Argentina is a country in southern South America, situated between the Andes in the west and the southern Atlantic Ocean in the east. It is bordered by Paraguay and Bolivia in the north, Brazil and Uruguay in the northeast and Chile in the west. The country is formally named República Argentina ('"Argentine Republic"), while for purposes of legislation the form Nación Argentina ("Argentine Nation") is used. South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Note that the geology in this article currently reflects views from the first decade of the 20th century. ... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... The Republic of Paraguay is a landlocked republic in South America. ... The Republic of Bolivia is a landlocked country in central South America. ... The Federative Republic of Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil in Portuguese) is the largest and most populous country in South America, and fifth largest in the world. ... The Republic Eastern of the Uruguay (Spanish: República Oriental del Uruguay), is a Spanish speaking country located in southern South America. ... The Republic of Chile is a country located on the southwestern coast of South America. ...

(Flag) (Coat of Arms)
National motto: En Unión y Libertad (English: In Union and Liberty)
National anthem: Himno Nacional Argentino
Capital	Buenos Aires 34°20'S, 58°30'W
Largest city	Buenos Aires
Official languages	Spanish
Government President	Democratic Republic Néstor Kirchner
Independence - May Revolution - Declared - Recognised	from Spain May 25, 1810 July 9, 1816 in 1821 (by Portugal)
Area  - Total  - Water (%)	2,766,890 km² (8th) 1.1%
Population  - 2004 est.  - 2001 census  - Density	39,144,753 (30th) 36,260,130 14/km² (200)
GDP (PPP)  - Total  - Per capita	2002 estimate $403,800 (23rd) $11,982 (52th)
Currency	Argentine Peso (ARS)
Time zone  - Summer (DST)	ART (UTC-3) ARST (UTC-3)
Internet TLD	.ar
Calling code	+54
* Argentina also claims 1,000,000 km² of Antarctica, the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Origin and history of the name

The name Argentina is derived from the Latin argentum (silver). The origin of this name goes back to the first voyages made by the Spanish conquerors to Río de la Plata. The survivors of the shipwrecked expedition mounted by Juan Díaz de Solís found indigenous people in the region who gave them silver objects as presents. The news about the legendary Sierra del Plata – a mountain rich in silver – reached Spain around 1524. Since then, the Spaniards named the river of Solís, Río de la Plata (River of Silver). Latin - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... General Name, Symbol, Number silver, Ag, 47 Chemical series Transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 5 , d Density, Hardness 10490 kg/m3, 2. ... A satellite view of the estuary Another satellite view of the estuary The River Plate ( Spanish: Río de la Plata) is the estuary formed from the combination of the Uruguay River and the Parana River. ... Juan Díaz de Solís, (Lebrija, Seville, 1470 - Rio de la Plata, 1516), Spanish navigator and explorer. ... Events March 1, 1524/5 - Giovanni da Verrazano lands near Cape Fear (approx. ...

History

Main article: History of Argentina This is the history of Argentina. ...

Europeans arrived in the region with the 1502 voyage of Amerigo Vespucci. Spanish navigator Juan Díaz de Solís visited what is now Argentina in 1516. Spain established a permanent colony on the site of Buenos Aires in 1580, although initial settlement was primarily overland from Peru. The Spanish further integrated Argentina into their empire by establishing the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata in 1776, and Buenos Aires became a flourishing port. Buenos Aires formally declared independence from Spain on July 9, 1816. Argentines revere Gen. José de San Martín, who campaigned in Argentina, Chile, and Peru as the hero of their national independence. Following the defeat of the Spanish, centralist and federationist groups waged a lengthy conflict between themselves to determine the future of the nation. National unity was established, and the constitution promulgated in 1853. World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... Events January 1 - Portuguese explorers sailed into Guanabra Bay, Brazil and mistook it for the mouth of a river which they named Rio de Janeiro May 9 - Christopher Columbus leaves Spain for his fourth and final trip to the New World. May 21 - Portuguese discover island of St Helena. ... Amerigo Vespucci ( March 9, 1454 - February 22, 1512) was an Italian merchant and cartographer who voyaged to and wrote about the Americas. ... Juan Díaz de Solís, (Lebrija, Seville, 1470 - Rio de la Plata, 1516), Spanish navigator and explorer. ... Events March - With the death of Ferdinand II of Aragon, his grandson Charles of Ghent becomes King of Spain as Carlos I. July - Selim I of the Ottoman Empire declares war on the Mameluks and invades Syria. ... Buenos Aires (Good Winds in Spanish, but more akin to Fair Winds, as in navigation) is the capital of Argentina and its largest city and port, as well as one of the largest cities in South America. ... Events March 1 - Michel de Montaigne signs the preface to his most significant work, Essays. ... The Republic of Peru (Spanish: Perú; Quechua, Aymara: Piruw) is a country in western South America, bordering with Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil to the east, Bolivia to the east, south-east and south, Chile to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ... Created in 1776, the Viceroyalty of La Plata (in Spanish, Virreinato del Río de la Plata) was the last and most shortlived viceroyalty created by Spain. ... This article is about the year 1776. ... July 9 is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 175 days remaining. ... Events March 25 - Friedrich Karl Ludwig, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck dies and is succeeded by the later Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, his son and founder of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. ... José de San Martín ( 25 February 1778 - 17 August 1850) was an Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern part of South Americas successful struggle for independence from Spain. ... The Republic of Peru (Spanish: Perú; Quechua, Aymara: Piruw) is a country in western South America, bordering with Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil to the east, Bolivia to the east, south-east and south, Chile to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ... Events January 19 - Giuseppe Verdis opera Il Trovatore premieres in Rome January 21 - Russell L. Hawes patents the envelope folding machine January 29 - Napoleon III marries the Spanish Countess Eugènie at the Tuileries March 4 – Inauguration of US president Franklin Pierce June 7 - Franklin College of Lancaster, Pennsylvania merges...

