Map of Argentina | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: A part of the Spanish empire until independence in 1816, Argentina subsequently experienced periods of internal political conflict between conservatives and liberals and between civilian and military factions. Meantime, thanks to rich natural resources and foreign investment, a modern agriculture and a diversified industry were gradually developed. After World War II, a long period of Peronist dictatorship was followed by rule by a military junta. Democratic elections finally came in 1983, but both the political and economic atmosphere remain susceptible to turmoil.


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Location: Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 2,766,890 km²
Land: 2,736,690 km²
Comparative: slightly less than three-tenths the size of the U.S.

Land boundaries: Total 9,665 km, Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224 km, Chile 5,150 km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km

Coastline: 4,989 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: Mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest

Terrain: Rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Salinas Chicas -40 m
Extremes highest point: Cerro Aconcagua 6,962 m

Natural resources:

Land use
Arable land: 9%
Permanent crops: 4%
Permanent pastures: 52%
Forests and woodland: 22%
Other: 13%

Irrigated land: 17,600 km² (1989 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population:
Growth rate:

Nationality
Noun: Argentine(s)
Adjective: Argentine

Ethnic groups:

Languages: Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French

Religions:

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years:
15-64 years:
65 years and over:

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate:

Birth rate:

Death rate:

Net migration rate:

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: erosion results from inadequate flood controls and improper land use practices; irrigated soil degradation; desertification; air pollution in Buenos Aires and other major cites; water pollution in urban areas; rivers becoming polluted due to increased pesticide and fertilizer use
Current issues Natural hazards: Tucuman and Mendoza areas in the Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike the Pampas and northeast; heavy flooding
International agreements: party to_Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified_Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
International agreements note: Second-largest country in South America (after Brazil); strategic location relative to sea lanes between South Atlantic and South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage)

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
All ages:

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 71.66 years 91,996 est.); 71.51 years (1995 est.)
Male: 68.37 years (1996 est); 68.22 years (1995 est.)
Female: 75.12 years (1996 est.); 74.97 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate:

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)
Total population: 96.2%
Male: 96.2%
Female: 96.2%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Argentine Republic
Conventional short form: Argentina
Local long form: Republica Argentina
Local short form: Argentina

Government type: Republic

Capital: Buenos Aires

Administrative divisions: 23 provinces (provincias, singular_provincia), and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Buenos Aires; Catamarca; Chaco; Chubut; Cordoba; Corrientes; Distrito Federal*; 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 U.S. does not recognize any claims to Antarctica or Argentina's claims to the Falkland Islands

Dependent areas

Independence: 9 July 1816 (from Spain)

National holiday: Revolution Day, 25 May (1810)

Constitution: 1 May 1853; revised August 1994

Legal system: Mixture of U.S. and West European legal systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state and head of government: President Carlos Saul MENEM (since 8 July 1989); Vice President (position vacant); election last held 14 May 1995 (next to be held NA May 1999); results_Carlos Saul MENEM was reelected
Cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president

Legislative branch: Bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) Senate:Elections last held NA May 1995 (next to be held NA; results_percent of vote by party NA; seats_(72 total) PJ 38, others 34 Chamber of Deputies:One-half of the members elected every two years to four-year terms; elections last held 14 May 1995; (next to be held NA 1997; results_percent of vote by party NA; seats_(257 total) PJ 132, UCR 68, Frepaso 26, other 31

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema), the nine Supreme Court judges are appointed by the president with approval of the Senate

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), Australia Group,, BCIE, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G- 6, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MINURSO, MTCR, NSG (observer), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMIR, UNAVEM III, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIH, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: Three equal horizontal bands of light blue (top), white, and light blue; centered in the white band is a radiant yellow sun with a human face known as the Sun of May

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Argentina, rich in natural resources, benefits also from a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. Nevertheless, following decades of mismanagement and statist policies, the economy in the late 1980s was plagued with huge external debts and recurring bouts of hyperinflation. Elected in 1989, in the depths of recession, President MENEM has implemented a comprehensive economic restructuring program that shows signs of putting Argentina on a path of stable, sustainable growth. Argentina's currency has traded at par with the US dollar since April 1991, and inflation has fallen to its lowest level in 20 years. Argentines have responded to the relative price stability by repatriating flight capital and investing in domestic industry. After registering impressive 7.4% growth in 1994, based largely on inflows of foreign capital and strong domestic consumption, the Argentine economy stumbled in 1995 as financial pressures fueled by the Mexican peso crisis and political squabbling within the MENEM administration undermined investor confidence and triggered capital outflows. By yearend, GDP had contracted 4.4%, unemployment reached 16%, and Buenos Aires struggled to meet fiscal targets. On the trade front, exports soared during the first half of 1995_largely because of strong demand in Brazil and high commodity prices_while anemic domestic consumption lowered imports; the resulting yearend trade surplus was about $1.2 billion. However, because exports contribute only 7.5% to GDP, increased foreign sales had little impact on aggregate growth. High unemployment will continue to plague the MENEM administration for the next several years as provincial entities are readied for privatization and more public sector employees are laid off.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: Accounts for 6% of GDP (including fishing; produces abundant food for both domestic consumption and exports; among world's top five exporters of grain and beef; principal crops_wheat, corn, sorghum, soybeans, sugar beets

Industries:

Industrial production growth rate: Growth rate -4.6% (1995 est.), 12.5% accounts for 31% of GDP (1994 est.)

Labor force: 10.9 million
By occupation Agriculture: 12%
By occupation Industry: 31%
By occupation Services: 57% (1985 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $48.46 billion
Expenditures: $46.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.5 billion (1994 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: Calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports:
Commodities:
Partners:

Imports
Total value:
Commodities:
Partners:

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external:

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Pesos per US$1: 1.00000 (January 1996), 0.99975 (1995), 0.99901 (1994), 0.99895 (1993), 0.99064 (1992), 0.95355 (1991), 0.48759 (1990)


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Electricity
Capacity: 17,330,000 kW
Production: 54.8 billion kWh
Consumption per capita: 1,610 kWh (1993)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system: 2.7 million telephones (1983 est.); 12,000 public telephones; extensive modern system but many families do not have telephones; microwave widely used; however, during rainstorms, the telephone system frequently grounds out, even in Buenos Aires
Local: NA
Intercity: microwave radio relay and domestic satellite network with 40 earth stations
International: 2 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth stations

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 1,253
With paved runways over 3047 m: 5
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 25
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 54
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 46
With paved runways under 914 m: 511
With paved runways With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 60
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 549

Heliports

Pipelines: Crude oil 4,090 km; petroleum products 2,900 km; natural gas 9,918 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 11,000 km navigable

Merchant marine
Total: 37 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 303,448 GRT/458,864 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 11, chemical tanker 1, container 3, oil tanker 14, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 5, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1995 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: Increasing use as a transshipment country for cocaine headed for the U.S. and Europe