Background: In 1816, the United Provinces of the Rio Plata declared their independence from Spain. After Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay went their separate ways, the area that remained became Argentina. The country's population and culture were heavily shaped by immigrants from throughout Europe, with Italy and Spain providing 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 unrest and conflict between civilian and military factions.

Geographic coordinates: 34 00 S, 64 00 W

Map reference: South America

Area
Total: 2,780,400 km²
Land: 2,736,690 km²
Water: 43,710 km²
Rank: 9
Comparative: slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US

Land boundaries
Total: 11,968 km
Border countries: (5) Bolivia 942 km; , Brazil 1263 km; , Chile 6,691 km; , Paraguay 2,531 km; , Uruguay 541 km

Coastline: 4,989 km

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

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
Mean elevation: 595 m
Elevation extremes: -105 m
Note: lowest point: Laguna del Carbon (located between Puerto San Julian and Comandante Luis Piedra Buena in the province of Santa Cruz)

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 53.9% (2014 est.)
Forest: 10.7% (2014 est.)
Other: 35.4% (2014 est.)

Irrigated land: 23,600 km² (2012)

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 in some areasvolcanism: volcanic activity in the Andes Mountains along the Chilean border; Copahue (2,997 m) last erupted in 2000; other historically active volcanoes include Llullaillaco, Maipo, Planchon-Peteroa, San Jose, Tromen, Tupungatito, and Viedma

Geography
Note: 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 tropical climates in the north to tundra in the far south; Cerro Aconcagua is the Western Hemisphere's tallest mountain, while Laguna del Carbon is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere; shares Iguazu Falls, the world's largest waterfalls system, with Brazil

Population
Distribution: one-third of the population lives in Buenos Aires; pockets of agglomeration occur throughout the northern and central parts of the country; Patagonia to the south remains sparsely populated: 44,694,198 (July 2018 est.)
Rank: 31
Growth rate: 0.89% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 121
Below poverty line:

Nationality
Noun: Argentine(s)
Adjective: Argentine

Ethnic groups: European (mostly Spanish and Italian descent) and mestizo (mixed European and Amerindian ancestry) 97.2%, Amerindian 2.4%, African 0.4% (2010 est.)

Languages: Spanish (official), Italian, English, German, French, indigenous (Mapudungun, Quechua)

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

Demographic profile: Argentina's population continues to grow but at a slower rate because of its steadily declining birth rate. Argentina's fertility decline began earlier than in the rest of Latin America, occurring most rapidly between the early 20th century and the 1950s, and then becoming more gradual. Life expectancy has been improving, most notably among the young and the poor. While the population under age 15 is shrinking, the youth cohort - ages 15-24 - is the largest in Argentina's history and will continue to bolster the working-age population. If this large working-age population is well-educated and gainfully employed, Argentina is likely to experience an economic boost and possibly higher per capita savings and investment. Although literacy and primary school enrollment are nearly universal, grade repetition is problematic and secondary school completion is low. Both of these issues vary widely by region and socioeconomic group.

Age structure
0-14 years: 24.44% (male 5,629,345 /female 5,293,680)
15-24 years: 15.2% (male 3,476,344 /female 3,317,151)
25-54 years: 39.46% (male 8,808,591 /female 8,826,379)
55-64 years: 9.12% (male 1,977,421 /female 2,096,665)
65 years and over: 11.79% (male 2,216,487 /female 3,052,135) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 56.5 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 39.4 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 17.1 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 5.8 (2015 est.)

Median age
Total: 31.9 years
Male: 30.7 years
Female: 33.1 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 107

Population growth rate: 0.89% (2018 est.)
Rank: 121

Birth rate: 16.5 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 109

Death rate: 7.5 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 108

Net migration rate: -0.1 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 102

Population distribution: one-third of the population lives in Buenos Aires; pockets of agglomeration occur throughout the northern and central parts of the country; Patagonia to the south remains sparsely populated

Urbanization
Urban population: 91.9% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 1.07% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 14.967 million BUENOS AIRES (capital), 1.548 million Cordoba, 1.488 million Rosario, 1.133 million Mendoza, 956,000 San Miguel de Tucuman, 864,000 La Plata (2018)

Environment
Current issues:
International 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
International agreements signed but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
55-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 9.5 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 10.4 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Female: 8.5 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Rank: 138

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 77.5 years (2018 est.)
Male: 74.4 years (2018 est.)
Female: 80.8 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 70

Total fertility rate: 2.25 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 92

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 81.3% (2013)

Drinking water source
Urban: 1% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0.9% of population (2015 est.)