Two forces combined to create the modern Argentine nation in the late 19th century: the introduction of modern agricultural techniques and integration of Argentina into the world economy. Foreign investment and immigration from Europe aided this economic revolution. Investment, primarily British, came in such fields as railroads and ports. As in the United States, the migrants who worked to develop Argentina's resources—especially the western pampas—came from throughout Europe. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

From 1880 to 1930 Argentina became one of the world's 10 wealthiest nations based on rapid expansion of agriculture and foreign investment in infrastructure. Conservative forces dominated Argentine politics until 1916, when their traditional rivals, the Radicals, won control of the government. The Radicals, with their emphasis on fair elections and democratic institutions, opened their doors to Argentina's rapidly expanding middle class as well as to groups previously excluded from power. The Argentine military forced aged Radical President Hipólito Yrigoyen from power in 1930 and ushered in another decade of Conservative rule. Using fraud and force when necessary, the governments of the 1930s attempted to contain the currents of economic and political change that eventually led to the ascendance of Juan Domingo Perón (b. 1895). New social and political forces were seeking political power, including a modern military and labor movements that emerged from the growing urban working class. 1880 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1916 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... Hipolito Yrigoyen Juan Hipólito del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Yrigoyen Alem (12 July 1852 – 3 July 1933) was twice President of Argentina (from 1916 to 1922 and again from 1928 to 1930). ... 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Events and trends Technology Jet engine invented Science Nuclear fission discovered by Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner and Fritz Strassmann Pluto, the ninth planet from the Sun, is discovered by Clyde Tombaugh British biologist Arthur Tansley coins term ecosystem War, peace and politics Socialists proclaim The death of Capitalism Rise to... Juan Domingo Perón ( October 8, 1895 – July 1, 1974) was an Argentine military officer and the President of Argentina from 1946 to 1955 and from 1973 to 1974. ... 1895 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

The military ousted Argentina's constitutional government in 1943. Perón, then an army colonel, was one of the coup's leaders, and he soon became the government's dominant figure as Minister of Labor. Elections carried him to the presidency in 1946. He aggressively pursued policies aimed empowering the working class and greatly expanded the number of unionized workers. In 1947, Perón announced the first 5-year plan based on the growth of industries he nationalized. He helped establish the powerful General Confederation of Labor (CGT). Perón's dynamic wife, Eva Duarte de Perón, known as Evita (1919-52), played a key role in developing support for her husband. Perón won reelection in 1952, but the military sent him into exile in 1955. In the 1950s and 1960s, military and civilian administrations traded power, trying, with limited success, to deal with diminished economic growth and continued social and labor demands. When military governments failed to revive the economy and suppress escalating terrorism in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the way was open for Perón's return. Evitas image appeared on a wide variety of products, including stamps, coins, postcards and calendars. ... Madonna as Evita in the 1996 movie adaptation of the musical Evita is a musical/rock opera by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the life of Eva Perón. ... 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... Events and trends Technology United States tests the first fusion bomb. ... Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s - 1960s - 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Years: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around the world. ... Terrorism refers to the use of violence for the purpose of achieving a political, religious, or ideological goal. ...

