Cross-section

Human wealth

Human wealth. Argentina is its people. Indigenous peoples who have lived on this land for more than ten thousand years, and immigrants who came from all over the world and made it their own. Chacarera and chamamé, cuarteto and tango; the Pachamama, the Vendimia and carnival. Voices, crafts, flavors and figures the world knows. Travel it from north to south, province by province. Argentina is not just a place: it is a people.

Adrian Aguiar

Indigenous peoples

Across the 24 jurisdictions, 1,306,730 people identify as Indigenous or as descendants of Indigenous or native peoples. In brackets, their share of each province’s population: Jujuy and Salta lead, with one in ten inhabitants.

Source: INDEC, 2022 National Population, Household and Housing Census, final results. Population in private dwellings.

Cultural World Heritage

Seven Argentine cultural sites are on UNESCO’s World Heritage List: from the traces of the first inhabitants to recent memory.

Source: UNESCO, World Heritage List.

Argentines who gave to the world

Women and men who, born in Argentina or arriving in it, gave something to the world: from a Nobel Prize to a sauce, from bypass surgery to an everlasting goal. An open list that grows with every new achievement.

Nobel Prizes and major international awards

  • Carlos Saavedra Lamas · Nobel Peace Prize 1936, the first for Latin America, for his mediation in the Chaco War.
  • Bernardo Houssay · Nobel Prize in Medicine 1947, for his discoveries on the pituitary gland and sugar metabolism.
  • Luis Federico Leloir · Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1970, for the discovery of sugar nucleotides.
  • Adolfo Pérez Esquivel · Nobel Peace Prize 1980, for his defense of human rights.
  • César Milstein · Nobel Prize in Medicine 1984, for monoclonal antibodies.
  • Amina Helmi · Kavli Prize in Astrophysics 2026, the first Argentine to receive it, for reconstructing the history of the Milky Way.

Sources: Nobel Foundation · Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (Kavli Prize).

Medicine, science and inventions

  • Juan Vucetich · Created in La Plata, in 1891, the fingerprint identification system adopted around the world.
  • Cecilia Grierson · Argentina’s first woman doctor, in 1889, and a pioneer of professional nursing.
  • Luis Agote · Performed in Buenos Aires, in 1914, one of the first transfusions with blood preserved in sodium citrate, a method that spread worldwide.
  • Salvador Mazza · Devoted his life to the study of Chagas disease in northern Argentina.
  • Ladislao José Bíró · A Hungarian who became Argentine, he patented the ballpoint pen in Argentina in 1943. It is now used all over the world, and his birthday, 29 September, is Inventor’s Day.
  • René Favaloro · Developed coronary artery bypass surgery using the saphenous vein in 1967, saving millions of lives.
  • Domingo Liotta · Designed the total artificial heart first implanted in a human being, in 1969.
  • Julio Palmaz · Invented the balloon-expandable stent, used throughout the world.
  • Mario Bunge · Physicist and philosopher, author of a world-reference body of work in the philosophy of science.
  • Raquel Chan · Led at CONICET and the National University of the Littoral the development of the HB4 technology, the basis of the world’s first approved drought-tolerant wheat.
  • Andrea Gamarnik · L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award 2016, for her research on the dengue virus.
  • Gabriel Rabinovich · Discovered the role of galectin-1 in the immune response and in cancer.

Sources: institutional biographies (CONICET, national universities, National Academy of Medicine) and patent records.

Letters and thought

  • José Hernández · Author of Martín Fierro (1872 and 1879), the national poem, translated into many languages.
  • Alfonsina Storni · Poet, a pioneering voice of literature written by women in Latin America.
  • Victoria Ocampo · Founded the magazine Sur in 1931 and was the first woman in the Argentine Academy of Letters, in 1977.
  • Jorge Luis Borges · Cervantes Prize 1979, one of the central voices of world literature.
  • Julio Cortázar · Author of Hopscotch (Rayuela, 1963), a figure of the Latin American boom.
  • Ernesto Sabato · Cervantes Prize 1984, author of The Tunnel.
  • Adolfo Bioy Casares · Cervantes Prize 1990, author of The Invention of Morel.
  • Juan Gelman · Cervantes Prize 2007.
  • Alejandra Pizarnik · A poet of international reach.
  • María Elena Walsh · Poet and author of the childhood songs of several generations.
  • Manuel Puig · Author of Kiss of the Spider Woman, adapted for film and Broadway.
  • Tomás Eloy Martínez · Alfaguara Novel Prize 2002.
  • Quino · Creator of Mafalda, translated into dozens of languages. Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities 2014.

