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

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Background: Following independence from Spain in 1816 Argentina experienced periods of internal political conflict between conservatives and liberals and between civilian and military factions. After World War II a long period of Peronist dictatorship was followed by a military junta that took power in 1976. Democracy returned in 1983 and four free elections since then have underscored Argentina's progress in democratic consolidation.


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

Geographic coordinates: 34 00 S 64 00 W

Map reference: South America

Area
Comparative: slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US

Land boundaries

Coastline: 4,989 km

Maritime claims

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

Natural resources: fertile plains of the pampas lead zinc tin copper iron ore manganese petroleum uranium

Land use

Irrigated land: 17,000 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

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

Geography
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)


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Population: 36,955,182 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 1.16% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: 36% (1998 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic groups: white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97% mestizo Amerindian or other nonwhite groups 3%

Languages: Spanish (official) English Italian German French

Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing) Protestant 2% Jewish 2% other 4%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 1.16% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 18.59 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 7.59 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.65 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: environmental problems (urban and rural) typical of an industrializing economy such as soil degradation desertification air pollution and water pollution

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 18.31 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate: 2.47 children born/woman (2000 est.)

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

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

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 Antartica e Islas del Atlantico Sur; Tucuman

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 US and West European legal systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate (72 seats; formerly three members appointed by each of the provincial legislatures; presently transitioning to one-third of the members being elected every two years to six-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies (257 seats; one-half of the members elected every two years to four-year terms)

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: Action for the Republic or AR [Domingo CAVALLO]; Alliance (UCR Frepaso and others) [leader NA]; Front for a Country in Solidarity or Frepaso (a four-party coalition) [Carlos ALVAREZ]; Justicialist Party or PJ [Carlos Saul MENEM] (Peronist umbrella political organization); Radical Civic Union or UCR [Raul ALFONSIN]; several provincial parties

International organization participation: AfDB 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 IHO ILO IMF IMO Inmarsat Intelsat Interpol IOC IOM ISO ITU LAES LAIA Mercosur MINURSO MIPONUH MTCR NSG OAS OPANAL OPCW PCA RG UN UN Security Council (temporary) UNCTAD UNESCO UNFICYP UNHCR UNIDO UNIKOM UNITAR UNMIBH UNMIK UNMOP UNTAET UNTSO UNU UPU WCL WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO ZC

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 benefits from rich natural resources a highly literate population an export-oriented agricultural sector and a diversified industrial base. However when President Carlos MENEM took office in 1989 the country had piled up huge external debts inflation had reached 200% per month and output was plummeting. To combat the economic crisis the government embarked on a path of trade liberalization deregulation and privatization. In 1991 it implemented radical monetary reforms which pegged the peso to the US dollar and limited the growth in the monetary base by law to the growth in reserves. Inflation fell sharply in subsequent years. In 1995 the Mexican peso crisis produced capital flight the loss of banking system deposits and a severe but short-lived recession; a series of reforms to bolster the domestic banking system followed. Real GDP growth recovered strongly reaching 8% in 1997. In 1998 international financial turmoil caused by Russia's problems and increasing investor anxiety over Brazil produced the highest domestic interest rates in more than three years halving the growth rate of the economy. Conditions worsened in 1999 with GDP falling by 3%. President Fernando DE LA RUA who took office in December 1999 sponsored tax increases and spending cuts to reduce the deficit which had ballooned to 2.5% of GDP in 1999. The new government also arranged a new $7.4 billion stand-by facility with the IMF for contingency purposes - almost three times the size of the previous arrangement. Key challenges facing the new government include reforming the country's rigid labor code and addressing the precarious financial situation of several highly indebted provinces.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: -3% (1999 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $10,000 (1999 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: sunflower seeds lemons soybeans grapes corn tobacco peanuts tea wheat; livestock

Industries: food processing motor vehicles consumer durables textiles chemicals and petrochemicals printing metallurgy steel

Industrial production growth rate: -7% (1999 est.)

Labor force: 15 million (1999)
By occupation agriculture: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Unemployment rate: 14% (December 1999)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 36% (1998 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: -2% (1999 est.)

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: $23 billion (f.o.b. 1999 est.)
Commodities: edible oils fuels and energy cereals feed motor vehicles
Partners: Brazil 24% EU 21% US 11% (1999 est.)

Imports: $25 billion (c.i.f. 1999 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment motor vehicles chemicals metal manufactures plastics
Partners: EU 28% US 22% Brazil 21% (1999 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $149 billion (1999 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: peso is pegged to the US dollar at an exchange rate of 1 peso = $1


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Electricity
Production: 75.237 billion kWh (1998)
Consumption: 75.57 billion kWh (1998)
Exports: 250 million kWh (1998)
Imports: 5.85 billion kWh (1998)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 7.5 million (1997)
Mobile cellular: 1.8 million (1997)

Telephone system: 12,000 public telephones; extensive modern system but many families do not have telephones; despite extensive use of microwave radio relay the telephone system frequently fails during rainstorms even in Buenos Aires

Broadcast media

Internet
Service providers isps: 47 (1999)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $4.3 billion (FY99)
Percent of gdp: 1.3% (FY99)

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: 1359 (1999 est.)

Heliports

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

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 10,950 km navigable

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: claims UK-administered Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); claims UK-administered South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: increasing use as a transshipment country for cocaine headed for Europe and the US; increasing use as a money-laundering center; domestic consumption of drugs has skyrocketed