On March 11, 1973, Argentina held general elections for the first time in 10 years. Perón was prevented from running, but voters elected his stand-in, Dr. Héctor Cámpora, as President. Perón's followers also commanded strong majorities in both houses of Congress. Cámpora resigned in July 1973, paving the way for new elections. Perón won a decisive victory and returned as President in October 1973 with his third wife, María Estela Isabel Martínez de Perón, as Vice President. During this period, extremists on the left and right carried out terrorist acts with a frequency that threatened public order. The government resorted to a number of emergency decrees, including the implementation of special executive authority to deal with violence. This allowed the government to imprison persons indefinitely without charge. March 11 is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in Leap year). ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... Héctor José Cámpora Demaestre (1909-1980) was a former president of Argentina from May 25 until July 13, 1973. ... President Perón giving a speech María Estela Martínez de Perón (born on February 4, 1931, in La Rioja, Argentina) better known as Isabel Martínez de Perón would become the third wife of Juan Perón and President of Argentina from 1 July 1974 to 24 March 1976. ...

Perón died on July 1, 1974. His wife succeeded him in office, but a military coup removed her from office on March 24, 1976, and the armed forces formally exercised power through a junta composed of the three service commanders until December 10, 1983. The armed forces applied harsh measures against terrorists and many suspected of being their sympathizers. They restored basic order, but the human costs of what became known as "El Proceso," or the "Dirty War" were high. Conservative counts list between 10,000 and 30,000 persons as "disappeared" during the 1976-83 period. Serious economic problems, mounting charges of corruption, public revulsion in the face of human rights abuses and, finally, the country's 1982 defeat by the United Kingdom in an unsuccessful attempt to seize the Falklands/Malvinas Islands all combined to discredit the Argentine military regime. The junta lifted bans on political parties and gradually restored basic political liberties. July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in Leap years). ... December 10 is the 344th day (345th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... A Dirty War (in Spanish: Guerra Sucia) is a program of violent repression of rebels and dissidents conducted by government forces, characterized by the use of disappearances, torture, murder, and other covert practices, massive violations of human and civil rights, and often including innocent bystanders among its victims. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... The Falkland Islands are an overseas territory of the United Kingdom in the South Atlantic consisting of two main islands known as East Falkland and West Falkland and a number of smaller islands. ...

On October 30, 1983, Argentines went to the polls and chose Raúl Alfonsín, of the Radical Civic Union (UCR), as President. He began a 6-year term of office on December 10, 1983. In 1985 and 1987, large turnouts for mid-term elections demonstrated continued public support for a strong and vigorous democratic system. The UCR-led government took steps to resolve some of the nation's most pressing problems, including accounting for those who disappeared during military rule, establishing civilian control of the armed forces, and consolidating democratic institutions. However, failure to resolve endemic economic problems, and an inability to maintain public confidence undermined the effectiveness of the Alfonsín government, which left office 6 months early after Peronist candidate Carlos Saul Menem won the 1989 presidential elections. October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... Raúl Alfonsín, in 2003 Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín Foulkes (born 13 March 1927) was president of Argentina from 10 December 1983 to 9 July 1989. ... Categories: Politics stubs | Liberal related stubs | Argentine political parties | Liberal parties ... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article needs cleanup. ...

President Menem imposed peso-dollar parity (convertibility) in 1991 to break the back of hyperinflation and adopted far-reaching market-based policies. Menem's accomplishments included dismantling a web of protectionist trade and business regulations, and reversing a half-century of statism by implementing an ambitious privatization program. These reforms contributed to significant increases in investment and growth with stable prices through most of the 1990s. Unfortunately, widespread corruption in the administrations of President Menem and President Fernando de la Rúa (elected in 1999) shook confidence and weakened the recovery. Also, while convertibility defeated inflation, its permanence undermined Argentina's export competitiveness and created chronic deficits in the current account of the balance of payments, which were financed by massive borrowing. The contagion effect of the Asian financial crisis of 1998 precipitated an outflow of capital that gradually mushroomed into a 4-year depression that culminated in a financial panic in November 2001. In December 2001, amidst bloody riots, President de la Rúa resigned, and Argentina defaulted on $88 billion in debt, the largest sovereign debt default in history. Fernando de la Rúa Bruno (born September 15, 1937) is an Argentine politician. ... The Asian financial crisis was a financial crisis that started in July 1997 in Thailand, and affected currencies, stock markets, and other asset prices of several Asian countries, many part of the East Asian Tigers. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of the Volunteer The United Nations Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations Events January January 1 - A black monolith measuring approximately nine feet tall appears in Seattles Magnuson Park, placed by an anonymous... 2001 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December Events: December 2 - Enron files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection five days after Dynegy canceled a US$8. ... Default is the name of a number of quite different concepts. ... Government debt (public debt, national debt) is money owed by government, at any level (central government, federal government, national government, municipal government, local government, regional government). ...