Sources: Spanish Ministry of Culture (Cervantes Prize) · Princess of Asturias Foundation · Argentine Academy of Letters.

Music

  • Carlos Gardel · The voice of tango, who took it to the world.
  • Aníbal Troilo · Bandoneon player and leader of one of the great tango orchestras.
  • Astor Piazzolla · Renewed tango and took it to the world’s concert halls.
  • Atahualpa Yupanqui · The great figure of Argentine folk music.
  • Mercedes Sosa · The voice of Latin America.
  • Ariel Ramírez · Composer of the Misa Criolla (1964).
  • Alberto Ginastera · One of the great classical composers of the Americas.
  • Martha Argerich · Won the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 1965; one of the great pianists in history.
  • Daniel Barenboim · Pianist and conductor; co-founded the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra.
  • Lalo Schifrin · Composed the Mission: Impossible theme.
  • Luis Bacalov · Academy Award for Best Original Score for Il Postino (1996).
  • Gustavo Santaolalla · Two consecutive Academy Awards for Best Original Score (2006 and 2007).
  • Charly García, Luis Alberto Spinetta, Gustavo Cerati y Fito Páez · Made Argentine rock a reference in the Spanish language.

Sources: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences · Fryderyk Chopin Institute · institutional biographies.

Dance

  • Julio Bocca · Principal dancer of American Ballet Theatre from 1986 to 2006.
  • Eleonora Cassano · Principal dancer of the Teatro Colón and Julio Bocca’s partner in the Ballet Argentino.
  • Paloma Herrera · Principal dancer of American Ballet Theatre.
  • Maximiliano Guerra · Principal of the English National Ballet and a dancer with an international career.
  • Herman Cornejo · Principal dancer of American Ballet Theatre.
  • Marianela Núñez · Principal dancer of the Royal Ballet in London.
  • Ludmila Pagliero · The first Latin American named étoile of the Paris Opera, in 2012.
  • Juan Carlos Copes · Took danced tango to the world’s stages.

Sources: American Ballet Theatre · Royal Ballet · Paris Opera · Teatro Colón.

Art, architecture and film

  • Benito Quinquela Martín · The painter of the port of La Boca.
  • Xul Solar · Visionary painter of the Argentine avant-garde.
  • Lucio Fontana · Born in Rosario, creator of Spatialism.
  • Antonio Berni · Grand Prize for Printmaking at the 1962 Venice Biennale.
  • Julio Le Parc · Grand Prize for Painting at the 1966 Venice Biennale.
  • León Ferrari · Golden Lion at the 2007 Venice Biennale.
  • Marta Minujín · A leading figure of pop and conceptual art.
  • Florencio Molina Campos · Painter of country life and the gaucho.
  • César Pelli · Architect of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.
  • Quirino Cristiani · Made El Apóstol (1917) in Buenos Aires, the world’s first animated feature film.
  • Luis Puenzo y Norma Aleandro · The Official Story, Argentina’s first Academy Award (1986); Aleandro, Best Actress at Cannes 1985.
  • Juan José Campanella · The Secret in Their Eyes, Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film (2010).
  • Lucrecia Martel · A director of international reach.
  • Santiago Mitre · Argentina, 1985, Golden Globe for Best Non-English Language Film (2023).

Sources: Venice Biennale · Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences · Cannes Film Festival · Golden Globes.

