1992 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1992 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest
Coastline
4,989 km
Comparative area
slightly more than four times the size of Texas
Continental shelf
200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation
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
Environment
Tucuman and Mendoza areas in Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike Pampas and northeast; irrigated soil degradation; desertification; air and water pollution in Buenos Aires
Exclusive economic zone
nm limits unknown
Land area
2,736,690 km2
Land boundaries
9,665 km total; Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224 km, Chile 5,150 km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km
Land use
arable land 9%; permanent crops 4%; meadows and pastures 52%; forest and woodland 22%; other 13%; includes irrigated 1%
Natural resources
fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, crude oil, uranium
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)
Terrain
rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border
Territorial sea
12 nm (overflight and navigation permitted beyond 12 nm)
Total area
2,766,890 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
20 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate
9 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Ethnic divisions
white 85%; mestizo, Indian, or other nonwhite groups 15%
Infant mortality rate
34 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Labor force
10,900,000; agriculture 12%, industry 31%, services 57% (1985 est.)
Languages
Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French
Life expectancy at birth
67 years male, 74 years female (1992)
Literacy
95% (male 96%, female 95%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Nationality
noun - Argentine(s); adjective - Argentine
Net migration rate
NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Organized labor
3,000,000; 28% of labor force
Population
32,901,234 (July 1992), growth rate 1.1% (1992)
Religions
nominally Roman Catholic 90% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 6%
Total fertility rate
2.8 children born/woman (1992)
Government
Administrative divisions
23 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), and 1 district** (distrito); 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, Tucuman; note - the national territory is in the process of becoming a province; the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica
Capital
Buenos Aires
Chamber of Deputies
last held in three phases during late 1991 for half of 254 seats, total current breakdown of seats - JP 122, UCR 85, UCD 10, other 37
Chief of State and Head of Government
President Carlos Saul MENEM (since 8 July 1989); Vice President (position vacant)
Communists
some 70,000 members in various party organizations, including a small nucleus of activists
Constitution
1 May 1853
Diplomatic representation
Ambassador Carlos ORTIZ DE ROZAS; Chancery at 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009; telephone (202) 939-6400 through 6403; there are Argentine Consulates General in Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Consulates in Baltimore, Chicago, and Los Angeles US: Ambassador Terence A. TODMAN; Embassy at 4300 Colombia, 1425 Buenos Aires (mailing address is APO AA 34034); telephone [54] (1) 774- 7611 or 8811, 9911; Telex 18156 AMEMBAR
Executive branch
president, vice president, Cabinet
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
Independence
9 July 1816 (from Spain)
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
Legal system
mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)
Long-form name
Argentine Republic
Member of
AfDB, AG (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-6, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, MERCOSUR, OAS, PCA, RG, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
National holiday
Revolution Day, 25 May (1810)
Other political or pressure groups
Peronist-dominated labor movement, General Confederation of Labor (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
Political parties and leaders
Justicialist Party (JP), Carlos Saul MENEM, Peronist umbrella political organization; Radical Civic Union (UCR), Mario LOSADA, moderately left of center; Union of the Democratic Center (UCD), Jorge AGUADO, conservative party; Intransigent Party (PI), Dr. Oscar ALENDE, leftist party; several provincial parties
President
last held 14 May 1989 (next to be held NA May 1995); results - Carlos Saul MENEM was elected
Senate
last held May 1989, but provincial elections in late 1991 set the stage for indirect elections by provincial senators for one-third of 46 seats in the national senate in May 1992; total current breakdown of seats - JP 27, UCR 14, others 5
Suffrage
universal at age 18
Type
republic
Economy
Agriculture
accounts for 15% of GNP (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
Budget
revenues $13.6 billion; expenditures $16.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.5 billion (1991)
Currency
peso (plural - pesos); 1 pesos = 100 centavos
Economic aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.0 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $4.4 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $718 million
Electricity
17,059,000 kW capacity; 47,357 million kWh produced, 1,450 kWh per capita (1991)
Exchange rates
pesos per US$1 - 0.99076 (Feburary 1992), 0.95355 (1991), 0.48759 (1990), 0.04233 (1989), 0.00088 (1988), 0.00021 (1987)
Exports
$12 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: meat, wheat, corn, oilseed, hides, wool partners: US 12%, USSR, Italy, Brazil, Japan, Netherlands
External debt
$61 billion (January 1992)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
exchange rate conversion - $101.2 billion, per capita $3,100; real growth rate 5.5% (1991 est.)
Illicit drugs
increasing use as a transshipment country for cocaine headed for the US and Europe
Imports
$8 billion (c.i.f., 1991) commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, fuels and lubricants, agricultural products partners: US 22%, Brazil, FRG, Bolivia, Japan, Italy, Netherlands
Industrial production
growth rate 20% (1991 est.); accounts for 30% of GDP
Industries
food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
83.8% (1991)
Overview
Argentina is rich in natural resources and has a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. Nevertheless, following decades of mismanagement and statist policies, the economy has encountered major problems in recent years, leading to escalating inflation and a recession during 1988-90. Since 1978, Argentina's external debt has nearly doubled to $58 billion, creating severe debt servicing difficulties and hurting the country's creditworthiness with international lenders. Elected in 1989, President Menem has implemented a comprehensive economic restructuring program that shows signs of reversing Argentina's economic decline and putting it on a path of stable, sustainable growth.
Unemployment rate
6.4% (October 1991)
Communications
Airports
1,702 total, 1,473 usable; 137 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 31 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 326 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Civil air
56 major transport aircraft
Highways
208,350 km total; 47,550 km paved, 39,500 km gravel, 101,000 km improved earth, 20,300 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways
11,000 km navigable
Merchant marine
98 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,235,385 GRT/1,952,307 DWT; includes 35 cargo, 6 refrigerated cargo, 6 container, 1 railcar carrier, 33 oil tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 3 liquefied gas, 10 bulk; in addition, 2 naval tankers and 1 military transport are sometimes used commercially
Pipelines
crude oil 4,090 km; petroleum products 2,900 km; natural gas 9,918 km
Ports
Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Necochea, Rio Gallegos, Rosario, Santa Fe
Railroads
34,172 km total (includes 209 km electrified); includes a mixture of 1.435-meter standard gauge, 1.676-meter broad gauge, 1.000-meter narrow gauge, and 0.750-meter narrow gauge
Telecommunications
extensive modern system; 2,650,000 telephones (12,000 public telephones); microwave widely used; broadcast stations - 171 AM, no FM, 231 TV, 13 shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations; domestic satellite network has 40 earth stations
Military and Security
Branches
Argentine Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic, Argentine Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Argentine Naval Prefecture (Coast Guard only), National Aeronautical Police Force
Defense expenditures
exchange rate conversion - $700 million, 1.5% of GDP (1991)
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 8,101,856; 6,568,885 fit for military service; 276,457 reach military age (20) annually