A legislative assembly on December 23, 2001, elected Adolfo Rodríguez Saá to serve as President and called for general elections to elect a new president within 3 months. Rodríguez Saá announced immediately that Argentina would default on its international debt obligations, but expressed his commitment to maintain the currency board and the peso's 1-to-1 peg to the dollar. Rodríguez Saá, however, was unable to rally support from within his own party for his administration and this, combined with renewed violence in the Federal Capital, led to his resignation on December 30. Yet another legislative assembly elected Peronist Eduardo Duhalde President on January 1, 2002. Duhalde differentiating himself from his three predecessors quickly abandoned the peso's almost 12-year-old link with the dollar, a move that was followed by currency depreciation and inflation. In the face of rising poverty and continued social unrest, Duhalde also moved to bolster the government's social programs. December 23 is the 357th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (358th in leap years). ... Adolfo Rodríguez Saá Páez Montero (born July 25, 1947) is an Argentine politician of Peronist beliefs. ... December 30 is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 1 day remaining. ... Eduardo Alberto Duhalde Maldonado (born October 5, 1941) is a former president of Argentina. ...

In the first round of the presidential election on April 27, 2003, former President Carlos Menem (Justicialist Party (PJ)) won 24.3% of the vote, Santa Cruz Governor Néstor Kirchner (PJ) won 22%, followed by Ricardo Murphy with 16.4% and Elisa Carrió with 14.2%. Menem withdrew from the May 25 runoff election after polls showed overwhelming support for Kirchner. The runoff election was not held and Mr Kirchner took office as President on May 25, 2003. April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... Néstor Carlos Kirchner (born 25 February 1950) is the current President of Argentina. ... Ricardo Lopez Murphy is an Argentine politician, founder of the Center-right movement Recrear, who finished third after Menem and Kirchner in the last presidential election held in 2003. ... Elisa María Avelina Carrió (born 1956) is an Argentinian politician, founder of the center-left Alternative for a Republic of Equals party. ... May 25 is the 145th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (146th in leap years). ...

Politics

Main article: Politics of Argentina Government After years of post-World War II instability, Argentina is today a fully functioning democracy. ...

The Argentine constitution of 1853, as revised in 1994, mandates a separation of powers into executive, legislative, and judicial branches at the national and provincial level. The president and vice president are directly elected to 4-year terms. Both are limited to two consecutive terms; they are allowed to stand for a third term or more after an interval of at least one term. The president appoints cabinet ministers, and the constitution grants him considerable power as both head of state and head of government, including authority to enact laws by presidential decree under conditions of "urgency and necessity" and the line-item veto. An organizations constitution defines its form, structure, activities, character, and fundamental rules. ... Events January 19 - Giuseppe Verdis opera Il Trovatore premieres in Rome January 21 - Russell L. Hawes patents the envelope folding machine January 29 - Napoleon III marries the Spanish Countess Eugènie at the Tuileries March 4 – Inauguration of US president Franklin Pierce June 7 - Franklin College of Lancaster, Pennsylvania merges... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... Separation of powers is the idea that the powers of a sovereign government should be split between two or more strongly independent entities, preventing any one person or group from gaining too much power. ... Under the doctrine of the separation of powers, the executive is the branch of a government charged with implementing, or executing, the law. ... A legislature is a governmental deliberative body with the power to adopt laws. ... The judiciary, also referred to as the judicature, consists of justices, judges and magistrates among other types of adjudicators. ... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. ... Alternate meanings in cabinet (disambiguation) A Cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ... A head of state or chief of state is the chief public representative of a nation-state, federation or commonwealth, whose role generally includes personifying the continuity and legitimacy of the state and exercising the political powers, functions and duties granted to the head of state in the countrys... The head of government is the leader of the government or cabinet. ... In government, the line-item veto is the power of an executive to veto parts of a bill, usually budget appropriations. ...

Argentina's parliament is the bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Nación, consisting of a senate (Senado) of 72 seats and a Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados) of 257 members. Since 2001, senators have been directly elected, with each province, including the Federal Capital, represented by three senators. Senators serve 6-year terms. One-third of the Senate stands for reelection every 2 years via a partial majority system in each district. Members of the Chamber of Deputies are directly elected to 4-year term via a system of proportional representation. Voters elect half the members of the lower house every 2 years. Alternative meanings: Parliamentary system, Parliament (band), Parliament (cigarette). ... A senate is a deliberative body, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature. ... Proportional Representation (PR) describes various multi-winner electoral systems which try to ensure that the proportional support gained by different groups is accurately reflected in the election result. ... A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. ...

Administrative Divisions

Provinces of Argentina. Argentine Antarctica and Southern Atlantic Islands (23) not shown.

