Dinosaurs in Argentina!

Fossils are traces of ancient living plants and animals. Ranging from dinosaur teeth and bones to mummies, they have been found around the world.

One big discovery was made in Argentina’s Patagonian region in 1997— a longneck dinosaur nesting ground! Scientists discovered hundreds of ancient eggs, some of which contained fossilized, unhatched dinosaurs that they believe are 79 million to 83 million years old! The fragile skin of these tiny dinosaurs was replaced by rock over the years, so scientists could see its exact texture and shape.

Argentina is famous for more than the dinosaur discoveries, though. This South American country, which gained independence from Spain in 1816, has a population of about 37 million people. It is the second largest country in South America and almost one-third the size of the United States.

The country is well-known for its celebrations, ranging from Christmas and the Fiesta de la Vendimia Wine Festival to its two independence days.

The World Tango Festival is another big event that is held each October in Argentina. The dance was born near the capital city of Buenos Aires in the mid-19th century. Today, tango is very popular in different places around the world, and the festival brings tourists from many countries to Buenos Aires for a week-long fiesta.

Argentina also puts on quite a party for Carnaval, or Carnival. This week-long celebration is the most popular party in all of South America. The celebration is different from city to city because of different traditions, but visitors can expect to see people dancing and singing in the streets in fancy costumes. They may even be hit by a water balloon! Although the official language in Argentina is Spanish, visitors should not be surprised if they hear locals speaking Italian, German, English or French!