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Argentina |
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| 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 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. |
| 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 |
| 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: |
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, Climate
Change, Climate Change-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: |
38,740,807 (July 2003 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 26.2% (male 5,185,548; female 4,955,551)
15-64 years: 63.4% (male 12,274,625; female 12,282,772)
65 years and over: 10.4% (male 1,659,641; female 2,382,670) (2003
est.) |
| Median
age: |
total: 29 years
male: 28 years
female:
29.9 years (2002) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.05% (2003 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
17.47 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
7.58 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
0.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| 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: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population:
0.97 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
total: 16.16 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
14.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 18.14 deaths/1,000
live births |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population: 75.48 years
male: 71.72 years
female: 79.44 years (2003 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.28 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Argentine(s)
adjective: Argentine |
| Ethnic
groups: |
white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo, Amerindian, or other
nonwhite groups 3% |
| Religions: |
nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant
2%, Jewish 2%, other 4% |
| Languages: |
Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French |
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total
population: 97.1%
male: 97.1%
female: 97.1%
(2003 est.)
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| Economy
- overview: |
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. Output was 14.7% below the previous year's figure,
and unemployment remained high at 21.5%. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $391 billion (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
-14.7% (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $10,200 (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
5%
industry: 28%
services: 67% (2000 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
37% (2001 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
41% (2002, yearend) |
| Labor
force: |
15 million (1999) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% |
| Unemployment
rate: |
21.5% (May 2002) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$44 billion
expenditures: $48 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
| Industries: |
food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals
and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
1% (2000 est.) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
sunflower seeds, lemons, soybeans, grapes, corn, tobacco, peanuts, tea,
wheat; livestock |
| Exports: |
$25.3 billion f.o.b. (2002) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
edible oils, fuels and energy, cereals, feed, motor vehicles |
| Exports
- partners: |
Brazil 26.5%, US 11.8%, Chile 10.6%, Spain 3.5% (2000) |
| Imports: |
$9 billion f.o.b. (2002) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal manufactures,
plastics |
| Imports
- partners: |
Brazil 25.1%, US 18.7%, Germany 5%, China 4.6% (2000) |
| Debt
- external: |
$155 billion (2001 est.) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
$10 billion (2001 est.) |
| Currency: |
Argentine peso (ARS) |
| Currency
code: |
ARS |
| Exchange
rates: |
Argentine pesos per US dollar - 3.0633 (2002), 0.9995 (2001), 0.9995
(2000), 0.9995 (1999), 0.9995 (1998) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year
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