Main article: Provinces of Argentina Argentina consists of 23 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), and 1 federal district (distrito federal), marked by a *: Categories: Geography of Argentina | Lists of subnational entities ...

Argentina is divided into 23 provinces (provincias; singular: provincia), and 1 autonomous district (formerly known as capital federal), marked with an asterisk: Province is a name for a secondary, or subnational entity of government in most countries. ... An autonomous region or autonomous district is a subnational region with special powers of self-rule. ...

^* The current official name for the federal district is "Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires". The official name for the 23rd province is "Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur". Buenos Aires (Good Winds in Spanish, but more akin to Fair Winds, as in navigation) is the capital of Argentina and its largest city and port, as well as one of the largest cities in South America. ... Categories: Argentine provinces | Buenos Aires province | Argentina geography stubs ... Map of Argentina highlighting the province Catamarca is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. ... Map of Argentina highlighting the province Chaco Province is in the north of Argentina, near the border of Paraguay. ... Categories: Argentina geography stubs | Argentine provinces | Chubut ... Map of Argentina highlighting Córdoba. ... Categories: Argentina geography stubs | Argentine provinces ... Map of Argentina highlighting the province Entre Ríos is a province of Argentina, it lays and borders north of Buenos Aires Province, south of Corrientes Province, east of Santa Fe Province, and west of Uruguay. ... Map of Argentina highlighting the province Formosa Province is in northeastern Argentina, part of the Chaco Region. ... Categories: Argentina geography stubs | Argentine provinces ... Categories: Argentina geography stubs | Argentine provinces ... Categories: Argentina geography stubs | Argentine provinces ... Categories: Argentina geography stubs | Argentine provinces | Argentinian wine regions ... Map of Argentina highlighting the province Misiones is one of the 23 provinces of Argentina, located in the northeastern corner of the country. ... Map of Argentina highlighting the province Neuquén is a province of Argentina, located in the west of the country. ... Map of Argentina highlighting the province Río Negro is a province of Argentina, located at the northern edge of Patagonia. ... Categories: Argentina geography stubs | Argentine provinces ... Categories: Argentina geography stubs | Argentine provinces ... Categories: Argentina geography stubs | Argentine provinces ... Categories: Argentina geography stubs | Argentine provinces ... Categories: Argentina geography stubs | Argentine provinces ... Map of Argentina highlighting the province Santiago del Estero is a province of Argentina, located in the north of the country. ... Tierra del Fuego Province can refer to one of the following provinces both located on Tierra del Fuego island. ... Map of Argentina highlighting the province Tucumán is a province of Argentina, located in the northwest of the country. ...

Major cities

Main article: List of cities in Argentina This is a list of cities in Argentina: Bahia Blanca Buenos Aires Catamarca Córdoba Corrientes Formosa Jujuy La Plata Mar del Plata Mendoza Neuquén Paraná Posadas Resistencia Rosario Salta Santa Fe Santiago del Estero Tucumán 10 largest cities Buenos Aires - 11,928,400 Córdoba - 1,513...

About 3 million people live in the city of Buenos Aires, and roughly 11 million in Greater Buenos Aires, making it one of the largest urban conglomerates in the world. The second and third largest cities in Argentina, Córdoba and Rosario, each comprise about 1.3 million inhabitants. Gran Buenos Aires or Greater Buenos Aires is the metropolitan area next to the city of Buenos Aires and comprises the following 24 partidos (administrative subdivisions) of the Province of Buenos Aires. ...

Most European immigrants to Argentina (coming in great waves especially around the First and the Second World Wars) settled in the cities, which offered jobs, education, and other opportunities that enabled newcomers to enter the middle class. Since the 1930s many rural workers have moved to the big cities. The middle class (or middle classes) comprises a social group once defined by exception as an intermediate social class between the nobility and the peasantry. ...

The 1990s saw many rural towns become ghost towns when train services were abandoned and local products manufactured on a small scale were replaced by massive amounts of imported cheap goods. This was in part caused by the effects of the monetary policy which kept the US dollar exchange rate artificially low, thereby increasing the international price of agricultural commodities that form the bulk of Argentina's exports. Many slums (villas miseria) sprouted in the outskirts of the largest cities, inhabited by empoverished low-class urban dwellers and migrants from smaller towns in the interior of the country.

Compared to most Latin American countries, and even today while it is recovering from an economic crisis, Argentina has a very large middle class. Many of these middle class people work in industry, own small businesses, or have government or professional jobs. They live in tall modern apartment buildings or bungalows that have small yards or gardens. Wealthy Argentines and business executives live in mansions and luxurious apartments in the cities or in fashionable suburbs. A small business may be defined as a business with a small number of employees. ...

