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Argentina

Continent: South America

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Background

In 1816, the United Provinces of the Rio Plata declared their independence from Spain. After Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay went their separate ways, the area that remained became Argentina. The country's population and culture were heavily shaped by immigrants from throughout Europe, with Italy and Spain providing the largest percentage of newcomers from 1860 to 1930. Up until about the mid-20th century, much of Argentina's history was dominated by periods of internal political unrest and conflict between civilian and military factions.After World War II, an era of populism under former President Juan Domingo PERON - the founder of the Peronist political movement - and direct and indirect military interference in subsequent governments was followed by a military junta that took power in 1976. Democracy returned in 1983 after a failed bid to seize the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) by force, and has persisted despite numerous challenges, the most formidable of which was a severe economic crisis in 2001-02 that led to violent public protests and the successive resignations of several presidents. The years 2003-15 saw Peronist rule by Nestor KIRCHNER (2003-07) and his spouse Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER (2007-15), who oversaw several years of strong economic growth (2003-11) followed by a gradual deterioration in the government’s fiscal situation and eventual economic stagnation and isolation. Argentina underwent a brief period of economic reform and international reintegration under Mauricio MACRI (2015-19), but a recession in 2018-19 and frustration with MACRI’s economic policies ushered in a new Peronist government in 2019 led by President Alberto FERNANDEZ and Vice President FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER. Presidential elections will take place next in 2023.

Location

Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay

Area Comparative

Slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US

Maritime Claims

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Contiguous zone: 24 nm

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate
Mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest

Population Distribution

One-third of the population lives in Buenos Aires; pockets of agglomeration occur throughout the northern and central parts of the country; Patagonia to the south remains sparsely populated

Natural Hazards

San Miguel de Tucuman and Mendoza areas in the Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike the pampas and northeast; heavy flooding in some areasvolcanism: volcanic activity in the Andes Mountains along the Chilean border; Copahue (2,997 m) last erupted in 2000; other historically active volcanoes include Llullaillaco, Maipo, Planchon-Peteroa, San Jose, Tromen, Tupungatito, and Viedma

Geography Note

Note 1: second-largest country in South America (after Brazil); strategic location relative to sea lanes between the South Atlantic and the South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); diverse geophysical landscapes range from tropical climates in the north to tundra in the far south; Cerro Aconcagua is the Western Hemisphere's tallest mountain, while Laguna del Carbon is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere; shares Iguazu Falls, the world's largest waterfalls system, with Brazil

Note 2: southeast Bolivia and northwest Argentina seem to be the original development site for peanuts

Year

Map Reference

  • South America

Irrigated Land 2012

  • 23,600 sq km

Area 2022

  • Total
    2,780,400 sq km
  • Land
    2,736,690 sq km
  • Water
    43,710 sq km

Coastline

  • 4,989 km

Geographical Coordinates

  • 34 00 S, 64 00 W

Land use 2022

  • Agricultural Land
    53.9%
  • Arable Land
    13.9%
  • Permanent Crops
    0.4%
  • Permanent Pasture
    39.6%
  • Forest
    10.7%
  • Other
    35.4%

Terrain

  • Rich plains of the Pampas in northern half
  • Flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south
  • Rugged Andes along western border

Elevation

  • Highest Point: Cerro Aconcagua (located in the northwestern corner of the province of Mendoza; highest point in South America) 6,962 m
  • Lowest Point: Laguna del Carbon (located between Puerto San Julian and Comandante Luis Piedra Buena in the province of Santa Cruz) -105 m
  • Mean Elevation: 595 m

Land Boundaries

  • Total
    11,968 km
  • Bolivia
    942 km
  • ; Brazil
    1,263 km
  • ; Chile
    6,691 km
  • ; Paraguay
    2,531 km
  • ; Uruguay
    541 km

Natural Resources

  • Fertile plains of the pampas
  • Lead
  • Zinc
  • Tin
  • Copper
  • Iron ore
  • Manganese
  • Petroleum
  • Uranium
  • Arable land
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