|
|
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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
has persisted despite numerous challenges, the most
formidable of which was a severe economic crisis in
2001-02 that led to violent public protests and the
resignation of several interim presidents. |
|
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:
|
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:
|
15,610 sq
km (1998 est.) |
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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 |
|
Environment - current issues:
|
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 |
|
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:
|
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.) |
|
Median age:
|
total:
29.42 years
male: 28.52 years
female: 30.4 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
|
0.98%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
|
16.9
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
|
7.56
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
|
0.4
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
|
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:
|
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:
|
0.7%
(2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
130,000
(2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
1,500
(2003 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Argentine(s)
adjective: Argentine |
|
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:
|
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:
|
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 23 October 2005
(next to be held NA 2007); Chamber of Deputies - last
held last held 23 October 2005 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by
bloc or party - FV 45.1%, FJ 17.2%, UCR 7.5%, other
30.2%; seats by bloc or party - FV 14, FJ 3, UCR 2,
other 5; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by bloc
or party - FV 29.9%, UCR 8.9%, ARI 7.2%, PJ 6.7%, PRO
6.2%, FJ 3.9%, other 37.2%; seats by bloc or party - FV
50, UCR 10, ARI 8, PJ 9, PRO 9, FJ 7, other 34 |
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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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Alternative for a Republic of Equals or ARI [Elisa
CARRIO]; Front for Victory or FV [Nestor KIRCHNER];
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]; Justicialist Front or FJ
[Eduardo DUHALDE]; Radical Civic Union or UCR [Roberto
IGLESIAS]; Republican Initiative Alliance or PRO
(including Federal Recreate Movement or RECREAR [Ricardo
LOPEZ MURPHY] and Commitment for Change or CPC [Mauricio
MACRI]); Socialist Party or PS [Ruben GIUSTINIANI];
Union For All [Patricia BULLRICH]; several provincial
parties |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
|
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; Piquetero groups (popular protest
organizations that can be either pro or
anti-government); Roman Catholic Church; students |
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International organization participation:
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ABEDA,
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, UNMOVIC, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
|
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
about 8% per year from 2003 to 2005. Growth is being led
by a revival in domestic demand, solid exports, and
favorable external conditions. The government boosted
spending ahead of the October 2005 midterm congressional
elections, but strong revenue performance will allow
Argentina to exceed its primary budget surplus target
for this year of 3.2 percent of GDP. Inflation has been
rising steadily and is expected to reach 11.8 percent
this year. |
|
GDP (purchasing power parity):
|
$537.2 billion (2005 est.) |
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GDP (official exchange rate):
|
$182 billion (2005 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
|
8.2% (2005 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $13,600 (2005 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 10.5%
industry: 35.8%
services: 53.7% (2004 est.) |
|
Labor force:
|
15.34 million (2005 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% |
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Unemployment rate:
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11.1% (September 2005) |
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Population below poverty line:
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38.5% (June 2005) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
|
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
|
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
|
52.2 (2001) |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
11.8% (2005 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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21.4% of GDP (2005 est.) |
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Budget:
|
revenues: $42.63 billion
expenditures: $39.98 billion, including capital
expenditures of NA (2005 est.) |
|
Public debt:
|
69.7% of GDP (June 2005) |
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Agriculture - products:
|
sunflower seeds, lemons, soybeans, grapes, corn,
tobacco, peanuts, tea, wheat; livestock |
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Industries:
|
food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables,
textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing,
metallurgy, steel |
|
Industrial production growth rate:
|
7.5% (2005 est.) |
|
Electricity - production:
|
83.29 billion kWh (2003) |
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Electricity - consumption:
|
83.31 billion kWh (2003) |
|
Electricity - exports:
|
2.443 billion kWh (2003) |
|
Electricity - imports:
|
8.3 billion kWh (2003) |
|
Oil - production:
|
745,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
|
450,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
|
Oil - exports:
|
NA (2001) |
|
Oil - imports:
|
NA (2001) |
|
Oil - proved reserves:
|
2.95 billion bbl (2005 est.) |
|
Natural gas - production:
|
37.15 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - consumption:
|
31.1 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - exports:
|
6.05 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - imports:
|
0 cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - proved reserves:
|
768 billion cu m (2005) |
|
Current account balance:
|
$1.908 billion (2005 est.) |
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Exports:
|
$40 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) |
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Exports - partners:
|
Brazil 15.4%, Chile 10.4%, US 10.2%, China 8.7%, Spain
4.4% (2004) |
|
Imports:
|
$28.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) |
|
Imports - partners:
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Brazil 36.2%, US 16.6%, Germany 5.7%, China 4.3% (2004)
|
|
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
|
$26.37 billion (2005 est.) |
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Debt - external:
|
$119 billion (June 2005 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
|
$10 billion (2001 est.) |
|
Currency (code):
|
Argentine peso (ARS) |
|
Exchange rates:
|
Argentine pesos per US dollar - 2.88 (2005), 2.9233
(2004), 2.9006 (2003), 3.0633 (2002), 0.9995 (2001) |
|
Fiscal year:
|
calendar year |
|
Telephones - main lines in use:
|
8,009,400
(2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
|
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 - 112; Atlantis II and Unisur submarine cables;
two international gateways near Buenos Aires (2005) |
|
Radio broadcast stations:
|
AM 260
(including 10 inactive stations), FM NA (probably more
than 1,000, mostly unlicensed), shortwave 6 (1998) |
|
Television broadcast stations:
|
42 (plus
444 repeaters) (1997) |
|
Internet country code:
|
.ar |
|
Internet hosts:
|
742,358
(2003) |
|
Internet users:
|
4.1
million (2002) |
|
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 (2005 est.) |
|
Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
total:
1,189
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: 566 (2005 est.) |
|
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) |
|
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 (2004) |
|
Roadways:
|
total:
215,471 km
paved: 63,348 km (including 734 km of
expressways)
unpaved: 152,123 km (1999) |
|
Waterways:
|
11,000 km
(2004) |
|
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) |
|
Ports and terminals:
|
Bahia
Blanca, Buenos Aires, Concepcion del Uruguay, La Plata,
Punta Colorada, Rosario, San Lorenzo-San Martin, San
Nicolas |
|
Military branches:
|
Argentine
Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic (includes Naval
Aviation and Marines), Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aerea
Argentina, FAA) |
|
Military service age and obligation:
|
18 years
of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
(2001) |
|
Manpower available for military service:
|
males
age 18-49: 8,981,886 (2005 est.) |
|
Manpower fit for military service:
|
males
age 18-49: 7,316,038 (2005 est.) |
|
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
|
males:
344,575 (2005 est.) |
|
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
|
$4.3
billion (FY99) |
|
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
|
1.3%
(FY00) |
|
Military - note:
|
the
Argentine military is a well-organized force constrained
by the country's prolonged economic hardship; the
country has recently experienced a strong recovery, and
the military is now implementing "Plan 2000," aimed at
making the ground forces lighter and more responsive
(2005) |
|
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
|
|
Illicit drugs:
|
used as a
transshipment country for cocaine headed for Europe and
the US; some money-laundering activity, especially in
the Tri-Border Area; domestic consumption of drugs in
urban centers is increasing |
|
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| |
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