Argentina's urban areas have a European look, reflecting the influence of their European settlers. Many towns and cities are built like Spanish cities around a main square called a plaza. A cathedral and important government buildings often face the plaza. The general layout of the cities is called a damero, that is, a checkerboard, since it is based on a pattern of square blocks, though modern developments sometimes depart from it (for example, the city of La Plata, built at the end of the 19th century, is organized as a checkerboard plus diagonal avenues at fixed intervals).

• Buenos Aires (Official name: "Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires")
• Córdoba
• Rosario
• Mendoza
• Santa Fe
• Mar del Plata
• La Plata
• Tucuman
• Salta
• Bahia Blanca

Buenos Aires (Good Winds in Spanish, but more akin to Fair Winds, as in navigation) is the capital of Argentina and its largest city and port, as well as one of the largest cities in South America. ... Córdoba is a city located in the foothills of the Sierra Chica mountains on the Suquía river, the center of Argentinas most productive agricultural area. ... This article or section should include material from Rosario, Argentina This is an article about a city in Argentina. ... Park of General San Martín in Mendoza. ... Santa Fe, is a city in northeastern Argentina, It is the capital of the Santa Fe Province, near the junction of the Parana and Salado rivers, opposite the city of Parana, to which Santa Fe is linked by a sub-fluvial tunnel inaugurated in 1973. ... Mar del Plata (population 600,000) is a city eastern central Argentina, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast. ... La Plata is the capital city of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. ... San Miguel de Tucumán (usually referred to as simply Tucumán) is the largest city in northwestern Argentina. ... Salta is a city in Argentina and the capital of Salta Province. ... Bah a Blanca is a city in eastern Argentina in Buenos Aires Province and a seaport at the head of the Bah Blanca (White Bay - an arm of the Atlantic Ocean). ...

Geography

Map of Argentina

Main article: Geography of Argentina This article describes the geography of Argentina. ...

Argentina can roughly be divided into three parts: the fertile plains of the Pampas in the central part of the country, the centre of Argentina's agricultural wealth; the flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in the southern half down to Tierra del Fuego; and the rugged Andes mountain range along the western border with Chile, with the highest point being the Cerro Aconcagua at 6,960 m. The pampas (from Quechua for plain) are the fertile lowlands that extend across c. ... Farming, ploughing rice paddy, in Indonesia Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and other desired products by cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals ( livestock). ... For the town, see Patagonia, Arizona. ... Tierra del Fuego (Spanish: land of fire) is an archipelago at the southernmost tip of South America. ... Note that the geology in this article currently reflects views from the first decade of the 20th century. ... The most general definition of mountain range is a group of mountains bordered by lowlands. ... The Republic of Chile is a country located on the southwestern coast of South America. ... Aconcagua is the highest mountain in The Americas and the highest peak outside of Asia. ...

Major rivers include the Paraguay, Bermejo, Colorado, Uruguay and the largest river, the Paraná. The latter two flow together before meeting the Atlantic Ocean, forming the estuary of the Río de la Plata (River of Silver). The Argentine climate is predominantly temperate with extremes ranging from subtropical in the north to arid/sub-Antarctic in far south. The Colorado River (Spanish: Río Colorado) is a river in the south of Argentina. ... The Uruguay River (Spanish: Rio Uruguay) is a river in South America. ... Overlooking the Paraná River from Encarnación, Paraguay. ... The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... A satellite view of the estuary Another satellite view of the estuary The River Plate ( Spanish: Río de la Plata) is the estuary formed from the combination of the Uruguay River and the Parana River. ... Map of the climate of the Earth The climate (ancient Greek: κλίμα) is the weather averaged over a long period of time. ... In geography, temperate latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. ... Subtropical climate is the form of climate found immediately poleward of the zone of tropical climate. ...

Economy

Main article: Economy of Argentina This article is in need of attention. ...

Argentina benefits from rich natural resources, a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. However, ever since the Great Depression began in 1929, Argentina's economy had been on a Keynesian roller-coaster ride, and since the late 1970s the country had piled up huge external debts, inflation had reached 200% per month in some months of 1989-1991, and output was plummeting. To combat the economic crisis, the government embarked on a path of trade liberalisation, deregulation, and privatisation. In 1991, it implemented radical monetary reforms which pegged the peso to the US dollar and limited the growth in the monetary base by law to the growth in reserves.-1... Literacy is the ability to use text to communicate across space and time. ... Farming, ploughing rice paddy, in Indonesia Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and other desired products by cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals ( livestock). ... Inflation rates of five core members of the G8 from 1950 to 1994. ... Free trade is an economic concept referring to the selling of products between countries without tariffs or other trade barriers. ... Deregulation is the process by which governments remove selected regulations on business in order to (in theory) encourage the efficient operation of markets. ... Privatization (sometimes privatisation, denationalization, or — especially in India — disinvestment) is the process of transferring property, from public ownership to private ownership. ... Dollarization occurs when the inhabitants of a country use foreign currency in parallel to or instead of the domestic currency. ... Peso is the name of the currency of various countries: Argentina: Argentine peso (ISO 4217: ARS) Chile: Chilean peso (CLP) Colombia: Colombian peso (COP) Cuba: Cuban peso (CUP) Dominican Republic: Dominican peso (DOP) Mexico: Mexican peso (MXN, previously MXP) Philippines: Philippine peso (PHP) Uruguay: Uruguayan peso (UYU) In Spanish peso... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ... The money base, or the monetary base is a government liability, currency and bank reserves. ...

