1999 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1999 (Internet Archive)
Introduction
Background
A part of the Spanish empire until independence in 1816, Argentina subsequently experienced periods of internal political conflict between conservatives and liberals and between civilian and military factions. Meantime, thanks to rich natural resources and foreign investment, a modern agriculture and a diversified industry were gradually developed. After World War II, a long period of Peronist dictatorship was followed by rule by a military junta. Democratic elections finally came in 1983, but both the political and economic atmosphere remain susceptible to turmoil.
Geography
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
Climate
mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest
Coastline
4,989 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: Salinas Chicas -40 m (located on Peninsula Valdes) highest point: Cerro Aconcagua 6,962 m
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
Environment--international agreements
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, 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: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation
Geographic coordinates
34 00 S, 64 00 W
Geography--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)
Irrigated land
17,000 sq km (1993 est.)
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
Land use
arable land: 9% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 52% forests and woodland: 19% other: 19% (1993 est.)
Location
Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay
Map references
South America
Maritime claims
contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
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
Natural resources
fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium
Terrain
rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 27% (male 5,124,087; female 4,932,060) 15-64 years: 62% (male 11,457,399; female 11,469,346) 65 years and over: 11% (male 1,553,158; female 2,201,614) (1999 est.)
Birth rate
19.91 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate
7.64 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Ethnic groups
white 85%, mestizo, Amerindian, or other nonwhite groups 15%
Infant mortality rate
18.41 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Languages
Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 74.76 years male: 71.13 years female: 78.56 years (1999 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96.2% male: 96.2% female: 96.2% (1995 est.)
Nationality
noun: Argentine(s) adjective: Argentine
Net migration rate
0.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Population
36,737,664 (July 1999 est.)
Population growth rate
1.29% (1999 est.)
Religions
nominally Roman Catholic 90% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 6%
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: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.66 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Government
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
Capital
Buenos Aires
Constitution
1 May 1853; revised August 1994
Country name
conventional long form: Argentine Republic conventional short form: Argentina local long form: Republica Argentina local short form: Argentina
Data code
AR
Executive branch
chief of state: President Carlos Saul MENEM (since 8 July 1989); Vice President Carlos RUCKAUF (since 8 July 1995); note--the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Carlos Saul MENEM (since 8 July 1989); Vice President Carlos RUCKAUF (since 8 July 1995); 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 14 May 1995 (next to be held NA October 1999) election results: Carlos Saul MENEM reelected president; percent of vote--NA
Flag description
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
Government type
republic
Independence
9 July 1816 (from Spain)
International organization participation
AfDB, Australia Group, BCIE, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G6, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MINURSO, MIPONUH, MTCR, NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Diego Ramiro GUELAR chancery: 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant) embassy: 4300 Colombia, 1425 Buenos Aires mailing address: international mail: use street address; APO address: Unit 4334, APO AA 34034
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 or PJ [Carlos Saul MENEM] (Peronist umbrella political organization); Radical NA]; Front for a Country in Solidarity or Frepaso (a four-party Political pressure groups and leaders: Peronist-dominated labor movement; General Confederation of Labor or CGT (Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization); Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers' association); Argentine Rural Society (large landowners' association); Argentine Association of Pharmaceutical Labs (CILFA); business organizations; students; the Roman Catholic Church; the Armed Forces
Legal system
mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate (72 seats; formerly, three members appointed by each of the provincial legislatures; presently transitioning to one-third of the members being elected every two years to a six-year term) and the Chamber of Deputies (257 seats; one-half of the members elected every two years to four-year terms) elections: Senate--transition phase will continue through 2001 elections when all seats will be fully contested; winners will randomly draw to determine whether they will serve a two-year, four-year, or full six-year term; Chamber of Deputies--last held 26 October 1997 (next to be held NA October 1999) election results: Senate--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--PJ 39, UCR 1, others 32; Chamber of Deputies--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--PJ 119, UCR 69, Frepaso 36, other 33
National holiday
Revolution Day, 25 May (1810)
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Economy
Agriculture--products
sunflower seeds, lemons, soybeans, grapes, corn, tobacco, peanuts, tea, wheat; livestock
Budget
revenues: $56 billion expenditures: $60 billion, including capital expenditures of $4 billion (1998 est.)
Currency
1 peso = 100 centavos
Debt--external
$133 billion (1998 est.)
