After Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay went their separate ways, the area that remained became Argentina. The country's population and culture were heavily shaped by immigrants from throughout Europe, with Italy and Spain providing the largest percentage of newcomers from to Up until about the midth century, much of Argentina's history was dominated by periods of internal political unrest and conflict between civilian and military factions.
After World War II, an era of Peronist populism and direct and indirect military interference in subsequent governments was followed by a military junta that took power in Democracy returned in after a failed bid to seize the Falkland Islands Islas Malvinas by force, and has persisted despite numerous challenges, the most formidable of which was a severe economic crisis in that led to violent public protests and the successive resignations of several presidents.
San Miguel de Tucuman and Mendoza areas in the Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike the pampas and northeast; heavy flooding in some areas. Argentina's population continues to grow but at a slower rate because of its steadily declining birth rate.
Argentina's fertility decline began earlier than in the rest of Latin America, occurring most rapidly between the early 20th century and the s, and then becoming more gradual.
Life expectancy has been improving, most notably among the young and the poor. While the population under age 15 is shrinking, the youth cohort - ages - is the largest in Argentina's history and will continue to bolster the working-age population.
