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Background Note: Argentina
PROFILE
OFFICIAL NAME:
Argentine Republic
Geography
Area: 2.8 million sq. km. (1.1 million sq. mi.); about the size
of the U.S. east of the Mississippi River; second-largest
country in South America.
Climate: Varied--predominantly temperate with extremes ranging
from subtropical in the north to arid/sub- Antarctic in far
south.
People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Argentine(s).
Population (2006 est.): 39.0 million.
Annual population growth rate (2001): 1.05%.
Ethnic groups: European 97%, mostly of Spanish and Italian
descent; Mestizo, Amerindian or other nonwhite groups 3%.
Religions: Roman Catholic 92%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other
4%.
Language: Spanish.
Education: Years compulsory--10. Adult literacy
(2001)--97%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--16.16/1,000. Life
expectancy (2000 est.)--75.48 yrs.
Work force: Industry and commerce--36%; agriculture--19%;
transport and communications--6%.
Government
Type: Republic.
Constitution: 1853; revised 1994.
Independence: 1816.
Branches: Executive--president, vice president, cabinet.
Legislative--bicameral Congress (72-member Senate,
257-member Chamber of Deputies). Judicial--Supreme Court,
federal and provincial trial courts.
Administrative subdivisions: 23 provinces and one autonomous
district (Federal Capital).
Political parties: Justicialist (Peronist), Radical Civic Union
(UCR), numerous smaller national and provincial parties.
Suffrage: Universal adult.
Economy (2005)
GDP: $182.0 billion.
Annual real growth rate: +9.2%.
Per capital GDP: $4,727.
Natural resources: Fertile plains (pampas); minerals--lead,
zinc, tin, copper, iron, manganese, oil, and uranium.
Agriculture (9% of GDP; including agribusiness, about 53% of
exports by value): Products--grains, oilseeds and
by-products, livestock products.
Industry (23.2% of GDP): Types--food processing, oil
refining, machinery and equipment, textiles, chemicals and
petrochemicals.
Trade: Exports ($40.0 billion in 2005)--grains, meats,
oilseeds, fuels, manufactured products. Major markets--
MERCOSUR 19%; EU 17%; NAFTA 15%.
Year 2005 Argentine Exports--Millions
of U.S. Dollars
Imports ($28.7 billion in
2005)--machinery, vehicles and transport products, chemicals.
Major suppliers--MERCOSUR 38%; NAFTA 17%; EU 17%.
Imports from the United States were 14% of total Argentine
imports, and 80% of Argentine imports from NAFTA in 2004.
PEOPLE
Argentines are a fusion of diverse national and ethnic groups,
with descendants of Italian and Spanish immigrants predominant.
Waves of immigrants from many European countries arrived in the
late 19th and early 20th centuries. Syrian, Lebanese, and other
Middle Eastern immigrants number about 500,000, mainly in urban
areas. Argentina's population is overwhelmingly Catholic, but it
also has the largest Jewish population in Latin America,
estimated between 280,000 to 300,000 strong, and is home to one
of the largest Islamic mosques in Latin America. In recent
years, there has been a substantial influx of immigrants from
neighboring Latin American countries. The indigenous population,
estimated at 700,000, is concentrated in the provinces of the
north, northwest, and south. The Argentine population has one of
Latin America's lowest growth rates. Eighty percent of the
population resides in cities or towns of more than 2,000, and
over one-third lives in the greater Buenos Aires area. With 13
million inhabitants, this sprawling metropolis serves as the
focus for national life. Argentines enjoy comparatively high
standards of living; however, following the economic crisis in
2002, 33.5% of the population was still living below the poverty
line in the 28 largest urban areas as of the end of 2005.
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