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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 authoritarian rule and interference in
subsequent governments was followed by a military junta
that took power in 1976. Democracy returned in 1983, and
numerous elections since then have underscored
Argentina's progress in democratic consolidation.
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|
Location:
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Southern
South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean,
between Chile and Uruguay |
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Geographic coordinates:
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34 00 S, 64
00 W |
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Map references:
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South
America |
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Area:
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total:
2,766,890 sq km
land: 2,736,690 sq km
water: 30,200 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
|
slightly
less than three-tenths the size of the US |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
9,665 km
border countries: Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224
km, Chile 5,150 km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km |
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Coastline:
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4,989 km |
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Maritime claims:
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territorial
sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the
continental margin |
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Climate:
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mostly
temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest |
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Terrain:
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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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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Laguna del Carbon -105 m (located between
Puerto San Julian and Comandante Luis Piedra Buena in
the province of Santa Cruz)
highest point: Cerro Aconcagua 6,960 m (located
in the northwestern corner of the province of Mendoza) |
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Natural resources:
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fertile
plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore,
manganese, petroleum, uranium |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 12.31%
permanent crops: 0.48%
other: 87.21% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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15,610 sq
km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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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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Environment - current issues:
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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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Environment - 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
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life
Conservation |
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Geography - note:
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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); Cerro
Aconcagua is South America's tallest mountain, while
Laguna del Carbon is the lowest point in the Western
Hemisphere
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Population:
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39,537,943
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 25.6% (male 5,170,721/female 4,938,171)
15-64 years: 63.9% (male 12,626,711/female
12,627,026)
65 years and over: 10.6% (male 1,712,117/female
2,463,197) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
29.42 years
male: 28.52 years
female: 30.4 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.98% (2005
est.) |
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Birth rate:
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16.9
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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7.56
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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0.4
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at
birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
15.18 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 17.07 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2005
est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 75.91 years
male: 72.17 years
female: 79.85 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
|
2.19
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.7% (2001
est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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130,000
(2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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1,500 (2003
est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Argentine(s)
adjective: Argentine |
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Ethnic groups:
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white
(mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo (mixed white
and Amerindian ancestry), Amerindian, or other non-white
groups 3% |
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Religions:
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nominally
Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing),
Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4% |
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Languages:
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Spanish
(official), English, Italian, German, French |
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Literacy:
|
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.1%
male: 97.1%
female: 97.1% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Argentine Republic
conventional short form: Argentina
local long form: Republica Argentina
local short form: Argentina |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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Buenos
Aires |
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Administrative divisions:
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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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Independence:
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9 July 1816
(from Spain) |
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National holiday:
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Revolution
Day, 25 May (1810) |
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Constitution:
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1 May 1853;
revised August 1994 |
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Legal system:
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mixture of
US and West European legal systems; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of
age; universal and compulsory |
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Executive branch:
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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;
election last held 27 April 2003 (next election to be
held NA 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 |
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Legislative branch:
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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 intermittently by
province during the 2nd half of 2003 (next to be held NA
2005); Chamber of Deputies - last held intermittently by
province during the 2nd half of 2003 (next to be held NA
2005)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by
bloc or party - NA%; seats by bloc or party - PJ 41, UCR
16, provincial parties 15; Chamber of Deputies - percent
of vote by bloc or party - NA%; seats by bloc or party -
PJ 133, UCR 46, IF 23, ARI 11, Socialist 6,
other/provincial parties 38 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme
Court or Corte Suprema (the nine Supreme Court judges
are appointed by the president with approval by the
Senate) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Action for
the Republic or AR [Domingo CAVALLO]; Alternative for a
Republic of Equals or ARI [Elisa CARRIO]; Federal
Recreate Movement or RECREAR [Ricardo LOPEZ MURPHY];
Front for a Country in Solidarity or Frepaso (a
four-party coalition) [Dario Pedro ALESSANDRO];
Interbloque Federal or IF (a broad coalition of
approximately 12 parties including RECREAR) [leader NA];
Justicialist Party or PJ (Peronist umbrella political
organization) [leader NA]; Radical Civic Union or UCR
[Angel ROZAS]; Socialist Party or PS [Ruben GIUSTINIANI];
Union For All [Patricia BULLRICH]; several provincial
parties |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Argentine
Association of Pharmaceutical Labs (CILFA); Argentine
Industrial Union (manufacturers' association); Argentine
Rural Society (large landowners' association); business
organizations; Central of Argentine Workers or CTA (a
radical union for employed and unemployed workers);
General Confederation of Labor or CGT (Peronist-leaning
umbrella labor organization); Peronist-dominated labor
movement; Roman Catholic Church; students |
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International organization participation:
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AfDB,
Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, 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, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO,
MINUSTAH, NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN
Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMOVIC, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Jose Octavio BORDON
chancery: 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 238-6400
