Greek Argentines ( el, Ελληνοαργεντινοί; es, Greco-argentinos) are
Argentine citizens of
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
descent or
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
-born people who reside in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
. Despite not being as large as other
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
communities, the Greeks have contributed a lot to their new country. The first immigrants arrived at the end of the 18th century, while the bulk of immigration occurred during the first half of the 20th century. Included are
Aromanians
The Aromanians ( rup, Armãnji, Rrãmãnji) are an ethnic group native to the southern Balkans who speak Aromanian, an Eastern Romance language. They traditionally live in central and southern Albania, south-western Bulgaria, northern and ...
and
Megleno-Romanians
The Megleno-Romanians, also known as Meglenites ( ruq, Miglinits), Moglenite Vlachs or simply Vlachs ( ruq, Vlaș), are a small Eastern Romance people, originally inhabiting seven villages in the Moglena region spanning the Pella and Kilkis ...
, who became adjusted to Argentine society because of the linguistic similarities between
Eastern Romance
The Eastern Romance languages are a group of Romance languages. Today, the group consists of the Daco-Romance subgroup, which comprises the Romanian language (Daco-Romanian), Aromanian language and two other related minor languages, Megleno-R ...
and
Spanish, as well as
Latin identity of Aromanians and Megleno-Romanians.
History
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star " admiral" rank. It is often rega ...
Giorgos "Jorge" Kolmaniatis, a native from
Hydra who arrived in the
United Provinces of the Río de la Plata
The United Provinces of the Río de la Plata ( es, link=no, Provincias Unidas del Río de la Plata), earlier known as the United Provinces of South America ( es, link=no, Provincias Unidas de Sudamérica), was a name adopted in 1816 by the Co ...
in 1811, strongly contributed to the
Argentine War of Independence
The Argentine War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de Argentina, links=no) was a secessionist civil war fought from 1810 to 1818 by Argentine patriotic forces under Manuel Belgrano, Juan José Castelli and José de San Martín ...
by leading and training the newly formed fleet.
Samuel Spiro
Miguel Samuel Spiro was a naval commander of the Argentine Navy born in Hydra Island, Greece. He emigrated to Buenos Aires with his two brothers in 1810, and was an early supporter of the May Revolution.
He had been a Navy Captain in Greece, an ...
, a fellow naval officer, either from
Spetses
Spetses ( el, Σπέτσες, grc, Πιτυούσσα "Pityussa", Arvanitika: Πετσε̱) is an upscale affluent island in Attica, Greece. It is included as one of the Saronic Islands. Until 1948, it was part of the old prefecture of Argolis ...
or
Mytilene
Mytilene (; el, Μυτιλήνη, Mytilíni ; tr, Midilli) is the capital of the Greek island of Lesbos, and its port. It is also the capital and administrative center of the North Aegean Region, and hosts the headquarters of the University o ...
, scuttled his ship in the
Uruguay River
The Uruguay River ( es, Río Uruguay, ; pt, Rio Uruguai, ) is a major river in South America. It flows from north to south and forms parts of the boundaries of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, separating some of the Argentine provinces of La M ...
rather than surrender it to the
Spanish Armada
The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an ar ...
. Both men's names were honored with
Argentine Navy
The Argentine Navy (ARA; es, Armada de la República Argentina). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with th ...
ships christened after them in 1937.
The second wave of Greeks arriving in Argentina came in the 20th century, mainly after the
Asia Minor Campaign and the disaster in 1922, with the end of the
Megali Idea. Again huge masses of refugees who were sent to
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...
by the population exchange agreement between
Kemal Atatürk Kemal may refer to:
;People
* Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, a Turkish politician and the first president of Turkey
* Kemal (name), a common Turkish name
;Places
* Kemalpaşa, İzmir Province, Turkey
* Mustafakemalpaşa, Bursa Province, Turkey
;See a ...
and
Eleftherios Venizelos
Eleftherios Kyriakou Venizelos ( el, Ελευθέριος Κυριάκου Βενιζέλος, translit=Elefthérios Kyriákou Venizélos, ; – 18 March 1936) was a Greek statesman and a prominent leader of the Greek national liberation move ...
, came towards these latitudes seeking a chance to restart their lives from zero. Most of them were from
Smyrna
Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prom ...
,
Ayvalık
Ayvalık () is a seaside town on the northwestern Aegean coast of Turkey. It is a district of Balıkesir province. The town centre is connected to Cunda Island by a causeway and is surrounded by the archipelago of Ayvalık Islands, which face ...
and other
Ionia
Ionia () was an ancient region on the western coast of Anatolia, to the south of present-day Izmir. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements. Never a unified state, it was named after the Ionia ...
n cities. They settled in what is today known as the capital of foreign immigration in Argentina, the city of
Berisso
Berisso is a city and the head town of the ''Partidos of Buenos Aires, partido'' of Berisso Partido, Berisso in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It forms part of the Greater La Plata urban area and has a population of approximately 95,021 as of 20 ...
, near
La Plata
La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from th ...
.
The third wave, taking place in the early 1930s, was the first one with a strong concentration of immigrants coming from the mainland, mostly villagers and peasants from
Arcadia,
Laconia
Laconia or Lakonia ( el, Λακωνία, , ) is a historical and administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparta. The word '' laconic''—to speak in a blunt, c ...
and
Messenia
Messenia or Messinia ( ; el, Μεσσηνία ) is a regional unit (''perifereiaki enotita'') in the southwestern part of the Peloponnese region, in Greece. Until the implementation of the Kallikratis plan on 1 January 2011, Messenia was a ...
in the
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridge which ...
. The choice of Argentina as a destination was due to the temporary denial of immigration to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, making
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
in particular the new
Eldorado.
The majority chose
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
as their place to stay, but others made their way far in the interior such as
Córdoba,
Mendoza and even
Tartagal. Port cities like
Rosario
Rosario () is the largest city in the central Argentine province of Santa Fe. The city is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the west bank of the Paraná River. Rosario is the third-most populous city in the country, and is also the most p ...
,
Zárate,
Campana
Campana (Italian and Spanish for "bell") may refer to:
Places
* Campana Partido, Argentina, a ''partido'' (administrative subdivision) in Buenos Aires Province
** Campana, Buenos Aires Province, a city in Campana Partido
* Campana Island, Capitán ...
,
Berisso
Berisso is a city and the head town of the ''Partidos of Buenos Aires, partido'' of Berisso Partido, Berisso in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It forms part of the Greater La Plata urban area and has a population of approximately 95,021 as of 20 ...
and
Necochea are also places where Hellenic immigrants established.
Notable Greek Argentines
*
Anacarsis Lanús
Hipólito Anacarsis Lanús (November 14, 1820 in Concepción del Uruguay, Entre Ríos – October 14, 1888) was an Argentine entrepreneur of French and Greek and Basque origin.
Biography
He played a role during the years of the secessionist Stat ...
- businessman
*
Bartolomé Mitre
Bartolomé Mitre Martínez (26 June 1821 – 19 January 1906) was an Argentine statesman, soldier and author. He was President of Argentina from 1862 to 1868 and the first president of unified Argentina.
Mitre is known as the most versatile s ...
-
President of Argentina
The president of Argentina ( es, Presidente de Argentina), officially known as the president of the Argentine Nation ( es, Presidente de la Nación Argentina), is both head of state and head of government of Argentina. Under the national cons ...
from 1862 to 1868. The original family name was Mitropoulos and later changed to Mitre
*
Emanuel Moriatis - race car driver
*
Aristotle Onassis
Aristotle Socrates Onassis (, ; el, Αριστοτέλης Ωνάσης, Aristotélis Onásis, ; 20 January 1906 – 15 March 1975), was a Greek-Argentinian shipping magnate who amassed the world's largest privately-owned shipping fleet and wa ...
- lived in Argentina during the 1920s and 1930s, becoming the leading local cigarette importer
*
Christina Onassis
Christina Onassis ( el, Χριστίνα Ωνάση; 11 December 1950 – 19 November 1988) was a Greek businesswoman, socialite, and heiress to the Onassis fortune. She was the only daughter of Aristotle Onassis and Athina Mary Livanos.
...
- Aristotle's daughter
*
Oscar Panno - chess grandmaster
*
Graciela Paraskevaidis - writer and composer
*
Samuel Spiro
Miguel Samuel Spiro was a naval commander of the Argentine Navy born in Hydra Island, Greece. He emigrated to Buenos Aires with his two brothers in 1810, and was an early supporter of the May Revolution.
He had been a Navy Captain in Greece, an ...
- naval officer and patriot
*
Constantino Tsallis
Constantino Tsallis (; el, Κωνσταντίνος Τσάλλης ; born 4 November 1943) is a naturalized Brazilian physicist of Greek descent, working in Rio de Janeiro at Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas (CBPF), Brazil.
Biography
Tsa ...
- physics researcher
*
Adriana Xenides
Adriana Xenides (née Coutsaimanis; 9 January 1956 – 7 June 2010) was an Argentine-born Australian television presenter, former model, actress and children's author. Born in Buenos Aires, to a Greek father and a Spanish mother,
she moved to A ...
- actress
*
Emiliano Ellacopulos - football player
*
Mónica Antonópulos - actress
*
Eduardos Kontogeorgakis
Eduardos Kontogeorgakis (born 20 December 1949) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in Argentina, he represented Greece at international level.
Career
Kontogeorgakis played club football in Argentina and Greece f ...
- professional footballer
*
Gabriel Katopodis - politician
*
Alexandra Kehayoglou - artist
See also
*
Argentina–Greece relations
*
Embassy of Argentina, Athens
*
Greek diaspora
The Greek diaspora, also known as Omogenia ( el, Ομογένεια, Omogéneia), are the communities of Greeks living outside of Greece and Cyprus (excluding Northern Cyprus). Such places historically include Albania, North Macedonia, parts of ...
* ''
Ashes of Paradise'', a 1997 Argentine film
References
External links
"Asociación Cultural Helénica Nostos"Bilateral relations between Greece and Argentina Greek associationAnother Greek association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greeks In Argentina
European Argentine
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...