Argentina

Argentine RepublicRepublica Argentina

republicIndependence 9 July 1816 (from Spain)

Argentina as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 89 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalBuenos Aires
Position34 00 S, 64 00 W
Area2,766,890 sq km
LocationSouthern South America, bordering the South Atlantic
1996

Every edition of Argentina

Populationas each edition published it
34.67 million July 1996 est. · 32.29m in 1990
Population growth% a year
1.1% 1996 est. · 1.13% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 29 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
71.66 years 1996 est. · 71.19 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
2.62 children per woman 1996 est. · 2.8 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
28.3 deaths per 1,000 live births 1996 est. · 32 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$8,100 1995 est. · $3,400 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
-4.4% 7% in 1993

Geography

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

15 fields

Land useshare of 2,766,890 sq km

arable land 9%permanent crops 4%meadows and pastures 52%forest and woodland 22%other 13%irrigated 17,600 sq km (1989 est.)
Area
2,766,890sq km
land area: 2,736,690 sq kmcomparative area: slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US
Coastline
4,989km
contiguous zone: 24 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental marginexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm
Land boundaries
9,665km
border countries: Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224 km, Chile 5,150 km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km

Location

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

Geographic coordinates

34 00 S, 64 00 W

Map references

South America

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

fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium

Environment

current issues:
  • erosion results from inadequate flood controls and improper land use practices;
  • irrigated soil degradation;
  • desertification;
  • air pollution in Buenos Aires and other major cities;
  • water pollution in urban areas;
  • rivers becoming polluted due to increased pesticide and fertilizer use
natural hazards:
  • Tucuman and Mendoza areas in the Andes subject to earthquakes;
  • pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike the Pampas and northeast;
  • heavy flooding
international agreements:
  • party to - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands;
  • signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Marine Life Conservation

Geographic 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

15 fields
Population
34,672,997
(July 1996 est.)growth rate: 1.1% (1996 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1996 est.)

Birth
19.41Death
8.62Net migration
0.18

Male · female(1996 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years71.66
68.37 · 75.12
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy96.2%
96.2% · 96.2%
MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)

Religions

nominally Roman Catholic 90% (less than 20% practicing)Protestant 2%Jewish 2%other 6%

Age structure

0-14 years:
28% (male 4,904,380; female 4,707,293)
15-64 years:
63% (male 10,851,004; female 10,834,593)
65 years and over:
9% (male 1,414,412; female 1,961,315) (July 1996 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.)

Total fertility rate

2.62 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Argentine(s)
adjective:
Argentine

Ethnic divisions

white 85%, mestizo, Indian, or other nonwhite groups 15%

Languages

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

Government

Republic

22 fields

Legislature, 72 seatsone dot, one seat

PJ 38others 34

Legislature, 257 seatsone dot, one seat

PJ 132UCR 68Frepaso 26other 31

Name of country

conventional long form:
Argentine Republic
conventional short form:
Argentina
local long form:
Republica Argentina
local short form:
Argentina

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 US 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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state and head of government:
  • President Carlos Saul MENEM (since 8 July 1989) was elected for a four-year term by universal suffrage;
  • election last held 14 May 1995 (next to be held May 1999);
  • results - Carlos Saul MENEM was reelected;
  • Vice President Carlos RUCKAUF
cabinet:
Cabinet was appointed by the president

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

International organization participation

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

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Raul Enrique GRANILLO OCAMPO
chancery:
1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
[1] (202) 939-6400 through 6403
consulate(s) general:
Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:
Ambassador James R. CHEEK
embassy:
4300 Colombia, 1425 Buenos Aires
mailing address:
Unit 4334, APO AA 34034
telephone:
[54] (1) 777-4533, 4534

FAX

[54] (1) 777-0197

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

21 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$8,100
(1995 est.)
Real growth rate
-4.4%
industrial production growth: -4.6% (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate
16%
(1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector(1992 est.)

agriculture 6%industry 31%services 63% (1992 est.)

Budget

Revenues
$48.46 billionExpenditures
$46.5 billion (1994 est.)
expenditures including capital expenditures of $3.5 billion

Installed generating capacity, 17,330,000 kW

Electricity production
54.8 billionElectricity consumption per capita
1,610 (1993)

Economic 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.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $278.5 billion (1995 est.)

Labor force

10.9 million; by occupation: agriculture 12%, industry 31%, services 57% (1985 est.)

Industries

food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel

Agriculture

wheat, corn, sorghum, soybeans, sugar beets; livestock

Illicit drugs

increasing use as a transshipment country for cocaine headed for Europe and the US

Exports

$20.7 billion (f.o.b., 1995)

commodities:
meat, wheat, corn, oilseed, manufactures
partners:
US 9%, Brazil, Italy, Japan, Netherlands

Imports

$19.5 billion (c.i.f., 1995)

commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, fuels and lubricants, agricultural products
partners:
US 21%, Brazil, Germany, Bolivia, Japan, Italy, Netherlands

External debt

$90 billion (December 1995)

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)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

7 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 1,253 in all

5
over 3 047 m
1
25
2 438 to 3 047 m
2
54
1 524 to 2 437 m
60
46
914 to 1 523 m
549
511
under 914 m
PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways
215,578Railways
37,910Waterways
11,000
Highways: paved: 61,440 km · unpaved: 154,138 km · Railways: broad gauge: 24,124 km 1.676-m gauge (142 km electrified) · standard gauge: 2,765 km 1.435-m gauge · narrow gauge: 11,021 km 1.000-m gauge (26 km electrified)

Railways

total:
37,910 km
broad gauge:
24,124 km 1.676-m gauge (142 km electrified)
standard gauge:
2,765 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge:
11,021 km 1.000-m gauge (26 km electrified)

Highways

total:
215,578 km
paved:
61,440 km
unpaved:
154,138 km

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

total:
37 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 303,448 GRT/458,864 DWT
ships by type:
bulk 1, cargo 11, chemical tanker 1, container 3, oil tanker 14, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 5, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1995 est.)

Communications

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

9 fields
Fixed lines
2.7 million
(1983 est.)

Telephone system

  • 12,000 public telephones;
  • extensive modern system but many families do not have telephones;
  • despite extensive use of microwave radio relay, the telephone system frequently grounds out during rainstorms, even in Buenos Aires
domestic:
microwave radio relay and a domestic satellite system with 40 earth stations serve the trunk network
international:
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 171, FM 0, shortwave 13

Radios

22.3 million (1991 est.)

Televisions

7.165 million (1991 est.) Defense

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

exchange rate conversion - $4.7 billion, 1.5% of GDP (1995)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Argentina.” The World Factbook 1996. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/argentina/1996.

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