With a population of approximately 12 million people, Buenos Aires is the largest city in Argentina and one of the largest in South America. Its population consists primarily of Argentinians of Spanish descent, although there are sizable communities of people with Italian origins. A small percentage are of indigenous descent. The majority of inhabitants are Roman Catholic, and Spanish is the primary language.
To the west of Buenos Aires is the Pampa[?], the most productive agricultural region of Argentina. As a result meat, dairy, grain, tobacco, wool and hide products are all processed or manufactured in Buenos Aires. Other leading industries are automobile manufacturing, oil refining, metalworking, machine building, and the production of textiles, chemicals, paper, clothing, beverages.
Sensing this instability, Charles III of Spain progressively eased the trade restrictions and finally declared Buenos Aires to be an open port in the late 1700s. These placating actions did not have the desired effect however, and the porteños became even more desirous of independence from Spain. Ultimately, on May 25, 1810, armed citizens of Buenos Aires successfully expelled the Viceroy from Spain and established a provincial government (this date is now celebrated as a national holiday). Spain officially recognised the independence of Argentina on July 9, 1816.
Railroad construction during the 19th century only increased the economic power of Buenos Aires as raw materials flowed into its factories. By the 1920s Buenos Aires was a favoured destination for immigrants from Europe, and extensive shanty towns developed in and around the city's industrial areas, leading to extensive social problems. An aggressive campaign of slum elimination, combined with the development of a effective public transport system in the 1970s and 1980s alleviated many of these problems. Since the 1970s Argentina and Buenos Aires has been famous for the desaparecidos[?], of which the signs could be seen close to Casa Rosada[?] or Plaza de Mayo[?] where the mothers of these desaparecidos used to protest.
On February 25, 1951 the first American Games">Pan American Games[?] were held here.
On March 17, 1992 a suicide car-bomb exploded in the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires killing 29 and injuring 242.
Buenos Aires has an international airport called Ministro Pistarini International Airport.
See also: Cities of the world, List of national capitals