World Countries Info > Argentina > Buenos Aires
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.
Geography of Argentina
|
Location:
|
Southern South America,
bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay |
|
Geographic coordinates:
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34 00 S, 64 00 W |
|
Area:
|
total: 2,766,890 sq
km
land: 2,736,690 sq km
water: 30,200 sq km |
|
Area - comparative:
|
slightly less than
three-tenths the size of the US |
|
Land boundaries:
|
total: 9,665 km
border countries: Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224 km, Chile 5,150
km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km |
|
Coastline:
|
4,989 km |
|
Maritime claims:
|
contiguous zone: 24
NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 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 extremes:
|
lowest point:
Salinas Chicas -40 m (located on Peninsula Valdes)
highest point: Cerro Aconcagua 6,960 m |
|
Natural resources:
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fertile plains of the
Pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium |
|
Land use:
|
arable land: 9.14%
permanent crops: 0.8%
other: 90.06% (1998 est.) |
|
Irrigated land:
|
15,610 sq km (1998 est.) |
|
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, Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation |
|
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); Cerro Aconcagua is South
America's tallest mountain, while the Valdes Peninsula is the lowest
point on the continent
|
Population of Argentina
|
Population:
|
39,144,753 (July 2004 est.) |
|
Age structure:
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0-14 years: 25.9% (male 5,179,236;
female 4,947,234)
15-64 years: 63.6% (male 12,452,566; female 12,457,451)
65 years and over: 10.5% (male 1,685,371; female 2,422,895) (2004 est.) |
|
Median age:
|
total: 29.2 years
male: 28.3 years
female: 30.1 years (2004 est.) |
|
Population growth rate:
|
1.02% (2004 est.) |
|
Birth rate:
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17.19 births/1,000 |
|
Death rate:
|
7.57 deaths/1,000 |
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Net migration rate:
|
0.61 migrant(s)/1,000 |
|
Infant mortality rate:
|
total: 15.66 deaths/1,000 live
births
female: 13.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 17.6 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 75.7 years
male: 71.95 years
female: 79.65 years (2004 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
|
2.24 children born/woman (2004 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:
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130,000 (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
|
1,800 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
|
noun: Argentine(s)
adjective: Argentine |
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Ethnic groups:
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white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%,
mestizo, Amerindian, or other nonwhite groups 3% |
|
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.)
|
Government
|
Country name:
|
conventional long form: Argentine
Republic
conventional short form: Argentina
local short form: Argentina
local long form: Republica Argentina |
|
Government type:
|
republic |
|
Capital:
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Buenos Aires |
|
Administrative divisions:
|
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 |
|
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 mandatory |
|
Executive branch:
|
chief of state: President Nestor
KIRCHNER (since 25 May 2003); note - declared winner of a runoff election by default after
Carlos Saul MENEM withdrew his candidacy on the eve of the election; 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); note - declared
winner of a runoff election by default after Carlos Saul MENEM withdrew his candidacy on
the eve of the election; 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
election results: results of the presidential primary 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
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote
for four-year terms; the last election held was the presidential primary election of 27
April 2003 (next election to be held NA 2007); a runoff election slated for 25 May 2003
between the two candidates receiving the highest votes in the primary was awarded to
KIRCHNER by default after MENEM withdrew his candidacy on the eve of the election |
|
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)
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
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) |
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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]; 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 [leader NA] (Peronist umbrella political organization);
Radical Civic Union or UCR [Angel ROZAS]; Federal Recreate Movement or RECREAR [Ricardo
LOPEZ MURPHY]; Socialist Party or PS [Ruben GIUSTINIANI]; several provincial parties |
|
Political pressure groups and leaders:
|
Argentine Association of Pharmaceutical
Labs (CILFA); Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers' association); Argentine Rural
Society (large landowners' association); business organizations; General Confederation of
Labor or CGT (Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization); Peronist-dominated labor
movement; Roman Catholic Church; students |
Economy
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 recurring economic 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 inflation picked up rapidly,
but by mid-2002 the economy had stabilized, albeit at a lower level. Strong demand for
the peso compelled the Central Bank to intervene in foreign exchange markets to curb its
appreciation in 2003. Led by record exports, the economy began to recover with output up
8% in 2003, unemployment falling, and inflation reduced to under 4% at year-end.
|
GDP:
|
purchasing power parity - $432.7 billion
(2003 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
|
8% (2003 est.) |
|
GDP - per capita:
|
purchasing power parity - $11,200 (2003
est.) |
|
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 5%
industry: 28%
services: 67% (2000 est.) |
|
Population below poverty line:
|
51.7% (May 2003) |
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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):
|
3.7% (2003, yearend) |
|
Labor force:
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15 million (1999) |
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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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16.3% (September 2003) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $44 billion
expenditures: $48 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
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Industries:
|
food processing, motor vehicles, consumer
durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel |
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Industrial production growth rate:
|
7% (2003 est.) |
|
Electricity - production:
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97.17 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 52.2%
hydro: 40.8%
other: 0.2% (2001)
nuclear: 6.7% |
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Electricity - consumption:
|
92.12 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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5.662 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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7.417 billion kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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828,600 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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486,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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2.927 billion bbl (1 January 2002) |
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Natural gas - production:
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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.) |
|
Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m (2001 est.) |
|
Natural gas - proved reserves:
|
768 billion cu m (1 January 2002) |
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Agriculture - products:
|
sunflower seeds, lemons, soybeans, grapes,
corn, tobacco, peanuts, tea, wheat; livestock |
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Exports:
|
$29.57 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
|
Exports - commodities:
|
edible oils, fuels and energy, cereals,
feed, motor vehicles |
|
Exports - partners:
|
Brazil 18.8%, Chile 11.5%, US 11.5%, Spain
4.5%, China 4.2%, Netherlands 4.1% (2002) |
|
Imports:
|
$13.27 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
|
Imports - commodities:
|
machinery and equipment, motor vehicles,
chemicals, metal manufactures, plastics |
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Imports - partners:
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Brazil 28.1%, US 20.1%, Germany 6.2% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
|
$142 billion (2002 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$10 billion (2001 est.) |
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Currency:
|
Argentine peso (ARS) |
|
Currency code:
|
ARS |
|
Exchange rates:
|
Argentine pesos per US dollar - 2.9 (2003),
3.06 (2002), 1 (2001), 1 (2000), 1 (1999) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State
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