2000 Edition

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 dictatorship was followed by a military junta that took power in 1976. Democracy returned in 1983, and four free elections since then have underscored Argentina's progress in democratic consolidation.

Area

land

2,736,690 sq km

total

2,766,890 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

highest point

Cerro Aconcagua 6,960 m

lowest point

Salinas Chicas -40 m (located on Peninsula Valdes)

Environment - current issues

environmental problems (urban and rural) typical of an industrializing economy such as 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 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

border countries

Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224 km, Chile 5,150 km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km

total

9,665 km

Land use

arable land

9%

forests and woodland

19%

other

19% (1993 est.)

permanent crops

1%

permanent pastures

52%

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 27% (male 5,061,588; female 4,827,582) 15-64 years: 63% (male 11,625,574; female 11,613,358) 65 years and over: 10% (male 1,582,861; female 2,244,219) (2000 est.)

Birth rate

18.59 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate

7.59 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups

white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo, Amerindian, or other nonwhite groups 3%

Infant mortality rate

18.31 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

78.61 years (2000 est.)

male

71.67 years

total population

75.05 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

96.2% (1995 est.)

male

96.2%

total population

96.2%

Nationality

adjective

Argentine

noun

Argentine(s)

Net migration rate

0.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Population

36,955,182 (July 2000 est.)

Population growth rate

1.16% (2000 est.)

Religions

nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%

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: 0.71 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.47 children born/woman (2000 est.)

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, Antartica 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

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

telephone

(1) 777-4533, 4534

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

chief of mission

Ambassador Guillermo GONZALEZ Enrique

telephone

(202) 238-6400

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president

chief of state

President Fernando DE LA RUA (since 10 December 1999); Vice President Carlos Alberto ALVAREZ (since 10 December 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

election results

Fernando DE LA RUA elected president; percent of vote - 48.5%

elections

president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 24 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2003)

head of government

President Fernando DE LA RUA (since 10 December 1999); Vice President Carlos Alberto ALVAREZ (since 10 December 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

FAX

(202) 238-6471

(1) 777-0197

consulate(s) general

Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York

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, G- 6, 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, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (Corte Suprema), the nine Supreme Court judges are appointed by the president with approval of the Senate

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 six-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies (257 seats; one-half of the members elected every two years to four-year terms)

election results

Senate - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA; seats by bloc or party - Peronist 40, UCR 20, Frepaso 1, other 11; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA; seats by bloc or party - Alliance 124 (UCR 85, Frepaso 36, others 3), Peronist 101, AR 12, other 20

elections

Senate - transition phase will begin in 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, beginning a rotating cycle renovating a third of the body every two years; Chamber of Deputies - last held 24 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2001)

National holiday

Revolution Day, 25 May (1810)

Political parties and leaders

Action for the Republic or AR [Domingo CAVALLO]; Alliance (UCR, Frepaso and others) ; Front for a Country in Solidarity or Frepaso (a four-party coalition) [Carlos ALVAREZ]; Justicialist Party or PJ (Peronist umbrella political organization); Radical Civic Union or UCR [Raul ALFONSIN]; 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); Armed Forces; business organizations; General Confederation of Labor or CGT (Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization); Peronist-dominated labor movement; Roman Catholic Church; students

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

sunflower seeds, lemons, soybeans, grapes, corn, tobacco, peanuts, tea, wheat; livestock

Budget

expenditures

$48 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA billion (2000 est.)

revenues

$44 billion

Currency

1 peso = 100 centavos

Debt - external

$149 billion (1999 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. In 1995, the Mexican peso crisis produced capital flight, the loss of banking system deposits, and a severe, but short-lived, recession; a series of reforms to bolster the domestic banking system followed. Real GDP growth recovered strongly, reaching 8% in 1997. In 1998, international financial turmoil caused by Russia's problems and increasing investor anxiety over Brazil produced the highest domestic interest rates in more than three years, halving the growth rate of the economy. Conditions worsened in 1999 with GDP falling by 3%. President Fernando DE LA RUA, who took office in December 1999, sponsored tax increases and spending cuts to reduce the deficit, which had ballooned to 2.5% of GDP in 1999. The new government also arranged a new $7.4 billion stand-by facility with the IMF for contingency purposes - almost three times the size of the previous arrangement. Key challenges facing the new government include reforming the country's rigid labor code and addressing the precarious financial situation of several highly indebted provinces.

Electricity - consumption

75.57 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports

250 million kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports

5.85 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production

75.237 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

42.71%

hydro

47.55%

nuclear

9.47%

other

0.27% (1998)

Exchange rates

peso is pegged to the US dollar at an exchange rate of 1 peso = $1

Exports

$23 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)

Exports - commodities

edible oils, fuels and energy, cereals, feed, motor vehicles

Exports - partners

Brazil 24%, EU 21%, US 11% (1999 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $367 billion (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

7%

industry

29%

services

64% (1999 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $10,000 (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

-3% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Imports

$25 billion (c.i.f., 1999 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal manufactures, plastics

Imports - partners

EU 28%, US 22%, Brazil 21% (1999 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

-7% (1999 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

-2% (1999 est.)

Labor force

15 million (1999)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%

Population below poverty line

36% (1998 est.)

Unemployment rate

14% (December 1999)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

47 (1999)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 260 (including 10 inactive stations), FM NA (probably more than 1,000, mostly unlicensed), shortwave 6 (1998)

Radios

24.3 million (1997)

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 fails 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 - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); two international gateways near Buenos Aires; Atlantis II submarine cable (1999)

Telephones - main lines in use

7.5 million (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular

1.8 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations

42 (plus 444 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions

7.95 million (1997)

Airports

1,359 (1999 est.)

Airports - with paved runways

total

142 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 26 1,524 to 2,437 m: 60 914 to 1,523 m: 44 under 914 m: 7 (1999 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

1,217 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 63 914 to 1,523 m: 614 under 914 m: 536 (1999 est.)

Highways

paved

63,553 km (including 734 km of expressways)

total

215,434 km

unpaved

151,881 km (1998 est.)

Merchant marine

ships by type

cargo 9, petroleum tanker 11, rail car carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off 1, short-sea passenger 2 (1999 est.)

total

26 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 218,540 GRT/333,413 DWT

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

broad gauge

24,481 km 1.676-m gauge (134 km electrified)

narrow gauge

11,080 km 1.000-m gauge (1999)

standard gauge

2,765 km 1.435-m gauge (26 km electrified)

total

38,326 km (160 km electrified)

Waterways

10,950 km navigable

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

$4.3 billion (FY99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.3% (FY99)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 9,287,499 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 7,530,476 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - military age

20 years of age

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

341,544 (2000 est.)

Disputes - international

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 use as a money-laundering center; domestic consumption of drugs has skyrocketed

ARMENIA