:Argentina Geography Total area: 2,766,890 km2 Land area: 2,736,690 km2 Comparative area: slightly more than four times the size of Texas Land boundaries: 9,665 km total; Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224 km, Chile 5,150 km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km Coastline: 4,989 km Maritime claims: Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation Exclusive economic zone: nm limits unknown Territorial sea: 12 nm (overflight and navigation permitted beyond 12 nm) Disputes: short section of the boundary with Uruguay is in dispute; short section of the boundary with Chile is indefinite; claims British-administered Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); claims British- administered South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica 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 Natural resources: fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, crude oil, uranium Land use: arable land 9%; permanent crops 4%; meadows and pastures 52%; forest and woodland 22%; other 13%; includes irrigated 1% Environment: Tucuman and Mendoza areas in Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike Pampas and northeast; irrigated soil degradation; desertification; air and water pollution in Buenos Aires 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) :Argentina People Population: 32,901,234 (July 1992), growth rate 1.1% (1992) Birth rate: 20 births/1,000 population (1992) Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1992) Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1992) Infant mortality rate: 34 deaths/1,000 live births (1992) Life expectancy at birth: 67 years male, 74 years female (1992) Total fertility rate: 2.8 children born/woman (1992) Nationality: noun - Argentine(s); adjective - Argentine Ethnic divisions: white 85%; mestizo, Indian, or other nonwhite groups 15% Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 90% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 6% Languages: Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French Literacy: 95% (male 96%, female 95%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) Labor force: 10,900,000; agriculture 12%, industry 31%, services 57% (1985 est.) Organized labor: 3,000,000; 28% of labor force :Argentina Government Long-form name: Argentine Republic Type: republic Capital: Buenos Aires Administrative divisions: 23 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), and 1 district** (distrito); 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, Tucuman; note - the national territory is in the process of becoming a province; the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica Independence: 9 July 1816 (from Spain) Constitution: 1 May 1853 Legal system: mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction National holiday: Revolution Day, 25 May (1810) Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados) Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema) Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government: President Carlos Saul MENEM (since 8 July 1989); Vice President (position vacant) Political parties and leaders: Justicialist Party (JP), Carlos Saul MENEM, Peronist umbrella political organization; Radical Civic Union (UCR), Mario LOSADA, moderately left of center; Union of the Democratic Center (UCD), Jorge AGUADO, conservative party; Intransigent Party (PI), Dr. Oscar ALENDE, leftist party; several provincial parties Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: Chamber of Deputies: last held in three phases during late 1991 for half of 254 seats, total current breakdown of seats - JP 122, UCR 85, UCD 10, other 37 President: last held 14 May 1989 (next to be held NA May 1995); results - Carlos Saul MENEM was elected Senate: last held May 1989, but provincial elections in late 1991 set the stage for indirect elections by provincial senators for one-third of 46 seats in the national senate in May 1992; total current breakdown of seats - JP 27, UCR 14, others 5 Communists: some 70,000 members in various party organizations, including a small nucleus of activists :Argentina Government Other political or pressure groups: Peronist-dominated labor movement, General Confederation of Labor (Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization), Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers' association), Argentine Rural Society (large landowners' association), business organizations, students, the Roman Catholic Church, the Armed Forces Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-6, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, MERCOSUR, OAS, PCA, RG, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Carlos ORTIZ DE ROZAS; Chancery at 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009; telephone (202) 939-6400 through 6403; there are Argentine Consulates General in Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Consulates in Baltimore, Chicago, and Los Angeles US: Ambassador Terence A. TODMAN; Embassy at 4300 Colombia, 1425 Buenos Aires (mailing address is APO AA 34034); telephone [54] (1) 774- 7611 or 8811, 9911; Telex 18156 AMEMBAR Flag: 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 :Argentina Economy Overview: Argentina is rich in natural resources and has a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. Nevertheless, following decades of mismanagement and statist policies, the economy has encountered major problems in recent years, leading to escalating inflation and a recession during 1988-90. Since 1978, Argentina's external debt has nearly doubled to $58 billion, creating severe debt servicing difficulties and hurting the country's creditworthiness with international lenders. Elected in 1989, President Menem has implemented a comprehensive economic restructuring program that shows signs of reversing Argentina's economic decline and putting it on a path of stable, sustainable growth. GDP: exchange rate conversion - $101.2 billion, per capita $3,100; real growth rate 5.5% (1991 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 83.8% (1991) Unemployment rate: 6.4% (October 1991) Budget: revenues $13.6 billion; expenditures $16.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.5 billion (1991) Exports: $12 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: meat, wheat, corn, oilseed, hides, wool partners: US 12%, USSR, Italy, Brazil, Japan, Netherlands Imports: $8 billion (c.i.f., 1991) commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, fuels and lubricants, agricultural products partners: US 22%, Brazil, FRG, Bolivia, Japan, Italy, Netherlands External debt: $61 billion (January 1992) Industrial production: growth rate 20% (1991 est.); accounts for 30% of GDP Electricity: 17,059,000 kW capacity; 47,357 million kWh produced, 1,450 kWh per capita (1991) Industries: food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel Agriculture: accounts for 15% of GNP (including fishing); produces abundant food for both domestic consumption and exports; among world's top five exporters of grain and beef; principal crops - wheat, corn, sorghum, soybeans, sugar beets Illicit drugs: increasing use as a transshipment country for cocaine headed for the US and Europe Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.0 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $4.4 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $718 million Currency: peso (plural - pesos); 1 pesos = 100 centavos :Argentina Economy Exchange rates: pesos per US$1 - 0.99076 (Feburary 1992), 0.95355 (1991), 0.48759 (1990), 0.04233 (1989), 0.00088 (1988), 0.00021 (1987) Fiscal year: calendar year :Argentina Communications Railroads: 34,172 km total (includes 209 km electrified); includes a mixture of 1.435-meter standard gauge, 1.676-meter broad gauge, 1.000-meter narrow gauge, and 0.750-meter narrow gauge Highways: 208,350 km total; 47,550 km paved, 39,500 km gravel, 101,000 km improved earth, 20,300 km unimproved earth Inland waterways: 11,000 km navigable Pipelines: crude oil 4,090 km; petroleum products 2,900 km; natural gas 9,918 km Ports: Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Necochea, Rio Gallegos, Rosario, Santa Fe Merchant marine: 98 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,235,385 GRT/1,952,307 DWT; includes 35 cargo, 6 refrigerated cargo, 6 container, 1 railcar carrier, 33 oil tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 3 liquefied gas, 10 bulk; in addition, 2 naval tankers and 1 military transport are sometimes used commercially Civil air: 56 major transport aircraft Airports: 1,702 total, 1,473 usable; 137 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 31 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 326 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: extensive modern system; 2,650,000 telephones (12,000 public telephones); microwave widely used; broadcast stations - 171 AM, no FM, 231 TV, 13 shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations; domestic satellite network has 40 earth stations :Argentina Defense Forces Branches: Argentine Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic, Argentine Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Argentine Naval Prefecture (Coast Guard only), National Aeronautical Police Force Manpower availability: males 15-49, 8,101,856; 6,568,885 fit for military service; 276,457 reach military age (20) annually Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $700 million, 1.5% of GDP (1991)