Country Comparison Essay: Argentina vs. United States

On the surface, Argentina and America seem to have a lot of differences, but there are a lot more similarities between these two countries than it seems. From government standpoints to even the times of certain meals, here are some differences and similarities between Argentina and The United States of America. 

First off there are the obvious differences between government and political standpoints. Argentina has a Presidential Republic. This differs from America, which has a Constitutional Federal Republic. Argentina has a different currency along with its government. Argentina has Argentine Pesos (ARS). America’s standard currency is American (or US) Dollars (USD). So they both have independent governments, but when did they break off from their former leaders? Well, America gained independence from Britain on July 4th, 1776. Argentina did the same with Spain on July 9th, 1816. Each country also has special symbols to represent its independence. For example, America has the national bird; the bald eagle, and national colors; red, white, and blue. Argentina has a symbol called “The Sun of May” which is the sun seen on the center of the Argentine flag. Argentina also has national colors: sky blue, and white.

Secondly, Climate and cities. The United States Capitol is in Washington DC, near the big city, New York. The terrain of America varies from dry and rocky to cold and wet. If you visit the Southwest near Mexico, like Texas, Arizona, and California, you’ll be greeted by dry, hot climates. The Northeast in America like Maine, Vermont, and New York is dull, wet, and cold. Argentina is mostly hot, varying in dryness and humid. Not everything in Argentina is always hot. The Southwest of Argentina is mainly giant icebergs and glaciers. The capital of Argentina is Buenos Aires, next to the large city called Rosario. The general population of Argentina is 46 Million people, whereas America has 334 million people. All these people and none of us live in the same time zone. The Argentinian timezone is UTC-3 (Which is two hours behind Washington DC, during Standard Time). America is UTC-5 during Standard Time but is cut into 5 different time zones.  

Third and foremost is culture and religion. Similarly, the most practiced religion in both America and Argentina is a form of Christianity, however, they’re different denominations. Based on a 2014 estimate, 46.5% of people practiced Protestantism in America, the second-largest denomination practiced in America was Roman Catholicism with 20.8%. Argentina mainly practiced Roman Catholicism determined by a whopping 62.9% on a 2019 estimate. The second-largest denomination practiced was Evangelical Christianity at 15.3%. Some cultural differences between the United States and Argentina are food preferences, the way they dress, work and school schedules, parties, and many other things. In Argentina, people usually eat dinner around 9 pm, unlike in America people usually eat around 6 pm. The official language of Argentina is Spanish, but other languages commonly found present are English, German, Italian, French, and other indigenous languages. The United States’ official language is English but other languages commonly heard in America are Spanish, Chinese, and Italian.

Holidays and other similarities in Argentina and America are similar in many ways such as how they celebrate and the type of national holidays. The Argentinian holiday called Day of Remembrance of Truth and Justice is just like the American holidays Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Both countries also celebrate Christmas and New Year. One of the most popular holidays in Argentina is on May 25th (25 de Mayo) and it’s their independence day like America's July 4th. Holidays aren't the only thing similar between the two countries. A list of other similarities include: “democracy and human rights, counterterrorism and rule of law, improving citizen security, science, energy and technology infrastructure, people-to-people ties, and education.” (JULY 9, 2021) 

Even though it seems like there are more differences than similarities, both countries have a lot more similarities than most people would have expected.