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Background: In 1816, the United Provinces of the Rio Plata declared their independence from Spain. Eventually, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay went their own way, but the area that remained became Argentina. The country's population and culture were subsequently heavily shaped by immigrants from throughout Europe, but most particularly Italy and Spain, which provided the largest percentage of newcomers from 1860 to 1930. Up until about the mid-20th century, much of Argentina's history was dominated by periods of internal political conflict between conservatives and liberals and between civilian and military factions. After World War II, an era of Peronist authoritarian rule and interference in subsequent governments was followed by a military junta that took power in 1976. Democracy returned in 1983, and has persisted despite numerous challenges, the most formidable of which was a severe economic crisis in 2001-02 that led to violent public protests and the resignation of several interim presidents. Successful negotiations with the IMF allowed Argentina to sidestep some fiscal discipline measures normally imposed in such circumstances. Since 2003, the government's efforts to stem the crisis have led to rapid economic recovery.
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Common Name: Argentina
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Local Official Name: Argentina
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Abbreviated Name: Argentine Republic
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Official Name: Republica Argentina
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Official Script Name: Argentina
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Local Common Name: Argentina
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Former Name: Argentina
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Territory of: NA
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Head of State: President Nestor KIRCHNER
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Government Type: republic
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Independence: 1816 July 9 (from Spain)
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Constitution: 1853 May 1; revised 1994 August
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National Holiday: Revolution Day, 25 May
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International Organization Participation: ABEDA, AfDB, Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CAN (associate), CSN, FAO, G-6, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMOVIC, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
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Administrative Divisions: 23 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), and 1 autonomous city* (distrito federal); Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Capital Federal*, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Cordoba, Corrientes, Entre Rios, Formosa, Jujuy, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Misiones, Neuquen, Rio Negro, Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero, Tierra del Fuego - Antartida e Islas del Atlantico Sur, Tucuman
note: the US does not recognize any claims to Antarctica
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Dependent Areas: NA
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Legal System: mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage: 18 years
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Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches: Executive Branch:
chief of state: President Nestor KIRCHNER (since 25 May 2003); Vice President Daniel SCIOLI (since 25 May 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Nestor KIRCHNER (since 25 May 2003); Vice President Daniel SCIOLI (since 25 May 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 27 April 2003 (next election to be held in 2007)
election results: results of the presidential election of 27 April 2003: Carlos Saul MENEM 24.3%, Nestor KIRCHNER 22%, Ricardo Lopez MURPHY 16.4%, Adolfo Rodriguez SAA 14.4%, Elisa CARRIO 14.2%, other 8.7%; the subsequent runoff election slated for 25 May 2003 was awarded to KIRCHNER by default after MENEM withdrew his candidacy on the eve of the election
Legislative Branch:
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate (72 seats; members are elected by direct vote; presently one-third of the members elected every two years to a six-year term) and the Chamber of Deputies (257 seats; members are elected by direct vote; one-half of the members elected every two years to a four-year term)
elections: Senate - last held 23 October 2005 (next to be held in 2007); Chamber of Deputies - last held last held 23 October 2005 (next to be held in 2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by bloc or party - FV 45.1%, FJ 17.2%, UCR 7.5%, other 30.2%; seats by bloc or party - FV 14, FJ 3, UCR 2, other 5; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by bloc or party - FV 29.9%, UCR 8.9%, ARI 7.2%, PJ 6.7%, PRO 6.2%, FJ 3.9%, other 37.2%; seats by bloc or party - FV 50, UCR 10, ARI 8, PJ 9, PRO 9, FJ 7, other 34
Judicial Branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (the nine Supreme Court judges are appointed by the president with approval by the Senate)
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Party Leaders: Alternative for a Republic of Equals or ARI [Elisa CARRIO]; Front for Victory or FV [Nestor KIRCHNER]; Interbloque Federal or IF (a broad coalition of approximately 12 parties including RECREAR); Justicialist Front or FJ [Eduardo DUHALDE]; Justicialist Party or PJ (Peronist umbrella political organization); Radical Civic Union or UCR [Roberto IGLESIAS]; Republican Initiative Alliance or PRO (including Federal Recreate Movement or RECREAR [Ricardo LOPEZ MURPHY] and Commitment for Change or CPC [Mauricio MACRI]); Socialist Party or PS [Ruben GIUSTINIANI]; Union For All [Patricia BULLRICH]; several provincial parties
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International Disputes: Argentina continues to assert its claims to the UK-administered Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in its constitution, forcibly occupying the Falklands in 1982, but in 1995 agreed no longer to seek settlement by force; territorial claim in Antarctica partially overlaps UK and Chilean claims (see Antarctic disputes); unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations; uncontested dispute between Brazil and Uruguay over Braziliera Island in the Quarai/Cuareim River leaves the tripoint with Argentina in question; action by the joint boundary commission, established by Chile and Argentina in 2001, for mapping and demarcating the disputed boundary in the Andean Southern Ice Field (Campo de Hielo Sur) remains pending
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Illicit Drugs: used as a transshipment country for cocaine headed for Europe; some money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border Area; domestic consumption of drugs in urban centers is increasing
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Location of Argentina: Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay
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Continent: South America
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Land Area Total: 2,766,890 sq km
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Region: Southern American |
Land Area Land: 2,736,690 sq km
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Capitol City: Buenos Aires
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Land Area Water: 30,200 sq km
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Current: -3
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Latitude: 034 00 S
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Border Boundary Land: 9,665 km
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Longitude: 064 00 W
