Direct presidential elections are held every four years by universal suffrage. The National Congress have two bodies: The Senate has 72 members elected for nine years, one third retiring every third year. The members are nominated by the provincial legislature. The Chamber of Deputies has 259 members, elected by universal suffrage for four years, with one half retiring every second year.
|RDefense:|N Conscription was abolished in 1995. The total strength is more then 70 000 men, not including close to 20 000 in a paramilitary gendarmerie and 13 000 men in the coast guards.
|RNational holiday:|N Independence Day, May 25.
|RNature and climate:|N In north a tableland with swamps, forests and savannahs. In southeast the fertile Pampas, and in south a terraced highland plateau.
Tempered and dry climate. Average temperature in the north + 28°C in January and in the south + 10°C. In July 18°C in the north and + 2°C in the south.
Percipitation between 100 and 300 mm. In the northeastern parts though more than 1000 mm.
|RPeople:|N The greater part immigrated Europeans. Only scattered remnants of the original population. Most immigrants, mostly Italians and Spaniards, came late in the 19th and early in the 20th centuries.
|REducation:|N Compulsory between 6 and 14 years. There are 31 public universities and 15 universities in the private sextor.
|REconomy:|N Agriculture and stockfarming dominates and gives 80% of the export revenues. Occupies 15% of the population.
Most important products are wheat and meat. Other important crops are maize, rye, oats, rice, fruits, wine and vegetables.
Important minerals are oil, natural gas, coal, iron ore, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, tin, tungsten, manganese and uranium.
During the last decades the industry has grown intensively. Metals and manufactured goods are exported.
|RHistory:|N The Spaniard Juan Dias de Solis came to Rio de la Plata in 1516 and started to explore the land. First minor colonies were settled under the vice-king of Peru.
1776 Argentina was separated from Peru and given a viceking of its own in 1777.
In the early years of the 19th century there was fighting between the immigrants and Spanish troops and an independent state was proclaimed in 1816.
1825 a national assembly met in Buenos Aires to write a constitution.
1946 Juan Peron was elected president on a program based on social reforms and planned economy, but the policy developed towards dictatorship and he was ousted 1955 after a conflict with the Catholic church.
Peron lived in exile till 1973 when he once again was elected president. He died in 1974 and was succeeded by his wife Isabel. She was ousted by a military junta in 1976.
The junta declared a state of siege and battled guerillas and leftists, killed 5 000 people, jailed and tortured others.
Democratic rule returned in 1983. In 1985 five former junta leaders were found guilty of murders and human rights abuses.
In 1982 Argentine troops seized control of the British Falkland Islands, but were thrown out by a British task force only a few months later.
Argentina is in feud with Britain about the Falkland Islands and with Chile about three islands in the Beagle Channel.