Though initially a success, with inflation dropping and a recovering GDP growth, subsequent economic crises in Mexico, Asia, Russia and Brazil contributed to ever worsening conditions from 1999 onward. The government sponsored tax increases and spending cuts to reduce the budget deficit, which had ballooned to 2.5% of GDP in 1999, though both domestic and foreign investors remained skeptical of the government's ability to pay debts and maintain the peso's fixed exchange rate with the US dollar. In economics, the gross domestic product (GDP) is a measure of the amount of the economic production of a particular territory in financial capital terms during a specific time period. ... The United Mexican States or Mexico ( Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos or México; regarding the use of the variant spelling Méjico, see section The name below) is a country located in North America, bordered to the north by the United States of America, to the southeast by Guatemala and Belize, to... World map showing location of Asia A satellite composite image of Asia Asia is the central and eastern part of the continent of Eurasia, defined by subtracting the European peninsula from Eurasia. ... The Federative Republic of Brazil (República Federativa do Brasil in Portuguese) is the largest and most populous country in South America, and fifth largest in the world. ... A tax is an involuntary fee paid by individuals or businesses to a government. ... A budget deficit occurs when an entity (often a government) spends more money than it takes in. ... In finance, the exchange rate between two currencies specifies how much one currency is worth in terms of the other. ...

The economic situation worsened still further in 2001 with the widening of spreads on Argentine bonds, massive withdrawals from the banks, and a further decline in consumer and investor confidence. Government efforts to achieve a "zero deficit", to stabilise the stricken banking system, and to restore economic growth proved inadequate in the face of the mounting economic problems. On December 21 President De La Rua was expelled from the government under the pressure of massive demonstrations by the middle class (who saw their bank accounts frozen) and the lower class (who were encouraged, in part by the Partido Justicialista to begin rioting and stealing in order to generate a climate of social unrest). The congress elected Eduardo Duhalde (one of the most involved leaders in the destabilization of De La Rua's government) as provisional head of the state. Duhalde met with IMF officials to secure an additional $20 billion loan, but immediate action seemed unlikely. The peso's peg to the dollar was abandoned in January 2002, and the peso was floated from the dollar in February. For other uses, see Bank (disambiguation). ... Economic growth is the increase in the value of goods and services produced by an economy. ... December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Categories: Politics stubs | Argentine political parties ... Eduardo Alberto Duhalde Maldonado (born October 5, 1941) is a former president of Argentina. ... The flag of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is the international organization entrusted with overseeing global financial system‘s current trade account balances of member states. ...

On December 23, 2001, interim president Adolfo Rodríguez Saa declared a short-lived debt moratorium. December 23 is the 357th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (358th in leap years). ... Adolfo Rodríguez Saá Páez Montero (born July 25, 1947) is an Argentine politician of Peronist beliefs. ... In law, a moratorium (from Latin morari, to delay) is a legal authorization postponing for a specified time the payment of debts or obligations. ...

According to Argentine Agronomist Alberto Lapolla, who has written extensively on the transformation of Argentina from the "granary of the world" to a "soy republic," 450,000 Argentines died of hunger between 1990 and 2003. Citing the Institut d'études sur l'État et la participation (IDEP), a think-tank, Lapolla adds that every day, 55 children, 35 adults and 15 elderly die in the country from illnesses related to hunger. Agricultural science (also called agronomy) is a broad multidisciplinary field that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic, and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. ...

The economy began a recovery in March 2002 that has been far more impressive and robust than anticipated by leading international and domestic analysts. In 2003, an export-led boom triggered an 8.7% surge in real gross domestic product (GDP). Industrial activity and construction activity also performed well, growing 17.9% and 37.8%, respectively, in 2003. Domestic car sales and exports increased 105.4% and 19.2%, respectively, in 2003. Tourism activity boomed: Argentina received 3.3 million foreign tourists in 2003, a record high. The expansion is creating jobs and unemployment dipped from 17.8% in May 2003 to 14.5% in December 2003. Investment in real terms jumped 38.1%, and capital flight has decreased. The recovery's strong impact on revenue levels, combined with the Kirchner administrations prudent control of spending, achieved exceptional results, with the fiscal surplus reaching 2.3% of GDP.

