$Unique_ID{COW00149} $Pretitle{273} $Title{Argentina Statistical Profile of Argentina} $Subtitle{} $Author{Central Intelligence Agency} $Affiliation{United States Government} $Subject{km rate argentine national billion labor south total december election} $Date{1990} $Log{National Anthem*50000010.aud Map of Argentina*0014901.scf Flag of Argentina*0014902.scf } Country: Argentina Book: CIA World Factbook Author: Central Intelligence Agency Affiliation: United States Government Date: 1990 [Hear National Anthem] [See Map of Argentina] [See Flag of Argentina] Statistical Profile of 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 meters or to depth of exploitation Territorial sea: 200 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: 9% arable land; 4% permanent crops; 52% meadows and pastures; 22% forest and woodland; 13% other; includes 1% irrigated Environment: Tucuman and Mendoza areas in Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike Pampas and northeast; irrigated soil degradation; desertification 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) People Population: 31,914,473 (July 1989), growth rate 1.2% (1989) Birth rate: 20 births/1,000 population (1989) Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1989) Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1989) Infant mortality rate: 32 deaths/1,000 live births (1989) Life expectancy at birth: 67 years male, 74 years female (1989) Total fertility rate: 2.8 children born/woman (1989) Nationality: noun--Argentine(s); adjective--Argentine Ethnic divisions: 85% white, 15% mestizo, Indian, or other nonwhite groups Religion: 90% nominally Roman Catholic (less than 20% practicing), 2% Protestant, 2% Jewish, 6% other Language: Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French Literacy: 94% Labor force: 10,900,000; 12% agriculture, 31% industry, 57% services (1985 est.) Organized labor: 3,000,000; 28% of labor force Government Long-form name: Argentine Republic Type: republic Capital: Buenos Aires (tentative plans to move to Viedma by 1990) Administrative divisions: 22 provinces (provincias, singular--provincia), 1 national territory* (territorio nacional), 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 and Antartida e Islas del Atlantico Sur*, Tucuman 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: National Day, 25 May (1810) Branches: executive (president, vice president, Cabinet); legislative (National Congress--Senate, Chamber of Deputies); national judiciary Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Raul Ricardo ALFONSIN Foulkes (since 10 December 1983); Vice President Victor MARTINEZ (since 10 December 1983); President-elect Carlos Saul MENEM (inauguration date scheduled for 10 December 1989) Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: general election held 30 October 1983; congressional election held 3 November 1983; Senate election held November 1986; gubernatorial and congressional elections held 6 September 1987; next general election 14 May 1989 Political parties: operate under statute passed in 1983 that sets out criteria for participation in national elections; Radical Civic Union (UCR)--moderately left of center; Justicialist Party (JP)--Peronist umbrella political organization; Intransigent Party (PI)--leftist party; Union of the Democratic Center (UCEDE)--conservative party; several provincial parties Voting strength: 1987 Congressional election--JP 41.4% (107 seats), UCR 37.3% (117 seats), UDC 5.7% (7 seats), PI 2% Communists: some 70,000 members in various party organizations, including a small nucleus of activists 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: CCC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, ISO, ITU, IWC--International Whaling Commission, IWC--International Wheat Council, LAIA, NAM, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO, WSG Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Enrique J. A. CANDIOTI; 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 Theodore E. GILDRED; Embassy at 4300 Colombia, 1425 Buenos Aires (mailing address is APO Miami 34034); telephone [54] (1) 774-7611 or 8811, 9911 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 Economy Overview: Argentina has rich natural resources, a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. Nevertheless, the economy has encountered major problems in recent years. Economic growth slowed to 2.0% in 1987, down from the 5.5% registered in 1986. The widening public sector deficit and a triple-digit inflation rate dominated the economy in 1987 and into 1988. Since 1978, Argentina's external debt has nearly doubled to more than $58 billion, creating severe debt-servicing difficulties and hurting the country's creditworthiness with international lenders. GNP: $74.3 billion, per capita $2,360; real growth rate 2.0% (1987) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 188% (1988) Unemployment rate: 6.5% (1988 est.) Budget: revenues $7.1 billion; expenditures $9.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1987) Exports: $6.3 billion (f.o.b., 1987); commodities--meat, wheat, corn, oilseed, hides, wool; partners--US 14%, USSR, Italy, Brazil, Japan, Netherlands Imports: $5.8 billion (c.i.f., 1987); commodities--machinery and equipment, chemical, metals, fuel and lubricants, agricultural products; partners--US 20%, Brazil, FRG, Bolivia, Japan, Italy, Netherlands External debt: $58.0 billion (December 1988) Industrial production: growth rate - 0.6% (1988) Electricity: 16,058,000 kW capacity; 48,034 million kWh produced, 1,520 kWh per capita (1988) Industries: food processing (especially meat packing), motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel Agriculture: cereals, oilseed, livestock products; a major exporter of temperate zone foodstuffs; fish catch estimated at 0.5 million tons in 1987 Aid: NA Currency: austral (plural--australes); 1 austral (A) = 100 centavos Exchange rates: australes (A) per US$1--13.3 (end December 1988), 2.1443 (1987), 0.9430 (1986), 0.6018 (1985) Fiscal year: calendar year Communications Railroads: 34,172 km total (includes 164 km electrified); includes a mixture of 1.435-meter standard gauge, 1.676-meter broad gauge, 1.000-meter gauge, and 0.750-meter 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: 4,090 km crude oil; 2,900 km refined products; 9,918 km natural gas Ports: Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Necochea, Rio Gallegos, Rosario, Santa Fe Merchant marine: 138 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,686,755 GRT/2,655,211 DWT; includes 49 cargo, 6 refrigerated cargo, 6 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 railcar carrier, 52 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 5 liquefied gas, 16 bulk; note--in addition, 1 naval tanker and 1 naval transport are sometimes used commercially Civil air: 54 major transport aircraft Airports: 1,834 total, 1,655 usable; 129 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 29 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 336 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: extensive modern system; 2,650,000 telephones (12,000 public telephones); radio relay widely used; stations--171 AM, no FM, 231 TV, 13 shortwave; 2 satellite stations with 3 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT antennas; domestic satellite network has 40 stations Defense Forces Branches: Argentine Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic, Argentine Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Argentine Naval Prefecture, National Aeronautical Police Military manpower: males 15-49, 7,734,073; 6,270,879 fit for military service; 269,577 reach military age (20) annually Military budget: NA