Parrot Time Magazine

The Thinking of Speaking
Issue #14 March / April 2015
Where Are You?
by Sonja Krüger
March / April 2015 |  asd

This capital city is the second-largest metropolitan area in South America. It is one of the three Latin American “alpha cities” and has the third best quality of life of all the Latin American cities. It is also one of the largest and most important capitals of the region, often referred to as the "Paris of South America". Not surprisingly then, it is a top tourist destination, with its European-style architecture and rich cultural life.

The original name for the city came from the Spanish sailors that settled there, attributing their arrival to a blessing from "the Holy Virgin Mary of the Good Winds". The first city was not established until many years later, do to fighting with the native tribes. It was abandoned in 1542 after more attacks, but a second settlement was built in 1580, and this became permanent. The city became an important port of trade and, after centuries of politics and fighting, was finally declared an open port in the 18th century. However, British forces moved into the region, attacked this is and other ports, and eventually capturing the city, after which it fell briefly under British rule. The British were eventually defeated and driven out by an army from Montevideo.

During the 19th century, this city was blockaded twice by naval forces, first the French (1838 - 1840) and then by an Anglo-French expedition (1845 - 1848). These blockades failed to subdue the city, and the forces eventually stopped. As the wealth of the city increased, many improvements were made. Railroad development helped bring in more raw materials into factories. Immigrants from Europe, particularly Italy and Spain, contributed to making this a multicultural city that ranked with the major European capitals.

It became the regional capital of radio, television, cinema, and theatre and it got the first underground train system in South America. After an agreement in 1993, the country's constitution was amended to give this city autonomy and in 1996, voters elected their first mayor.

Can you name this city and country?

Last month's answer: Shanghai, China

Where Are You?
Writer: Sonja Krüger
Images:
Petey: Mystery image

All images are Copyright - CC BY-SA (Creative Commons Share Alike) by their respective owners, except for Petey, which is Public Domain (PD) or unless otherwise noted.

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