Argentina

Argentina 

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

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

Area

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

International Disputes

Short section of the boundary with Uruguay is in dispute; short section of the boundary with Chile is indefinite; claims British-administered Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); claims British-administered South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica

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

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

17,600 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment

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)

PEOPLE

Population

34,672,997 (July 1996 est.)
34,292,742 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

28% (male 4,904,380; female 4,707,293) (July 1996 est.)
28% (male 4,903,589; female 4,706,793) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

63% (male 10,851,004; female 10,834,593) (July 1996 est.)
62% (male 10,689,728; female 10,680,074) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

9% (male 1,414,412; female 1,961,315) (July 1996 est.)
10% (male 1,390,006; female 1,922,552) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

1.1% (1996 est.)
1.11% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

19.41 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
19.51 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

8.62 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
8.62 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

0.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
0.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

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: 0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

28.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
28.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

2.62 children born/woman (1996 est.)
2.65 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Religions

Languages

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

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1995 est.)

Labor Force

10.9 million

By occupation:

GOVERNMENT

Names

Digraph

AR

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

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

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

Justicialist Party (PJ), Carlos Saul MENEM, Peronist umbrella political organization; Radical Civic Union (UCR), Rodolfo TERRAGNO, moderately left-of-center party; Union of the Democratic Center (UCD), conservative party; Dignity and Independence Political Party (MODIN), Aldo RICO, right-wing party; Grand Front (Frente Grande), Carlos ALVAREZ, center-left coalition; Front for a Country in Solidarity (Frepaso, a four party coalition), leader Jose Octavio BORDON; several provincial parties

Other Political or Pressure Groups

Peronist-dominated labor movement; General Confederation of Labor (CGT), Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization; Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers' association); Argentine Rural Society (large landowners' association); business organizations; students; the Roman Catholic Church; the Armed Forces

Member of

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

National Anthem

Flag

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

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.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $278.5 billion (1995 est.); $270.8 billion (1994 est.)

National Product Real Growth Rate

-4.4%
6% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$8,100 (1995 est.)
$7,990 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

1.7% (1995 est.)
3.9% (1994 est.)

Unemployment Rate

16% (1995 est.)
12% (1994 est.)

Budget

Exports

$20.7 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
$15.7 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$19.5 billion (c.i.f., 1995)
$21.4 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$90 billion (December 1995)
$73 billion (April 1994)

Industrial Production

Growth rate -4.6% (1995 est.); 12.5% accounts for 31% of GDP (1994 est.)

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

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

Illicit Drugs

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

Economic Aid

Currency

1 nuevo peso argentino = 100 centavos

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)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Highways

Inland Waterways

11,000 km navigable

Pipelines

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

Ports

Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Comodoro Rivadavia, Concepcion del Uruguay, La Plata, Mar del Plata, Necochea, Rio Gallegos, Rosario, Santa Fe, Ushuaia

Merchant Marine

Airports

COMMUNICATIONS

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

Radio

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Argentine Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic, Argentine Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Argentine Naval Prefecture (Coast Guard only), National Aeronautical Police Force

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 8,707,014; males fit for military service 7,063,304; males reach military age (20) annually 310,107 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

$4.7 billion, 1.5% of GDP (1995)

History
World Atlas

Last modified: 22 december 1997