Sport

  • Selección Argentina de fútbol · World champion in 1978, 1986 and 2022, runner-up in 2026, and Olympic gold in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.
  • Diego Armando Maradona · World champion and star of the 1986 World Cup.
  • Lionel Messi · World champion in 2022 and winner of eight Ballon d’Or awards.
  • Alfredo Di Stéfano · Won five consecutive European Cups with Real Madrid.
  • Mario Kempes · Top scorer and champion of the 1978 World Cup.
  • Juan Manuel Fangio · Five-time Formula 1 world champion.
  • José Froilán González · Gave Ferrari its first Formula 1 victory, at Silverstone, in 1951.
  • Carlos Reutemann · Formula 1 world runner-up in 1981, with 12 career victories.
  • José María “Pechito” López · Three-time World Touring Car champion (2014 to 2016), World Endurance champion and winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2021.
  • Kevin Benavides · Won the Dakar Rally in the motorcycle class in 2021 and 2023.
  • Alejandro y Marcos Patronelli · Dakar Rally champions in the quad class.
  • Franco Colapinto · Made his Formula 1 debut in 2024 with Williams and is a race driver for Alpine.
  • Guillermo Vilas · Won four Grand Slam titles.
  • Gabriela Sabatini · US Open champion in 1990 and silver medallist in Seoul 1988.
  • Gastón Gaudio · Roland Garros champion in 2004.
  • Juan Martín del Potro · US Open champion in 2009; bronze in London 2012 and silver in Rio 2016.
  • Equipo argentino de Copa Davis · Champion in 2016.
  • Manu Ginóbili y la Generación Dorada · Olympic basketball gold in Athens 2004; Ginóbili won four NBA titles.
  • Las Leonas · Hockey world champions in 2002 and 2010, and six Olympic medals: silver in Sydney 2000, London 2012 and Tokyo 2020; bronze in Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and Paris 2024.
  • Luciana Aymar · Named the world’s best hockey player eight times.
  • Los Leones · Olympic hockey gold in Rio 2016.
  • Los Pumas y Hugo Porta · Third place at the 2007 Rugby World Cup; Porta, the emblem of Argentine rugby.
  • Polo argentino y Adolfo Cambiaso · Olympic polo gold in Paris 1924 and Berlin 1936; Cambiaso, considered the best polo player in the world.
  • Jeannette Campbell · Swimming silver in Berlin 1936, the first Olympic medal won by an Argentine woman.
  • Delfo Cabrera · Gold in the Olympic marathon in London 1948.
  • Carlos Monzón · World middleweight champion from 1970 to 1977, with 14 title defenses.
  • Pascual Pérez · Olympic boxing gold in London 1948 and Argentina’s first world boxing champion, in 1954.
  • Roberto De Vicenzo · Winner of the 1967 Open Championship in golf.
  • Ángel Cabrera · Winner of the 2007 US Open and the 2009 Masters at Augusta.
  • Juan Curuchet y Walter Pérez · Cycling gold in Beijing 2008.
  • Paula Pareto · Judo gold in Rio 2016, the first Argentine woman to become Olympic champion.
  • Santiago Lange y Cecilia Carranza · Sailing gold in Rio 2016.
  • José “Maligno” Torres · BMX freestyle gold in Paris 2024.
  • Mateo Majdalani y Eugenia Bosco · Sailing silver in Paris 2024.

Argentina has won 80 Olympic medals, 22 of them gold, up to Paris 2024. Sources: International Olympic Committee · Argentine Olympic Committee · FIFA · international federations.

Figures of worldwide reach

  • Papa Francisco · Jorge Mario Bergoglio, born in Buenos Aires, the first pope from the Americas (2013-2025).

Source: Holy See.

Everyday contributions

  • La salsa golf · Created by Luis Federico Leloir at a golf club in Mar del Plata, in the 1920s.
  • La milanesa a la napolitana · According to tradition, it was born at the Nápoli restaurant in Buenos Aires, in the 1930s or 1940s. In 2023, TasteAtlas named the milanesa the best breaded cutlet in the world, with the napolitana in second place.
  • Los sorrentinos · Round filled pasta born in Mar del Plata.
  • La provoleta · According to tradition, it was created in the 1940s by the Italian immigrant Natalio Alba, to cook cheese directly on the grill.
  • La fugazzeta · According to tradition, it was created by Juan Banchero in La Boca, around 1930, by adding cheese to the Genoese fugazza.
  • El alfajor · With Arab and Andalusian roots, it took its shape in Argentina, with dulce de leche and a chocolate or meringue coating. TasteAtlas named it the best cookie in the world.
  • La chocotorta · A no-bake cake of chocolate biscuits, dulce de leche and cream cheese, born in Argentina in the 1980s.
  • El chimichurri · The sauce of the Argentine grill, now found at barbecues all over the world.
  • El choripán · An emblem of Argentine street food, highlighted by TasteAtlas among the best sandwiches in the world.
  • El sándwich de lomo · A Córdoba classic, highlighted by TasteAtlas among the best sandwiches in the world.
  • Las empanadas · Of Spanish origin, in Argentina they multiplied into regional variants: from Salta, Tucumán, Mendoza and many more.
  • El revuelto Gramajo · According to tradition, it is named after Artemio Gramajo, in the late 19th century.
  • La birome · Bíró’s ballpoint pen, patented in Argentina in 1943.
  • El colectivo · The public bus service born in Buenos Aires in 1928.
  • El dulce de leche · Argentina and Uruguay both recognize it as part of their heritage; its origin is a matter of debate.
  • El tango · Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2009, together with Uruguay.
  • El fileteado porteño · Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2015.
  • El chamamé · Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2020.

Sources: UNESCO, Intangible Cultural Heritage · TasteAtlas · historical records. Where an origin rests on oral tradition, this is stated.

