vending machines in many places.
Cooperation with TU Dresden
You can find all cooperations of TU Dresden in our database. Have a look at the experiences of our previous exchange students at Questionnaires. Professors at your faculty may have direct contacts to your partner university of choice and can advise you.
Our Argentinian partner university via TUDworldwide
- Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata
- Interdisciplinary cooperation
- About TUDworldwide
- Our partner university has around 30,000 students and offers courses in architecture, design, agricultural sciences, economics and social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences, law, humanities, engineering, psychology and medicine.
- Mar del Plata on the Atlantic coast is Argentina's best-known seaside resort. Its extensive beaches make it the most important tourist destination in the country apart from Buenos Aires, the (relatively) nearby capital city. You can also enjoy Mar del Plata’s vibrant nightlife and wide array of cultural events.
Don't miss...
The Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park forms a huge front of bluish ice, from which chunks of ice frequently crash down into the turquoise waters of Lago Argentino. This famous landmark of Argentina is often said to be one of the few glaciers in the world that remain in equilibrium - however, that is outdated information, unfortunately. The small town of El Calafate serves as the starting point for trips to the glacier. With a little patience, it can be reached very cheaply by bus from Mar del Plata (stopover in Comodoro Rivadavia). From El Calafate, you can easily continue to El Chaltén, a hiker's paradise in the Patagonian mountains.
Tango Argentino. Tango is more than a dance, it's a musical genre in its own right. It originated in the poor immigrant neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires, with the romantically melancholic classical tango fitting the hard life there. Today's tango music often gets mixed with modern styles, with results such as electrotango. As a dance, tango is very sensual. This outraged people at the time of its creation at the beginning of the 20th century, even resulting in a ban by the Pope. Fortunately, that is done history - so attend a dance show or learn to dance in the country of tango!
The Falls of Iguazú are a natural wonder made up of hundreds of waterfalls that stretch on for almost three kilometres. You can discover the area on walkways. On the Paseo inferior below the falls, the spray is gusting like rain, while on the Paseo superior the waters fall away beneath your feet with a roar. The border between Argentina and Brazil runs right through the Devil's Throat (Garganta del Diablo), a particularly impressive fall of 80 metres. When visiting, it's worth taking the time to enjoy the nature that surrounds the falls - lush forests with palm trees and tree ferns, where you may spot animals like toucans or anteaters if you're lucky.
Argentine wines. As one of the largest wine-growing countries in the world, Argentina produces a wide variety of good wines, especially red wines. The grape variety Malbec is particularly famous. It grows on the foothills of the Andes in the Mendoza region. Of course you can taste the wine everywhere in Argentina, but for wine lovers it’s worth taking a trip to Mendoza to stroll through the vineyards and visit the numerous wineries (bodegas).
Let's get cooking...
Argentinian cuisine is characterised by influences from Europe, Spain and Italy especially. It's a paradise for meat lovers, and not just because asados (barbecues) are a very popular way of spending time with friends and family. Every Spanish-speaking country has its own version of empanadas (dumplings), a popular snack or starter. In Argentina, they are crescent-shaped and closed with pastry folds that differ according to the filling inside. In maize-based dishes such as the hearty stew locro, indigenous cooking traditions remain alive.
Argentinians don't eat dinner before 10 pm. To keep going until then, they have an afternoon snack called merienda, which usually consists of coffee and facturas - meaning pastries, not bills. These are often filled with dulce de leche (milk caramel). Supposedly better than Nutella, dulce de leche can be used for anything sweet, including as a sandwich spread, biscuit filling, tiramisu ingredient or ice cream flavour.
Fugazzetta - Argentinian pizza
As many Argentinians have Italian roots, the great popularity of pizza is not surprising. Argentina is said to be the country with the highest number of pizzerias per capita in the world, with Buenos Aires as the capital of pizza eating. Of course, there are many kinds of pizza with an Argentine twist, such as fugazzetta. This double pizza with a generous cheese filling and a topping of roasted onions was created as a combination of pizza and focaccia.
Ingredients for 1 fugazzetta:
Dough
- 600 g wheat flour
- 20 g fresh yeast or 1 pack of dry yeast
- 350 ml lukewarm water
- 3 tsp olive oil
- 10 g salt (about 1 tsp)
Filling and topping
- 500 g mozzarella, grated or diced
- 2 onions
- 100 g grated cheese
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
- oregano
You will also need a baking tray or cake tin.
Preparation:
1. Pour the flour into a large bowl. Form a small hollow in the centre, adding in the yeast. Spread the salt outside the hollow. Mix the water and olive oil and gradually pour in while slowly mixing together all the ingredients for the dough.
2. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the mixture and knead for 10 minutes until a smooth dough has formed. It should neither be too dry nor stick to your hands.
3. Divide the dough into 2 balls, one of which should be twice the size of the other. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and leave to rise until the dough has doubled in volume (about 2 hours).
4. In the meantime, slice the onions into thin rings. Put them in a bowl, sprinkle with a little salt and add some oil. Set aside for 30 minutes so that the onions lose their liquid.
5. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
6. Flatten each dough ball and then spread them out into a round or square shape, depending on how they will fit on your baking tray or cake tin. Grease the tray or tin with oil and then put in the thicker piece of dough. Cover with mozzarella, leaving out the edges. Put the thinner piece of dough on top and press down firmly at the edges.
7. Drain the water from the onions and then put the onion rings as topping on your fugazzetta. Drizzle with olive oil and season with pepper.
8. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Take out the fugazzetta and top it with the remaining grated cheese and oregano and bake for a further 5 minutes until the cheese has melted. Buen provecho!
(Many thanks to cocinerosargentinos.com!)
Contact
Have you had a great time in Argentina? Do you have tips for places and experiences that are not to be missed? We would be happy to share your experiences here, on social media or, if you want, in information events for other TUD students. Get in touch with us:
© Sven Ellger/TUD
Advice on studying abroad
NameMs Federica Serra
Infocenter/ Study abroad; TUDworldwide: America
Send encrypted email via the SecureMail portal (for TUD external users only).
Visiting address:
Fritz Foerster Bau, Office 161 Mommsenstraße 6
01069 Dresden
Postal address:
TUD Dresden University of Technology International Office
01062 Dresden
Office hours:
- Tuesday:
- 09:30 - 11:30
- 12:30 - 14:30
- Thursday:
- 09:30 - 11:30
Please register at the SCS (FOE, floor 0).
Looking for first-hand information?
Would you like to know more about Argentina? Ask our alumni ambassadors - TUD alumni who are active in many countries around the world and can give you information and advice for your stay abroad.
Getting in touch is very easy: On this interactive world map, markers indicate the cities where our alumni ambassadors live. There is a short profile with contact information for each ambassador.
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