Physicians density: 3.91 physicians/1000 population (2013)

Hospital bed density: 5 beds/1000 population (2014)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 3.8% of population (2015 est.)
Rural: 1.7% of population (2015 est.)
Total: 3.6% of population (2015 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.4% (2017 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 68
People living with hivaids: 120,000 (2017 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 38
Deaths: 2000 (2017 est.)
Deaths rank: 50

Major infectious diseases: note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 28.3% (2016)
Rank: 30

Education expenditures: 5.9% of GDP (2015)
Rank: 37

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)
Total population: 98.1% (2015 est.)
Male: 98% (2015 est.)
Female: 98.1% (2015 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 17 years (2014)
Male: 16 years (2014)
Female: 18 years (2014)

Country name
Conventional long form: Argentine Republic
Conventional short form: Argentina
Local long form: Republica Argentina
Local short form: Argentina
Etymology: originally the area was referred to as Tierra Argentina, i.e., Land beside the Silvery River or silvery land, which referred to the massive estuary in the east of the country, the Rio de la Plata (River of Silver); over time the name shortened to simply Argentina or silvery

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Buenos Aires
Geographic coordinates: 34 36 S, 58 22 W
Time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time): etymology: the name translates as 'fair winds' in Spanish and derives from the original designation of the settlement that would become the present-day city, 'Santa Maria del Buen Aire' (Saint Mary of the Fair Winds)

Administrative divisions:

Independence: 9 July 1816 (from Spain)

National holiday: Revolution Day (May Revolution Day), 25 May (1810)

Constitution
History: several previous; latest effective 11 May 1853 (2018)
Amendments: a declaration of proposed amendments requires two-thirds majority vote by both houses of the National Congress followed by approval by an ad hoc, multi-member constitutional convention; amended many times, last significantly in 1994 (2018)

Legal system: civil law system based on West European legal systems; note - in mid-2015, Argentina adopted a new civil code, replacing the old one in force since 1871

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: yes
Citizenship by descent only: yes
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 2 years

Suffrage: 18-70 years of age; universal and compulsory; 16-17 years of age - optional for national elections

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Mauricio MACRI (since 10 December 2015); Vice President Gabriela MICHETTI (since 10 December 2015); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Mauricio MACRI (since 10 December 2015); Vice President Gabriela MICHETTI (since 10 December 2015)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
Electionsappointments: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by qualified majority popular vote for a 4-year term (eligible for a second consecutive term); election last held in 2 rounds on 25 October and 22 November 2015 (next to be held on 27 October 2019)
Election results: Mauricio MACRI elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Daniel SCIOLI (PJ) 37.1%, Mauricio MACRI (PRO) 34.2%, Sergio MASSA (FR/PJ) 21.4%, other 7.3%; percent of vote in second round - Mauricio MACRI (PRO) 51.4%, Daniel SCIOLI (PJ) 48.6%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (consists of the court president, vice-president, and 5 judges)
Judge selection and term of office: judges nominated by the president and approved by the Senate; judges can serve until mandatory retirement at age 75
Subordinate courts: federal level appellate, district, and territorial courts; provincial level supreme, appellate, and first instance courts

Political parties and leaders: Cambiemos [Mauricio MACRI] (coalition of CC-ARI, PRO, and UCR)Citizen's Unity or UC [Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER]Civic Coalition ARI or CC-ARI [ Elisa CARRIO]Civic Front for Santiago or FCS [Gerardo ZAMORA]Front for the Renewal of Concord or FRCFront for Victory or FpV [Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER] (left-wing faction of PJ)Generation for a National Encounter or GEN [Margarita STOLBIZER]Justicialist Party or PJ [Jose Luis GIOJA]Radical Civic Union or UCR [Alfredo CORNEJO]Renewal Front (Frente Renovador) or FR [Sergio MASSA]Republican Proposal or PRO [Mauricio MACRI]Socialist Party or PS [Antonio BONFATTI]United for a New Alternative or UNA (includes FR)numerous provincial parties

International organization participation: AfDB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CAN (associate), CD, CELAC, FAO, FATF, G-15, G-20, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Paris Club (associate), PCA, SICA (observer), UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina (observer), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Fernando ORIS DE ROA (since 24 January 2018)
In the us chancery: 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 238-6,400
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 332-3,171
In the us consulate: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Washington, DC
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Edward Charles PRADO (since 16 May 2018)
From the us embassy: Avenida Colombia 4,300, C1425GMN Buenos Aires
From the us mailing address: international mail: use embassy street address; APO address: US Embassy Buenos Aires, Unit 4,334, APO AA 34,034
From the us telephone: [54] (11) 5,777-4,533
From the us FAX: [54] (11) 5,777-4,240