Meanwhile, the move to a market-based exchange rate regime and high global commodity prices have lifted exports to record levels and assured hefty surpluses in the trade and current account balances of the balance of payments. The favorable balance of payments performance and Argentina's non-payment of its private debt obligations has allowed a strong accumulation of foreign exchange reserves, which have reached nearly $17.7 billion, representing 15 months of current imports. The demand for pesos increased in 2003 and the first half of 2004 due to the recovery of economic activity and the appreciation of the peso. Argentina's Central Bank has deftly managed monetary policy in support of the economic expansion, while maintaining inflation in check (consumer inflation was restrained at 3.4% in 2003). Banks are now in the black, and net credit levels to the private sector are positive.

Argentina's impressive recovery is a function of a number of factors. First, following a decade of market reforms, the economy was fundamentally sound except for the high level of indebtedness. Second, the adoption of a market exchange rate and favorable international commodity and interest rate trends were catalytic factors in the export-led boom. Argentina has sound fundamentals and should continue to perform well in 2004, with growth projected to be 9%. Nevertheless, slowness in addressing energy, public debt, and banking compensation difficulties and a still-weak investment climate are major obstacles to sustaining the recovery.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Argentina Argentines are a fusion of diverse national and ethnic groups, with descendants of Italian and Spanish immigrants predominant. ...

Argentines are a mixture of diverse national and ethnic groups, with descendants of Italian and Spanish immigrants predominant (at least 88% of Argentina's total population). Waves of immigrants from many European countries arrived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Patagonian Chubut Valley has a significant Welsh descended population and retains many Welsh placenames and aspects of Welsh culture. Syrian, Lebanese, and other Middle Eastern immigrants number about 500,000, mainly in urban areas. Other important immigrant groups came from Germany (German colonies were settled in the provinces of Entre Rios, Misiones, Formosa, Cordoba and the Patagonian region, as well as in Buenos Aires itself), France (mostly settled in Buenos Aires city and province), the United Kingdom and Ireland (Buenos Aires and the Patagonia) and Eastern European nations, such as Poland, Russia, Ukraine and the Balkans region (especially Croatia and Serbia) and others. Small numbers of Asians have also settled Argentina, mainly in Buenos Aires. First Asians were Japanese, then Koreans, Vietnamese, and Chinese followed. The only official language is Spanish, though some immigrants have to an extent retained their original languages in specific points of the country, Spanish remains the most widely spoken. This article or section should be merged with ethnicity An ethnic group is a group of people who identify with one another, or are so identified by others, on the basis of a boundary that distinguishes them from other groups. ... The Italian Republic or Italy ( Italian: Repubblica Italiana or Italia) is a country in southern Europe. ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... The Chubut valley in Patagonia, Argentina forms the heart of the Chubut Province, the third largest province of Argentina. ... The Syrian Arab Republic is a country in the Middle East, bordering (from south to north) on Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey. ... The Lebanese Republic or Lebanon is a country in Southwest Asia, bordering the Mediterranean Sea. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... The Republic of Poland, a democratic country with a population of 38,626,349 and area of 312,685 km², is located in Central Europe, between Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and the Baltic Sea, Lithuania and... Ukraine (Україна, Ukrayina in Ukrainian; Украина in Russian) is a republic in eastern Europe which borders Russia to the east, Belarus to the north, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, Romania and Moldova to the southwest and the Black Sea to the south. ... The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe southeastern Europe (see the Definitions and boundaries section below). ... The Republic of Croatia is a crescent-shaped country in Europe bordering the Mediterranean, Central Europe and the Balkans. ... World map showing location of Asia A satellite composite image of Asia Asia is the central and eastern part of the continent of Eurasia, defined by subtracting the European peninsula from Eurasia. ... Official language Japanese Capital Tokyo Largest City Tokyo Emperor Akihito Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 60th 377,835 km² 0. ... Korea is a formerly unified country, situated on the Korean Peninsula in northern East Asia, bordering on China to the west and Russia to the north. ... The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a country in Southeast Asia. ... The Great Wall of China, stretching over 6,700 km, was erected beginning in the 3rd century BC to guard the north from raids by men on horses. ... This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ...

Argentina's population is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, and Roman Catholicism is economically supported by the Argentine state, without being an official religion. It also has the largest Jewish population in Latin America, about 300,000 strong, and is home to one of the largest