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ARGENTINA
The Argentine
Republic
 Area:
1.08 million square miles (2nd largest country in South
America after Brazil)
Population: 36.2 million (2001 official figures), 1.5
million currently overseas
Life expectancy: 71.8 years (male); 78.8 years (female)
Capital city: Buenos Aires (population 3.04 million;
approx. 12 million live in the greater Buenos Aires metropolitan
area)
People: Most Argentines are of European origin,
especially Spanish and Italian. Substantial numbers also came
from France, Poland, Russia and Germany. The Jewish community is
the 7th largest in the world outside Israel. There are also more
than 1 million people of Arab descent. Around 1% of the
population is indigenous, living mainly in the north and west.
Language: The official language is Spanish.
Religion (s): Roman Catholic (90%); Protestant (2%);
others include Judaism and Islam.
Basic Economic Facts:
Currency: Peso
GDP: US$ 537.2 billion
GDP per capita: US$ 14,087
Annual Growth: 9.2% (2005)
Inflation: 12% (2005)
Major Industries:
food processing,
motor vehicles, consumer durables,
textiles,
chemicals and
petrochemicals,
printing,
metallurgy,
steel
Major Trading Partners:
Brazil 19.1%,
Chile 10.7%,
US 9.7%,
China 7.7%,
Spain 4.6% (2003)
Major Political parties: Partido
Justicialista (PJ): Peronist Party; Union Civica Radical (UCR):
Radical Party; Alternativa por una Republica de Iguales (ARI);
Recrear; Compromiso para el Cambio
Government: Argentina is a constitutional republic. The
President is directly elected for a four-year term, which can be
renewed once. The legislature consists of a bicameral National
Congress, made up of an Upper House Senate (72 members, three
for each province) and a Lower House Chamber of Deputies (257
deputies).
Head of State: President Nestor Kirchner (since 25 May
2003)
Foreign Minister: Jorge Taiana
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