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of sky blue (top), white, and sky blue; centered in the white band is a radiant yellow sun with a human face (delineated in brown) known as the Sun of May; the colors represent the clear skies and snow of the Andes; the sun symbol commemorates the appearance of the sun through cloudy skies on 25 May 1810 during the first mass demonstration in favor of independence; the sun features are those of Inti, the Inca god of the sun

National symbols: Sun of May (a sun-with-face symbol); national colors: sky blue, white

National anthem
Name: Himno Nacional Argentino (Argentine National Anthem)
Lyricsmusic: Vicente LOPEZ y PLANES/Jose Blas PARERA: note: adopted 1813; Vicente LOPEZ was inspired to write the anthem after watching a play about the 1810 May Revolution against Spain

Economy overview: Argentina benefits from rich natural resources, a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. Although one of the world's wealthiest countries 100 years ago, Argentina suffered during most of the 20th century from recurring economic crises, persistent fiscal and current account deficits, high inflation, mounting external debt, and capital flight.Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER succeeded her husband as president in late 2007, and in 2008 the rapid economic growth of previous years slowed sharply as government policies held back exports and the world economy fell into recession. In 2010 the economy rebounded strongly, but slowed in late 2011 even as the government continued to rely on expansionary fiscal and monetary policies, which kept inflation in the double digits.In order to deal with these problems, the government expanded state intervention in the economy: it nationalized the oil company YPF from Spain's Repsol, expanded measures to restrict imports, and further tightened currency controls in an effort to bolster foreign reserves and stem capital flight. Between 2011 and 2013, Central Bank foreign reserves dropped $21.3 billion from a high of $52.7 billion. In July 2014, Argentina and China agreed on an $11 billion currency swap; the Argentine Central Bank has received the equivalent of $3.2 billion in Chinese yuan, which it counts as international reserves.With the election of President Mauricio MACRI in November 2015, Argentina began a historic political and economic transformation, as his administration took steps to liberalize the Argentine economy, lifting capital controls, floating the peso, removing export controls on some commodities, cutting some energy subsidies, and reforming the country’s official statistics. Argentina negotiated debt payments with holdout bond creditors, continued working with the IMF to shore up its finances, and returned to international capital markets in April 2016.In 2017, Argentina’s economy emerged from recession with GDP growth of nearly 3.0%. The government passed important pension, tax, and fiscal reforms. And after years of international isolation, Argentina took on several international leadership roles, including hosting the World Economic Forum on Latin America and the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference, and is set to assume the presidency of the G-20 in 2018.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 28

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 117

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 88

Gross national saving:
Rank: 114

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 65.9% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 18.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 14.8% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 3.7% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 11.2% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -13.8% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 10.8% (2017 est.)
Industry: 28.1% (2017 est.)
Services: 61.1% (2017 est.)

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:
Rank: 111

Labor force:
Rank: 33
By occupation agriculture: 5.3%
By occupation industry: 28.6%
By occupation services: 66.1% (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 120

Population below poverty line:

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 31% (2017 est.)
Highest 10: 31% (2017 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 54

Budget
Revenues: 120.6 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 158.6 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 182

Taxes and other revenues: 18.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 157

Public debt:
Rank: 77

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 219

Central bank discount rate: NA

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 9

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 48

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 48

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 44

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 50

Current account balance:
Rank: 200

Exports:
Rank: 49
Partners: Brazil 16.1%, US 7.9%, China 7.5%, Chile 4.4% (2017)
Commodities: soybeans and derivatives, petroleum and gas, vehicles, corn, wheat

Imports:
Rank: 48
Commodities: machinery, motor vehicles, petroleum and natural gas, organic chemicals, plastics
Partners: Brazil 26.9%, China 18.5%, US 11.3%, Germany 4.9% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 38

Debt external:
Rank: 34

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 52

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 46

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access population without electricity: 1.5 million (2013)
Access electrification total population: 96.4% (2013)
Access electrification urban areas: 99.2% (2013)
Access electrification rural areas: 96% (2013)
Production: 131.9 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 30
Consumption: 121 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 30
Exports: 55 million kWh (2015 est.)
Exports rank: 85
Imports: 9.851 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 26
Installed generating capacity: 38.35 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 27
Generation sources fossil fuels: 69% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 112
Generation sources nuclear: 4% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 23
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 24% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 79
Generation sources other renewable sources: 3% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 120

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 479,400 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 29
Crude oil exports: 36,630 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 43
Crude oil imports: 16,740 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 68
Crude oil proven reserves: 2.162 billion bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 32

Refined petroleum
Products production: 669,800 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 26
Products consumption: 806,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 27
Products exports: 58,360 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 51
Products imports: 121,400 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 49