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Border Boundary Coastline: 4,989 km
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Arable Land: 10.30 %
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Pastures: 0.00 %
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Crops: 0.36 %
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Woodlands and Forests: 0.00
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Highest Elevation: 6,960 m
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Location: Cerro Aconcagua
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Lowest Elevation: -105 m
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Location: Laguna del Carbon
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Largest City in Argentina: Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Largest City Population: 12,423,000
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Threatened Species: 142
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Environmental Issues: environmental problems (urban and rural) typical of an industrializing economy such as deforestation, soil degradation, desertification, air pollution, and water pollution
note: Argentina is a world leader in setting voluntary greenhouse gas targets
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Environmental Agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
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Irrigated Land: 15,500
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Bordering Countries: Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224 km, Chile 5,150 km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km
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Natural Resources: fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium
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Geographical Terrain: rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border
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Comparative Area of Argentina: slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US
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Argentina's Geography: second-largest country in South America (after Brazil); strategic location relative to sea lanes between the South Atlantic and the South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); diverse geophysical landscapes range from tropica
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Click Here for detailed information about the weather conditions in Argentina.
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General Climate: mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest
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Natural Hazards: San Miguel de Tucuman and Mendoza areas in the Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike the pampas and northeast; heavy flooding
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Economic Overview: Argentina benefits from rich natural resources, a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. Over the past decade, however, the country has suffered problems of inflation, external debt, capital flight, and budget deficits. Growth in 2000 was a negative 0.8%, as both domestic and foreign investors remained skeptical of the government's ability to pay debts and maintain the peso's fixed exchange rate with the US dollar. The economic situation worsened in 2001 with the widening of spreads on Argentine bonds, massive withdrawals from the banks, and a further decline in consumer and investor confidence. Government efforts to achieve a "zero deficit," to stabilize the banking system, and to restore economic growth proved inadequate in the face of the mounting economic problems. The peso's peg to the dollar was abandoned in January 2002, and the peso was floated in February. The exchange rate plunged and real GDP fell by 10.9% in 2002, but by mid-year the economy had stabilized, albeit at a lower level. GDP expanded by about 9% per year from 2003 to 2005. Growth is being led by a revival in domestic demand, solid exports, and favorable external conditions. The government boosted spending ahead of the October 2005 midterm congressional elections, but strong revenue performance allowed Argentina to maintain a budget surplus. Inflation has been rising steadily and reached 12.3 percent in 2005.
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GDP: $543,400,000,000 USD
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Currency: Argentine peso
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GDP per Capita: $13,700 USD
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Currency Code: ARS
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GDP Growth Rate: 9.20 %
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One $USD Equals: %fincurrencyequals% ARS
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Currency Exchange Rate History: Argentine pesos per US dollar - 2.9037 (2005), 2.9233 (2004), 2.9006 (2003), 3.0633 (2002), 0.9995 (2001)
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GDP of Agriculture: 9.50 %
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GDP of Industry: 35.80 %
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GDP of Services: 54.70 % |
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Inflation Rate: 4.00 % |
Population in Poverty: 38.50 %
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Unemployment Rate: 11.60 %
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Tourism: 2,898,000.00 visitors each year
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Consumption by lowest 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Revenue in USD: $42,630,000,000 USD
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Consumption by upper 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Expenditures in USD: $39,980,000,000 USD
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Electricity Production: 87,160,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Exports: 2,070,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Consumption: 82,970,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Imports: 1,561,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Production by Source:
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Fossil Fuel Electricity Production: 51.81%
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Nuclear Electricity Production: 7.23%
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Hydro Electricity Production: 40.67%
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Other Electricity Production: 0.29%
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Oil Production: 745,000 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Production: 41,040,000,000 cu m
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Oil Consumption: 450,000 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Consumption: 34,580,000,000 cu m
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Oil Exports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Exports: 6,050,000,000 cu m
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Oil Imports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Imports: 0 cu m
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Proven Oil Reserves: 2,950,000,000 barrels
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Proven Natural Gas Reserves: 663,500,000,000 cu m
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External Debt: $118,200,000,000 USD |
Received in economic aid: $10,000,000,000 USD
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Donated in economic aid: $0 USD
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Agricultural Products: sunflower seeds, lemons, soybeans, grapes, corn, tobacco, peanuts, tea, wheat; livestock
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Primary Industries: food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel
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Industrial Growth Rate: 7.70 %