FAX: [1] (202) 332-3171
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston,
Los Angeles, Miami, New York |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of
mission: Ambassador Lino GUTIERREZ
embassy: Avenida Colombia 4300, C1425GMN Buenos
Aires
mailing address: international mail: use street
address; APO address: Unit 4334, APO AA 34034
telephone: [54] (11) 5777-4533
FAX: [54] (11) 5777-4240 |
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Flag description:
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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
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Economy - overview:
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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
more than 8% in 2003 and again in 2004, with
unemployment falling and inflation remaining in single
digits. |
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GDP:
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purchasing
power parity - $483.5 billion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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8.3% (2004
est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing
power parity - $12,400 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
10.6%
industry: 35.9%
services: 53.5% (2004 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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18.3% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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44.3% (June
2004) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
|
lowest
10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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6.1% (2004
est.) |
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Labor force:
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15.04
million (2004 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture
NA%, industry NA%, services NA% |
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Unemployment rate:
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14.8% (2004
est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$29.15 billion
expenditures: $26.84 billion, including capital
expenditures of NA (2004 est.) |
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Public debt:
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118% of GDP
(June 2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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sunflower
seeds, lemons, soybeans, grapes, corn, tobacco, peanuts,
tea, wheat; livestock |
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Industries:
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food
processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles,
chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy,
steel |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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12% (2004
est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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81.39
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 52.2%
hydro: 40.8%
nuclear: 6.7%
other: 0.2% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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81.65
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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2.818
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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8.775
billion kWh (2002) |
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Oil - production:
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755,000
bbl/day (2004 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
|
486,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
|
Oil - proved reserves:
|
2.9 billion
bbl (2004 est.) |
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Natural gas - production:
|
37.15
billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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31.1
billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports:
|
6.05
billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
|
0 cu m
(2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
|
768 billion
cu m (2004) |
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Current account balance:
|
$5.473
billion (2004 est.) |
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Exports:
|
$33.78
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
|
edible
oils, fuels and energy, cereals, feed, motor vehicles |
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Exports - partners:
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Brazil
16.5%, Chile 10.9%, US 10.2%, China 8.5%, Spain 4.5%
(2004) |
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Imports:
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$22.06
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery
and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal
manufactures, plastics |
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Imports - partners:
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Brazil 27%,
US 20%, Germany 6.6%, China 4.6%, France 4.2%, Italy
4.1% (2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
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$19.47
billion (2004 est.) |
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Debt - external:
|
$157.7
billion (2004 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
|
$10 billion
(2001 est.) |
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Currency:
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Argentine
peso (ARS) |
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Currency code:
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ARS |
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Exchange rates:
|
Argentine
pesos per US dollar - 2.9233 (2004), 2.9006 (2003),
3.0633 (2002), 0.9995 (2001), 0.9995 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
|
calendar
year
|
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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8,009,400
(2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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6.5 million
(2002) |
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Telephone system:
|
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
telecommunication 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 being improved; 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 - 8 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); Atlantis II and
Unisur submarine cables; two international gateways near
Buenos Aires (1999) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 260
(including 10 inactive stations), FM NA (probably more
than 1,000, mostly unlicensed), shortwave 6 (1998) |
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Radios:
|
24.3
million (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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42 (plus
444 repeaters) (1997) |
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Televisions:
|
7.95
million (1997) |
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Internet country code:
|
.ar |
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Internet hosts:
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742,358
(2003) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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33 (2000) |
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Internet users:
|
4.1 million
(2002)
|
|
Railways:
|
total:
34,091 km (167 km electrified)
broad gauge: 20,594 km 1.676-m gauge (141 km
electrified)
standard gauge: 2,885 km 1.435-m gauge (26 km
electrified)
narrow gauge: 10,375 km 1.000-m gauge; 237 km
0.750-m gauge (2003) |
|
Highways:
|
total:
215,471 km
paved: 63,348 km (including 734 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 152,123 km (1999) |
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Waterways:
|
11,000 km
(2004) |
|
Pipelines:
|
gas 27,166
km; liquid petroleum gas 41 km; oil 3,668 km; refined
products 2,945 km; unknown (oil/water) 13 km (2004) |
|
Ports and harbors:
|
Bahia
Blanca, Buenos Aires, Comodoro Rivadavia, Concepcion del
Uruguay, La Plata, Mar del Plata, Necochea, Rio
Gallegos, Rosario, Santa Fe, Ushuaia |
|
Merchant marine:
|
total:
26 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 149,007 GRT/212,620 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 9, chemical tanker
1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 7,
refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 2 (Chile 1, Uruguay 1)
registered in other countries: 23 (2005) |
|
Airports:
|
1,334 (2004
est.) |
|
Airports - with paved runways:
|
total:
144
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 26
1,524 to 2,437 m: 62
914 to 1,523 m: 44
under 914 m: 8 (2004 est.) |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
total:
1,190
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 50
914 to 1,523 m: 569
under 914 m: 567 (2004 est.)
|
|
Military branches:
|
Argentine
Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic (includes Naval
Aviation and Marines), Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aerea
Argentina, FAA) |
|
Military manpower - military age and obligation:
|
18 years of
age for voluntary military service; no conscription
(2001) |
|
Military manpower - availability:
|
males
age 18-49: 8,981,886 (2005 est.) |
|
Military manpower - fit for military service:
|
males
age 18-49: 7,316,038 (2005 est.) |
|
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
|
males:
344,575 (2005 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$4.3
billion (FY99) |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
1.3% (FY00)
|
| Transnational
Issues |
Argentina |
|
Disputes - international:
|
Argentina
claims the UK-administered Falkland Islands (Islas
Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich
Islands in its constitution; it briefly occupied 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 |
|
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