Natural gas
Production: 40.92 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 20
Consumption: 49.04 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 17
Exports: 76.45 million m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 49
Imports: 9.826 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 27
Proven reserves: 336.6 billion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 35

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 203.7 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 32

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 9,530,349 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 22 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 19
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 61,897,379 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 140 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 26

Telephone system
General assessment: Argentina opened its telecommunications market to competition and foreign investment encouraging the growth of modern telecommunications technology in 1998; major networks are entirely digital and the availability of telephone service continues to improve to rural areas; even with numerous providers there is a lack of competition; still Argentina is the 3rd largest in the region after Brazil and Mexico (2017)
Domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber-optic cable, and a domestic satellite system with 40 earth stations serve the trunk network; 22 per 100 fixed-line, 144 per 100 mobile-cellular (2017)
International: country code - 54; landing point for the Atlantis-2, UNISUR, South America-1, and South American Crossing/Latin American Nautilus submarine cable systems that provide links to Europe, Africa, South and Central America, and US; satellite earth stations - 112; 2 international gateways near Buenos Aires; building started on the ARBR submarine cable between Argentina and Brazil (2017)

Broadcast media: government owns a TV station and radio network; more than 2 dozen TV stations and hundreds of privately owned radio stations; high rate of cable TV subscription usage (2009)

Internet
Country code: .ar
Users total: 30,786,889 (July 2016 est.)
Users percent of population: 70.2% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 24

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 7,870,222 (2017 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 18 (2017 est.)
Rank: 20

Military expenditures:
Rank: 118

Military service age and obligation: 18-24 years of age for voluntary military service (18-21 requires parental consent); no conscription; if the number of volunteers fails to meet the quota of recruits for a particular year, Congress can authorize the conscription of citizens turning 18 that year for a period not exceeding one year (2012)

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 6 (2015)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 107 (2015)
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 14,245,183 (2015)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 243,772,567
Note: mt-km (2015)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: LV (2016)

Airports: 1138 (2013)
Rank: 6
With paved runways total: 161 (2017)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 4 (2017)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 29 (2017)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 65 (2017)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 53 (2017)
With paved runways under 914 m: 10 (2017)
With unpaved runways total: 977 (2013)
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 43 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 484 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 448 (2013)

Heliports: 2 (2013)

Pipelines: 29,930 km gas, 41 km liquid petroleum gas, 6,248 km oil, 3,631 km refined products (2013)

Railways
Total: 36,917 km (2014)
Standard gauge: 2,745 km
Note: 1.676-m gauge (149 km electrified) (2014)
Narrow gauge: 7,523 km
Broad gauge: 26,391 km: 258 0.750-m gauge
Rank: 6

Roadways
Total: 231,374 km (2004)
Paved: 69,412 km
Note: (includes 734 km of expressways) (2004)
Unpaved: 161,962 km (2004)
Rank: 22

Waterways: 11,000 km (2012)
Rank: 11

Merchant marine
Total: 161 (2017)
By type: container ship 1, general cargo 9, oil tanker 27, other 124 (2017)
Rank: 69

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, La Plata, Punta Colorada, Ushuaia
Container port: Buenos Aires (1,851,701)
LNG terminal: Bahia Blanca
River port: Arroyo Seco, Rosario, San Lorenzo-San Martin (Parana)

Disputes international: Argentina continues to assert its claims to the UK-administered Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands in its constitution, forcibly occupying the Falklands in 1982, but in 1995 agreed to no longer seek settlement by forceUK continues to reject Argentine requests for sovereignty talksterritorial claim in Antarctica partially overlaps UK and Chilean claimsuncontested dispute between Brazil and Uruguay over Braziliera/Brasiliera Island in the Quarai/Cuareim River leaves the tripoint with Argentina in questionin 2010, the ICJ ruled in favor of Uruguay's operation of two paper mills on the Uruguay River, which forms the border with Argentinathe two countries formed a joint pollution monitoring regimethe joint boundary commission, established by Chile and Argentina in 2001 has yet to map and demarcate the delimited boundary in the inhospitable Andean Southern Ice Field (Campo de Hielo Sur)contraband smuggling, human trafficking, and illegal narcotic trafficking are problems in the porous areas of the border with Bolivia

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 94,632 (Venezuela) (economic and political crisis; includes Venezuelans who have claimed asylum or have received alternative legal stay) (2018)

Illicit drugs: a transshipment country for cocaine headed for Europe, heroin headed for the US, and ephedrine and pseudoephedrine headed for Mexico; some money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border Area; law enforcement corruption; a source for precursor chemicals; increasing domestic consumption of drugs in urban centers, especially cocaine base and synthetic drugs