Argentina

Argentina

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name República Argentina/Argentine Republic Area 2,780,400 sq km/1,073,518 sq mi Capital Buenos Aires Language Spanish (official) (95%), Italian (3%), English, German, French Religion predominantly Roman Catholic (state-supported), 2% protestant, 2% Jewish Time difference GMT -3 Major holidays 1 January, 1, 25 May, 10, 20 June, 9 July, 17 August, 12 October, 8, 25, 31 December; variable: Good Friday, Holy Thursday


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Rosario, Córdoba, San Miguel de Tucumán, Mendoza, Santa Fé, La Plata Major ports La Plata and Bahía Blanca Physical features mountains in west, forest and savannah in north, pampas (treeless plains) in east-central area, Patagonian plateau in south; rivers Colorado, Salado, Paraná, Uruguay, Río de La Plata estuary; Andes mountains, with Aconcagua the highest peak in western hemisphere; Iguaçu Falls Territories disputed claim to the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), and part of Antarctica Airports ten international airports and about 200 airfields that can handle domestic flights; total passengers carried: 6 million (2003 est) Railways total length: 38,844 km/24,136 mi; total passenger journeys: 355 million (2002) Roads total road network: 215,471 km/133,887 mi, of which 29.4% paved (2000); passenger cars: 139.7 per 1,000 people (1998 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state and government Néstor Kirchner Ostoic from 2003 Political system liberal democracy Political executive limited presidency Administrative divisions 23 provinces and one federal district (Buenos Aires) Political parties Radical Civic Union Party (UCR), moderate centrist; Justicialist Party (PJ), right-wing Perónist; Movement for Dignity and Independence (Modin), right wing; Front for a Country in Solidarity (Frepaso), left of centre Death penalty abolished for ordinary crimes in 1984; laws provide for the death penalty for exceptional crimes, such as crimes committed in wartime Armed forces 71,400; plus paramilitary gendarmerie of 31,200 (2006 est) Conscription abolished in 1995 Defence spend (% GDP) 1 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 4 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 4.3 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency peso (= 10,000 australs, which it replaced in 1992) GDP (US$) 183.3 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 8 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 173 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 13,920 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 12.3% (2006 est) Unemployment 11.7% (2005 est) Labour force 1.1% agriculture, 23.5% industry, 75.4% services (2005) Foreign debt (US$) 117.6 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners Brazil, USA, Chile, China, Germany Resources coal, crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, lead ore, zinc ore, tin, gold, silver, uranium ore, marble, borates, granite Industries petroleum and petroleum products, primary iron, crude steel, sulphuric acid, synthetic rubber, paper and paper products, crude oil, cement, cigarettes, motor vehicles Exports meat and meat products, prepared animal fodder, cereals, petroleum and petroleum products, soybeans, vegetable oils and fats. Principal market: Brazil 16.6% (2005) Imports machinery and transport equipment, chemicals and mineral products, consumer goods. Principal sources: Brazil 33.8% (2005) Arable land 10% (2006 est) Agricultural products wheat, maize, soybeans, sugar cane, rice, sorghum, potatoes, tobacco, sunflowers, cotton, vine fruits, citrus fruit; livestock production (chiefly cattle)


POPULATION

Population 39,134,300 (2006 est) Population growth rate 1% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 14 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 91 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 26%, 15–59 60%, 60+ 14% (2005 est) Ethnic groups 85% of European descent, mainly Spanish; 15% mestizo (offspring of Spanish–American and American Indian parents) Life expectancy 72 (men); 79 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 18 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 10 Literacy rate 97% (men); 97% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 30.1 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 3.3 (2002 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 0.6 (2005 est) AIDS deaths 4,300 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 97 (urban) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 22.8 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 57.3 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 681 (1997) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 326 (2005 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 8.4 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 17.8 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

1516 The Spanish navigator Juan Diaz de Solis discovered Río de La Plata. 1536 Buenos Aires was founded, but was soon abandoned because of attacks by American Indians. 1580 Buenos Aires was re-established as part of the Spanish province of Asunción. 1617 Buenos Aires became a separate province within the Spanish viceroyalty of Lima. 1776 The Spanish South American Empire was reorganized: Atlantic regions became viceroyalty of La Plata, with Buenos Aires as capital. 1810 After the French conquest of Spain, Buenos Aires junta took over government of viceroyalty. 1816 Independence was proclaimed, as the United Provinces of Río de La Plata, but Bolivia and Uruguay soon seceded; civil war followed between federalists and those who wanted a unitary state. 1835–52 Dictatorship of Gen Juan Manuel Rosas. 1853 Adoption of federal constitution based on US model; Buenos Aires refused to join confederation. 1861 Buenos Aires was incorporated into the Argentine confederation by force. 1865–70 Argentina took part in the War of Triple Alliance against Paraguay. late 19th century Large-scale European immigration and economic development. 1880 Buenos Aires became the national capital. 1880–1916 The government was dominated by an oligarchy of conservative landowners. 1916 The secret ballot was introduced and the Radical Party of Hipólito Irigoyen won elections, beginning a period of 14 years in government. 1930 A military coup ushered in a series of conservative governments sustained by violence and fraud. 1946 Col Juan Perón won presidential elections; he secured working-class support through welfare measures, trade unionism, and the popularity of his wife, Eva Perón (Evita). 1949 New constitution abolished federalism and increased powers of president. 1952 Death of Evita. Support for Perón began to decline. 1955 Perón was overthrown; the constitution of 1853 was restored. 1966–70 Dictatorship of Gen Juan Carlos Ongania. 1973 Perónist Party won free elections; Perón returned from exile in Spain to become president. 1974 Perón died and was succeeded by his third wife, Isabel Perón. 1976 Coup resulted in rule by military junta. 1976–83 Military regime conducted murderous campaign (‘Dirty War’) against left-wing elements; more than 8,000 people disappeared. 1982 Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands; defeated by UK. 1983 Return to civilian rule; investigation into the ‘Dirty War’ launched. 1989 Annual inflation reached 12,000%. Carlos Menem won presidential elections. 1990 Full diplomatic relations with UK restored. 1991 Government introduced the peso to replace the austral. 1995 Carlos Menem elected for second term as president. 1999 Falkland Islanders held their first talks with Argentina since 1982. Fernando de la Rua won presidential elections. 2000 Protests against spending cuts to bring economy into line with targets set by International Monetary Fund (IMF). 2001 Congress granted President de la Rúa emergency powers to implement economic programme. 2002 Peronist Eduardo Duhalde became Argentina's fifth president in two weeks. Government devalued the peso. 2003 Néstor Kirchner, of the Peronist Partido Justicialista (Justicialist Party), won presidential elections. 2004 Former President Menem charged with fraud; returned from self-imposed exile in Chile after two arrest warrants cancelled. 2005 President Kirchner declared success of debt restructuring. Amnesty laws protecting former members of armed forces from human rights prosecutions overturned by Supreme Court. Violent antiglobalization and anti-Bush protests during Summit of the Americas. 2006 Repayment of multi-billion-dollar debt to IMF. 2007 Isabel Perón arrested by Spanish police during Argentine investigation into acts committed by right-wing paramilitaries in 1970s.


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