1 One of the largest cities in South America , Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina .
2 It is one of the world's most important ports and most populous cities .

2 The Spanish colonists named the city for the "good winds" that brought them to the port .
5 According to tradition , 16th-century Spanish sailors named the port for their patron saint , Santa Maria del Buen Aire ( St . Mary of the Good Air) .

3 The city is also the country's leading port and center of commerce , politics , and culture .
6 The city is the national centre of commerce , industry , politics , and culture .

4 Buenos Aires is located near the Atlantic Ocean coast .
1 city , Federal District , and capital of Argentina , situated on the shore of the Rio de la Plata , 150 miles ( 240 kilometres ) from the Atlantic Ocean .

5 It lies at the northeastern edge of the flat plain known as the Pampa , which occupies the heartland of Argentina .
36 The city of Buenos Aires is located at the northeastern edge of the flat plain known as the Pampa , which occupies the heartland of Argentina .

6 The city is situated at the point where the Parana River delta widens to meet the Rio de la Plata .
37 It is situated at the point where the Parana River delta widens to meet the Rio de la Plata .

7 Buenos Aires has green areas that include plazas , parks , and wide tree-lined avenues .
169 The city is ringed with espacios verdes ( "green areas" ) , which include plazas , parks , and tree-lined boulevards .

8 The most important of the public squares is the Plaza de Mayo , which is linked by the Avenida 25 de Mayo with the Plaza del Congreso .
57 The modern city developed outward from the Plaza de Mayo , a historic square flanked by the Town Hall ( Cabildo ) , which dates from the 18th century , and the Government House , commonly called the Casa Rosada .

8 The most important of the public squares is the Plaza de Mayo , which is linked by the Avenida 25 de Mayo with the Plaza del Congreso .
58 The Casa Rosada faces west , up the broad Avenida de Mayo , which leads directly to the Plaza del Congreso and the National Congress building , built in the early 20th century .

8 The most important of the public squares is the Plaza de Mayo , which is linked by the Avenida 25 de Mayo with the Plaza del Congreso .
116 Other main avenues connect the Plaza de Mayo , in the heart of the city , with outlying neighbourhoods .

9 Both plazas are surrounded by major government buildings such as the Casa Rosada , home of the country's president .
57 The modern city developed outward from the Plaza de Mayo , a historic square flanked by the Town Hall ( Cabildo ) , which dates from the 18th century , and the Government House , commonly called the Casa Rosada .

10 The most important of the city's theaters is the Colon Theatre .
157 The most important of the city's theatres is the Colon Theatre , which is the opera house as well as the headquarters of the national ballet and the national symphony .

11 It is an opera house as well as the headquarters of the national ballet and the national symphony .
157 The most important of the city's theatres is the Colon Theatre , which is the opera house as well as the headquarters of the national ballet and the national symphony .

12 Amateur theater groups are active , and there is an open-air stage in La Boca .
160 Amateur theatre groups are active , and there is an open-air stage in La Boca .

13 The city's museums house varied collections .
162 The city's museums -- several of which are run by the municipal government -- house varied collections .

14 The Bernardino Rivadavia Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences has an exceptionally rich fossil collection and runs a scientific institute .
163 The Bernardino Rivadavia Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences has an exceptionally rich fossil collection and operates a scientific institute .

15 The National Museum of Fine Arts contains collections of world masters and of Argentine painters and sculptors .
164 The National Museum of Fine Arts contains collections of world masters and of Argentine painters and sculptors , while the National Museum of Decorative Arts houses tapestries and antiques .

16 The National Museum of Decorative Arts houses tapestries and antiques .
164 The National Museum of Fine Arts contains collections of world masters and of Argentine painters and sculptors , while the National Museum of Decorative Arts houses tapestries and antiques .

17 Buenos Aires is the nation's chief port and the largest in South America .
2 It is one of the world's most important ports and most populous cities .

17 Buenos Aires is the nation's chief port and the largest in South America .
86 The importance of Buenos Aires , the nation's chief port , to the Argentine economy is related to the country's overwhelming dependence on the production and export of agricultural commodities .

17 Buenos Aires is the nation's chief port and the largest in South America .
89 The port of Buenos Aires is the largest in South America .

18 It is the country's processing and shipping center .
87 Buenos Aires is the country's chief point of consumption , processing , and shipping .

19 Many industries are also located in Buenos Aires .
87 Buenos Aires is the country's chief point of consumption , processing , and shipping .

19 Many industries are also located in Buenos Aires .
95 More than one-third of the industrial capacity of the country is in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area , and about one-half of all manufacturing jobs are located there .

20 About half of all manufacturing jobs are located here .
95 More than one-third of the industrial capacity of the country is in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area , and about one-half of all manufacturing jobs are located there .

21 The main industries include food processing , metalworking , automobile assembly , oil refining , and printing and publishing .
97 The main industries include food processing ( meat , fish , and grain ) , metalworking , automobile assembly , oil refining , printing and publishing , and the manufacture of textiles , beverages , paper , and chemicals .

22 The city also produces textiles , beverages , paper , and chemicals .
97 The main industries include food processing ( meat , fish , and grain ) , metalworking , automobile assembly , oil refining , printing and publishing , and the manufacture of textiles , beverages , paper , and chemicals .

23 Most of the banking activity of the country is also located in Buenos Aires .
101 The city virtually monopolizes the banking activity of the country .

23 Most of the banking activity of the country is also located in Buenos Aires .
102 Banks in Buenos Aires hold the largest share of the nation's bank deposits , a large portion of which are held by foreign investors .

24 The first permanent community at Buenos Aires was established in the 16th century .
177 It was first founded in 1536 by an expedition led by the Spaniard Pedro de Mendoza , who had been made the first governor general of the Rio de la Plata region .

25 Juan de Garay , a Spaniard , led an expedition to the Rio de la Plata region .
179 Nearly 50 years later Juan de Garay led a more substantial expedition back to the site , and there , at the mouth of the Rio Riachuelo , he refounded Nuestra Sen~ora Santa Maria del Buen Aire in 1580 .

26 There , at the mouth of the Rio Riachuelo , he founded the city in 1580 .
179 Nearly 50 years later Juan de Garay led a more substantial expedition back to the site , and there , at the mouth of the Rio Riachuelo , he refounded Nuestra Sen~ora Santa Maria del Buen Aire in 1580 .

27 In the last quarter of the 17th century and the first half of the 18th , settlements spread rapidly to the northwest along the banks of the Parana River .
194 In the last quarter of the 17th century and the first half of the 18th , settlements spread rapidly to the northwest along the banks of the Parana River , a fertile area well irrigated by many streams and small rivers; these were easily navigated by small boats operated by smugglers who reached the many farms and ranches that lined the river .

28 By the middle of the 18th century , Buenos Aires had become a thriving center of trade .
197 By the middle of the 18th century , Buenos Aires was a thriving , if still modest commercial entrepot of nearly 20,000 inhabitants .

29 In 1776 , Buenos Aires was made the capital of the Spanish province that eventually became Argentina .
200 But the economic success of the region was undeniable , and in 1776 , as part of the Bourbon monarchy's broad reform effort , Buenos Aires was named the capital of the new Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata .