It was named Argentina--the "silvery land"--because of a Spanish<br > conquistador s dream of finding great treasures. The country s real<br > silveriness， however， is in its shimmering lakes and rivers. Stretching<br > nearly 2，500 miles (4，000 kilometers) from the Tropic of Capricorn in<br > the north to the very southern tip of South America， and almost 800<br > miles (1，280 kilometers) across， from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to<br > the Andes Mountains in the west， Argentina has the largest territory--<br > and the third-largest population--of all the Spanish-speaking countries<br > in the world. It has mountains， jungles， prairies， and deserts; climates<br > ranging from Antarctic to tropical; and fauna from parrots to penguins.<br > It has ski resorts， wide ocean beaches， a magnificent waterfall--the<br > lguazfl， on the northern border with Brazil and Paraguay--and one of<br >