Province by province, from north to south

Jujuy · Jujuy's identity is Andean. One in ten inhabitants identifies as Indigenous —the Kolla are the largest people— and that heritage lives in everyday life: the offering to the Pachamama every 1 August, the Carnival of the Quebrada with its comparsas and the unearthing of the devil, the coplas and bagualas sung to the beat of the caja drum, the music of sikus, quenas and erkes.

Salta · Salta is the land of Güemes and his gauchos, and the red-and-black poncho remains its emblem.

Formosa · Formosa is a land of borders and encounters. Almost eight in every hundred people from Formosa identify as Indigenous —mainly Wichí, Qom and Pilagá— and they keep their languages alive, with crafts in chaguar fiber, palm and palo santo wood as their hallmark.

Tucumán · Tucumán is the cradle of Independence: Argentina was born in its Historic House. Its identity blends the Diaguita heritage of the valleys with the culture of the sugar mill and the harvest, which for more than a century shaped the life of the province.

Misiones · Misiones speaks Guaraní. So say the names of its rivers, towns and falls, the round of mate that the province gave to the country, and the table: chipá, mbejú, sopa paraguaya and reviro, the rural worker's dish.

Chaco · The Chaco is a land of Indigenous peoples and immigrants. The Qom, Wichí and Moqoit keep their languages and their art alive in basketry, weaving and pottery, alongside the immigrant colonies that arrived with cotton.

Corrientes · Corrientes sings in chamamé, Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2020, which every summer gathers thousands at the National Chamamé Festival.

Santiago del Estero · Santiago is the cradle of the chacarera and the creole violin, and the land where Santiago Quichua is still alive as a family language.

Catamarca · Catamarca is devotion and craft. The Virgen del Valle, its patron saint, draws thousands of pilgrims to the capital every year.

La Rioja · La Rioja is faith and celebration. Every 31 December, the Tinkunaco brings together Saint Nicholas of Bari and the Niño Alcalde in the square in a rite of encounter born of Diaguita history.

Córdoba · Córdoba is La Docta, the learned city: a university town since the 17th century, with a singsong accent and a sense of humor that set it apart throughout the country.

San Juan · San Juan is the land of Sarmiento and of the sun, which sets its rhythm, its architecture and its table.

Santa Fe · Santa Fe is the cradle of the Flag and of the Constitution. Its identity is born of the river and of immigration: Italians, Swiss, Germans and Piedmontese founded the colonies that transformed the pampa.

Entre Ríos · Entre Ríos is river, colony and celebration. The Carnaval del País, in Gualeguaychú, is one of Argentina's great carnivals; Concordia celebrates the National Citrus Festival, and Maciá the National Beekeeping Festival.

Mendoza · Mendoza lives to the rhythm of the vine. Every March, the National Grape Harvest Festival, held since 1936, gathers the province around the harvest.

San Luis · San Luis is faith, hills and tradition. Every May, thousands of pilgrims climb to the Christ of La Quebrada, in Villa de la Quebrada; Villa Mercedes celebrates the National Calle Angosta Festival, born of the Cuyo tonada, and Villa de Merlo welcomes tourists all year round.

Autonomous City of Buenos Aires · Buenos Aires is cosmopolitan like few others: a daughter of immigration, it brings together communities from all over the world and a cultural life that never stops.

Buenos Aires · The province of Buenos Aires is home to four in ten Argentines: from the Greater Buenos Aires suburbs, which beat alongside the Capital, to the country towns where the gaucho culture of branding, horse-taming and asado is still alive.

La Pampa · La Pampa is a land of open horizons and of a Ranquel heritage that its communities reclaim today.

Neuquén · Neuquén is a young province on the move, welcoming workers from all over the country drawn by energy.

Río Negro · Río Negro is one of the country's top tourist provinces: Bariloche welcomes travelers from all over the world every year and is the great destination for graduation trips.

Chubut · Chubut is Welsh Patagonia: its settlers left chapels, the Welsh language that is still taught, and the Eisteddfod, a poetry and music festival held since the 19th century.

Santa Cruz · Santa Cruz is a land of estancias, pioneers and travelers. The Tehuelche heritage coexists with that of the British, Spanish and Chilean settlers who populated the steppe with sheep, and with today's miners, oil workers and fishermen.

Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and South Atlantic Islands · Tierra del Fuego is a land of pioneers: missionaries, prisoners, sailors, ranchers and migrants from all over the country built its towns.

Summary of the atlas’s 24 profiles. Each profile details its data and sources.