Economic aid--recipient
$2.833 billion (1995)
Economy--overview
Argentina benefits from rich natural resources, a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. However, when President Carlos MENEM took office in 1989, the country had piled up huge external debts, inflation had reached 200% per month, and output was plummeting. To combat the economic crisis, the government embarked on a path of trade liberalization, deregulation, and privatization. In 1991, it implemented radical monetary reforms which pegged the peso to the US dollar and limited the growth in the monetary base by law to the growth in reserves. Inflation fell sharply in subsequent years. The Mexican peso crisis produced capital flight, the loss of banking system deposits, and a severe, but short-lived, recession in 1995; a series of reforms to bolster the domestic banking system followed. Real GDP growth recovered strongly, reaching almost 9% in 1997. In 1998, increasing investor anxiety over Brazil, its largest trading partner, produced the highest domestic interest rates in more than three years and slowed growth to 4.3%. Despite the relatively high level of growth in recent years, double-digit unemployment rates have persisted, largely because of rigidities in Argentina's labor laws.
Electricity--consumption
67.509 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports
330 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports
3.17 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production
64.669 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source
fossil fuel: 45% hydro: 44.3% nuclear: 10.7% other: 0% (1996)
Exchange rates
peso is pegged to the US dollar at an exchange rate of 1 peso = $1
Exports
$26 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Exports--commodities
cereals, feed, motor vehicles, crude petroleum, steel manufactures
Exports--partners
Brazil 31%, US 8%, Chile 7.0%, China 3%, Uruguay 3% (1997 est.)
Fiscal year
calendar year
GDP
purchasing power parity--$374 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector
agriculture: 7% industry: 37% services: 56% (1997 est.)
GDP--per capita
purchasing power parity?$10,300 (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate
4.3% (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports
$32 billion (c.i.f., 1998 est.)
Imports--commodities
motor vehicles, motor vehicle parts, organic chemicals, telecommunications equipment, plastics
Imports--partners
Brazil 23%, US 20%, Italy 6%, Germany 5%, France 5% (1997)
Industrial production growth rate
2% (1998)
Industries
food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
1% (1998 est.)
Labor force
14 million (1997)
Labor force--by occupation
agriculture 12%, industry 31%, services 57% (1985 est.)
Population below poverty line
25.5% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate
12% (October 1998)
Communications
Radio broadcast stations
AM 260 (including 10 inactive stations), FM NA (probably more than 1,000, mostly unlicensed), shortwave 6 (1998 est.)
Radios
22.3 million (1991 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)
Telephones
4.6 million (1990)
Television broadcast stations
42 (in addition, there are 444 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions
7.165 million (1991 est.)
Transportation
Airports
1,374 (1998 est.) Airports--with paved runways: total: 141 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 26 1,524 to 2,437 m: 58 914 to 1,523 m: 45 under 914 m: 7 (1998 est.) Airports--with unpaved runways: total: 1,233 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 67 914 to 1,523 m: 621 under 914 m: 541 (1998 est.)
Highways
total: 208,350 km paved: 47,550 km (including 567 km of expressways) unpaved: 160,800 km (1998 est.)
Merchant marine
total: 29 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 233,856 GRT/363,335 DWT ships by type: cargo 10, container 1, oil tanker 13, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1, short-sea passenger 1 (1998 est.)
Pipelines
crude oil 4,090 km; petroleum products 2,900 km; natural gas 9,918 km Ports and harbors: Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Comodoro Rivadavia, Concepcion del Uruguay, La Plata, Mar del Plata, Necochea, Rio Gallegos, Rosario, Santa Fe, Ushuaia
Railways
total: 37,830 km broad gauge: 23,992 km 1.676-m gauge (167 km electrified) standard gauge: 2,765 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 11,073 km 1.000-m gauge (26 km electrified)
Waterways
11,000 km navigable
Military and Security
Military branches
Argentine Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic (includes Naval Aviation, Marines, and Coast Guard), Argentine Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Aeronautical Police Force
Military expenditures--dollar figure
$4.6 billion (1998)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP
1.4% (1998)
Military manpower--availability
males age 15-49: 9,169,681 (1999 est.) Military manpower--fit for military service: males age 15-49: 7,435,551 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--military age
20 years of age
Military manpower--reaching military age annually
males: 343,038 (1999 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international
short section of the southwestern boundary with Chile is indefinite--process to resolve boundary issues is underway; claims UK-administered Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); claims UK-administered South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica
Illicit drugs
increasing use as a transshipment country for cocaine headed for Europe and the US; increasing money-laundering center