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| Introduction | Argentina |
| 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. |
| People | Argentina |
| Population: | 39,144,753 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 25.9% (male 5,179,236; female 4,947,234) 15-64 years: 63.6% (male 12,452,566; female 12,457,451) 65 years and over: 10.5% (male 1,685,371; female 2,422,895) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 29.2 years male: 28.3 years female: 30.1 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 1.02% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 17.19 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 7.57 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 0.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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 (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 15.66 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 17.6 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 75.7 years male: 71.95 years female: 79.65 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 2.24 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.7% (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 130,000 (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 1,500 (2001 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.) |
| Government | Argentina |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Argentine Republic conventional short form: Argentina local short form: Argentina local long form: Republica Argentina |
| Government type: | republic |
| Capital: | Buenos Aires |
| Administrative divisions: | 23 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), and 1 autonomous city* (distrito federal); Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Capital Federal*, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Cordoba, Corrientes, 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 |
| Independence: | 9 July 1816 (from Spain) |
| National holiday: | Revolution Day, 25 May (1810) |
| Constitution: | 1 May 1853; revised August 1994 |
| Legal system: | mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Nestor KIRCHNER (since 25 May 2003); Vice President Daniel SCIOLI (since 25 May 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Nestor KIRCHNER (since 25 May 2003); Vice President Daniel SCIOLI (since 25 May 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president election results: results of the presidential primary of 27 April 2003: Carlos Saul MENEM 24.3%, Nestor KIRCHNER 22%, Ricardo Lopez MURPHY 16.4%, Adolfo Rodriguez SAA 14.4%, Elisa CARRIO 14.2%, other 8.7%; the subsequent runoff election slated for 25 May 2003 was awarded to KIRCHNER by default after MENEM withdrew his candidacy on the eve of the election elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; the last election held was the presidential primary election of 27 April 2003 (next election to be held NA 2007) |
| Legislative branch: | bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate (72 seats; members are elected by direct vote; presently one-third of the members elected every two years to a six-year term) and the Chamber of Deputies (257 seats; members are elected by direct vote; one-half of the members elected every two years to a four-year term) election results: Senate - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA; seats by bloc or party - PJ 41, UCR 16, provincial parties 15; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA; seats by bloc or party - PJ 133, UCR 46, IF 23, ARI 11, Socialist 6, other/provincial parties 38 elections: Senate - last held intermittently by province during the 2nd half of 2003 (next to be held NA 2005); Chamber of Deputies - last held intermittently by province during the 2nd half of 2003 (next to be held NA 2005) |
| Judicial branch: | Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (the nine Supreme Court judges are appointed by the president with approval by the Senate) |
| Political parties and leaders: | Action for the Republic or AR [Domingo CAVALLO]; Alternative for a Republic of Equals or ARI [Elisa CARRIO]; Front for a Country in Solidarity or Frepaso (a four-party coalition) [Dario Pedro ALESSANDRO]; Interbloque Federal or IF (a broad coalition of approximately 12 parties including RECREAR) [leader NA]; Justicialist Party or PJ [leader NA] (Peronist umbrella political organization); Radical Civic Union or UCR [Angel ROZAS]; Federal Recreate Movement or RECREAR [Ricardo LOPEZ MURPHY]; Socialist Party or PS [Ruben GIUSTINIANI]; 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); business organizations; General Confederation of Labor or CGT (Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization); Peronist-dominated labor movement; Roman Catholic Church; students |
| International organization participation: | AfDB, Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, FAO, G-6, G-15, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MICAH, MINURSO, NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMOVIC, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Jose Octavio BORDON chancery: 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York FAX: [1] (202) 332-3171 telephone: [1] (202) 238-6400 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Lino GUTIERREZ embassy: Avenida Colombia 4300, C1425GMN Buenos Aires mailing address: international mail: use street address; APO address: Unit 4334, APO AA 34034 telephone: [54] (11) 5777-4533 FAX: [54] (11) 5777-4240 |
| 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 |
| Communications | Argentina |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 8,009,400 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 6.5 million (2002) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: by opening the telecommunications market to competition and foreign investment with the "Telecommunications Liberalization Plan of 1998," Argentina encouraged the growth of modern telecommunication technology; fiber-optic cable trunk lines are being installed between all major cities; the major networks are entirely digital and the availability of telephone service is being improved; however, telephone density is presently minimal, and making telephone service universally available will take time domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber-optic cable, and a domestic satellite system with 40 earth stations serve the trunk network; more than 110,000 pay telephones are installed and mobile telephone use is rapidly expanding international: country code - 54; satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); Atlantis II and Unisur submarine cables; two international gateways near Buenos Aires (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) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 42 (plus 444 repeaters) (1997) |
| Televisions: | 7.95 million (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .ar |
| Internet hosts: | 742,358 (2003) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 33 (2000) |
| Internet users: | 4.1 million (2002) |
| Transportation | Argentina |
| Railways: | total: 34,091 km (167 km electrified) broad gauge: 20,594 km 1.676-m gauge (141 km electrified) standard gauge: 2,885 km 1.435-m gauge (26 km electrified) narrow gauge: 10,375 km 1.000-m gauge; 237 km 0.750-m gauge (2003) |
| Highways: | total: 215,471 km paved: 63,348 km (including 734 km of expressways) unpaved: 152,123 km (1999) |
| Waterways: | 11,000 km (2004) |
| Pipelines: | gas 27,166 km; liquid petroleum gas 41 km; oil 3,668 km; refined products 2,945 km; unknown (oil/water) 13 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: | Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Comodoro Rivadavia, Concepcion del Uruguay, La Plata, Mar del Plata, Necochea, Rio Gallegos, Rosario, Santa Fe, Ushuaia |
| Merchant marine: | total: 45 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 149,007 GRT/212,620 DWT by type: cargo 9, petroleum tanker 9, rail car carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea/passenger 1, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: Uruguay 1 registered in other countries: 26 (2003 est.) |
| Airports: | 1,335 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 144 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 26 1,524 to 2,437 m: 62 914 to 1,523 m: 44 under 914 m: 8 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 1,190 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 50 914 to 1,523 m: 569 under 914 m: 567 (2004 est.) |
| Military | Argentina |
| Military branches: | Argentine Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic (includes Naval Aviation and Marines), Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Argentina, FAA) |
| Military manpower - military age and obligation: | 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001) |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 9,901,352 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 8,042,304 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 327,738 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $4.3 billion (FY99) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1.3% (FY00) |
| Transnational Issues | Argentina |
| Disputes - international: | UK continues to reject sovereignty talks requested by Argentina, whose constitution still claims UK-administered Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, but in 1995 ceded the right to settle the dispute by force; Beagle Channel islands dispute resolved through Papal mediation in 1984, but armed incidents persist since 1992 oil discovery; territorial claim in Antarctica partially overlaps UK and Chilean claims (see Antarctic disputes); unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and drug trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations; uncontested dispute between Brazil and Uruguay over Braziliera Island in the Quarai/Cuareim River leaves the tripoint with Argentina in question |
| Illicit drugs: | used as a transshipment country for cocaine headed for Europe and the US; some money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border Area; domestic consumption of drugs in urban centers is increasing |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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