Swedish Argentine
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c. 200,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Languages | |
| Religion | |
| Lutheranism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
Swedish settlement in Argentina took place principally in the mid to late 19th century, when Swedish people arrived in Argentina. Many Swedes came to Argentina for economic reasons and in order to start a new life. Swedes also helped build Argentina, in particular helping to build Argentina's railroads in the mid 19th century.
The first Swedes to arrive in Argentina were registered as new converts by Jesuits in Córdoba in 1763. Many of the Swedes who showed up during the first half of the 19th century were adventurers who fought in the civil war between the Unitarians and Federalists (on both sides). A good number of them were sons of prominent families who were fleeing a debt or had some other reason to make themselves scarce. They became the black sheep of the Pampas. Back home in northern Sweden, they had hunted moose. In Misiones Province's subtropical rainforest, they hunted tapir.
Argentina is home to the largest Swedish community in Latin America.
Azul y oro – blue and yellow/gold – are Sweden's national colours and those of its flag. Buenos Aires-based association football club Boca Juniors have worn these colours since 1907 when they decided to pick the colours from the flag of the first ship to arrive, which was the Swedish Johnson Line freighter "Drottning Sophie" (Queen Sophie).
The prospect of growing yerba mate, used to make the herbal tea that is Argentina's national addiction, drew Swedes to Misiones at the beginning of the 20th century, not all the way from Sweden but from Brazil, where they had been lured by German-based recruitment offices.
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Wikipedia