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Import Amount in USD: $28,800,000,000 USD - machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal manufactures, plastics
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Import Partners: Brazil 34.6%, US 16.8%, China 5.4%, Germany 5.3%
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Export Amount in USD: $40,000,000,000 USD - edible oils, fuels and energy, cereals, feed, motor vehicles
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Export Partners: Brazil 15.3%, US 10.8%, Chile 10.5%, China 8.3%
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GINI Index: 0.00%
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Labor Force Number of People: 15,340,000
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Labor Force by Occupations: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
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Radio Broadcast Stations: 266 |
Number of People with Radios: 24,300,000 |
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Television Broadcast Stations: 42 |
Number of People with Televisions: 7,950,000 |
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Number of People with Mainline Telephones: 8,800,000 |
Number of People with Mobile Phones: 22,100,000 |
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Internet Service Providers: 1,612,423 |
Internet Users: 10,000,000 |
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Internet Country Code: .ar |
Newspapers: 123 |
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Two Letter Country Code: AR |
Weights and Measures: |
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Phone Country Code: 54 |
Electricity Voltage: Volts |
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Telephone Systems: general assessment: by opening the telecommunications market to competition and foreign investment with the "Telecommunications Liberalization Plan of 1998," Argentina encouraged the growth of modern telecommunications technology; fiber-optic cable trunk lines are being installed between all major cities; the major networks are entirely digital and the availability of telephone service is improving; however, telephone density is presently minimal, and making telephone service universally available will take time
domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber-optic cable, and a domestic satellite system with 40 earth stations serve the trunk network; more than 110,000 pay telephones are installed and mobile telephone use is rapidly expanding
international: country code - 54; satellite earth stations - 112; Atlantis II and Unisur submarine cables; two international gateways near Buenos Aires
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Highways: 68,809 km |
Railways: 31,902 km
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Gas And Oil Pipelines: 48,771 km |
Waterways: 11,000 km
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Airports: 154 |
Heliports: 0
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Motor Vehicles: 198 per 1,000 people |
CO2 Emissions: 137,875,000 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Per capita CO2 emissions: 3.90 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Merchant Marines: total: 41 ships (1000 GRT or over) 435,969 GRT/707,767 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 10, chemical tanker 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 21, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 11 (Chile 6, UK 4, Uruguay 1)
registered in other countries: 24 (Bolivia 1, Chile 1, Liberia 7, Panama 9, Paraguay 3, Uruguay 3)
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Ports and Harbors: Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Concepcion del Uruguay, La Plata, Punta Colorada, Rosario, San Lorenzo-San Martin, San Nicolas
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Population: 39,921,833 people type - nationality |
Birth Rate: 16.73 births per 1,000 people |
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Population Density: 14.00 people per sq km |
Death Rate: 7.55 deaths per 1,000 people |
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Population Growth: 0.96% per year |
Fertility Rate per Women: 2.41 babies born per woman |
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Population Male 0-14: 5,153,164 |
Population Female 0-14: 4,921,625 |
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Population Male 15-64: 12,804,376 |
Population Female 15-64: 12,798,731 |
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Population Male 65+: 1,740,118 |
Population Female 65+: 2,503,819 |
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Population 0-14: 25.20% |
Literacy Rate: 97.10% |
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Population 15-64: 64.10% |
Literacy rate of Males: 97.10% |
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Population 65+: 10.60% |
Literacy rate of Females: 97.10% |
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Population that is Male: 52.50
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Population that is Female: 47.50% |
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Life expectancy at birth in years: 76.12 years |
Infant mortality rate - baby deaths per 1000 births: 14.73 Babies die per 1,000 births |
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Life expectancy at birth for Males: 72.38 years |
Life expectancy at birth for Females: 80.05 years |
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Rate of AIDS/HIV infection: 0.69%
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Number of people living with AIDS or HIV: 130,000
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Number of people who died of AIDS: 1,800 |
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Disease Risk:
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Diseases:
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Net Migration Rate per 1,000 people: 0.40
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Nationality: ARGENTINE
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Ethnic Groups: white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo, Amerindian, or other nonwhite groups 3%
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Primary Language: Spanish
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Other Languages: Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French
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Primary Religion: Roman Catholic
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Other Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%
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Branches: Argentine Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic (includes naval aviation and naval infantry), Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Argentina, FAA)
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 18 years
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Manpower Available: 17,865,642 People
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 14,758,627 People
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Amount of Manpower Available each Year: 679,224 People per year
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Expenditures: $0 USD per year
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Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP: 1.30
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Note: Phrasebase uses a variety of sources when compiling the facts and information presented above. This information is continually updated throughout the year.
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Argentina Spa and Resort Directory
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Argentina Home Exchanges and Home Swaps
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Argentina Vacation Rentals And Holiday Villas
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Argentina City Information Game Earn Real Money
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