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Buenos Aires



Buenos Aires is the capital city of Argentina. It stands on the banks of the River Plate, the world’s widest river. It has a population of 3 million, or 10 million, including Gran Buenos Aires. It is called ‘the Paris of the South’ because of its lovely European buildings. It is also a big commercial center and visitors love its beautiful shops

Its history

For a long time, Beunos Airesn was a small port in the furthest corner of the Spanish Empire. It became independent from Spain in 1816. Then the Bristish arrived to build railways across Argentina. More than 4 million European immigrants came between 1840 and 1940 to work on the railways. They were mostly young men. The city quickly grew and became very rich

Its music and dance

Tango began in San Telmo, the poor immigrant area of the city, in the 19th century. Its biggest influence was flamenco guitar. It was a workers’ dance. There weren’t many women in Buenos Aires then, so men prastised together in the streets, before they tried dancing with a woman. There are still many tango bars, which tourists always visit. Astor Pizzola, the famous composer of modern tango, lived there before he died in 1982.

Havana

Havana is the capital of Cuba, the largest island in the Caribbean. It has a population of 2.2 million. It is one of the oldest cities in Latin America. It is a very cultural city and has lots of beautiful old Spanish buildings. In the 1990s Cuba became the second most popular tourist attraction in the Caribbean.

Its history

In the 16th century, Havana was Spain’s most important port and city in Latin America. Later, Africa slaves came here to work in the country’s sugar and tobacco fields. At the beginning of the 19th century, it was one of the richest cities in the West. Ernest Hemingway, the famous US writer, lived there from 1940. In 1960 Fidel Castro led a socialist revolution and became president.

Its music and dance

Havana was the birthplace of many Afro-Cuban dance styles, including salsa. The music was an exciting mixture of Spanish guitar and African drums. Salsa’s original name was ‘Casino’ because of the clubs (casinos) that people danced in. Later, Latin Americans in New York gave it the name ‘salsa’, meaning ‘spice’. Today tourists go to Havana to learn to salsa and to dance in the famous clubs.

Seville

Seville is the capital of Andalucia, and the largest city of Southern Spain, with a population of 750,000. It stands on the banks of the Guadalquivir river. It is one of the Europes’s largest historical centres with many beautiful old buildings. Tourists also come for its famous fiesta in April.

Its history

The Arabs ruled the city from 711 to 1248. They built the Alcazar Palace and the Giralda tower. In 1503 Seville became the most important port in Spain for ships sailing to South America, and it was a very rich cultural centre. The famous painter Diegio Velazquez was born here in 1599. Last century, there were two international exhibitions in Seville in 1929 and 1992.

Its music and dance

Flamenco began in the 17th century as a song and dance with very fast hand clapping. Arabs and gypsies were the biggest influence on flamenco. The guitar music came later. In the 18th century, one of the first flamenco schools began in the famous Triana distric in Seville. Visitors can still find real flamenco here in the music cafes, but the music and dancing doesn’t start before midnight.