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Facts and Figures
about Argentina
Location
Argentina is the second-largest country in
South America. It is boarded with Bolivia and
Paraguay on the north and with Brazil and Uruguay
to the north-east. Chile is situated to the west.
The eastern side faces the South Atlantic Ocean.
The country occupies a strategic position relative
to sea lanes between the South Atlantic and the
South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle
Channel, Drake Passage).
Surface
Argentina is made up of a continental area
(2,791,810 sq km = 1,074 miles), part of the Antartic
(969,464 sq km) and many islands located in the
Atlantic Ocean (4,150 sq km). The whole surface
occupies 3,761,274 sq km.
From north to south, the country is 3800 km (2,360
miles) long. From east to west, it is 1,423 km
(884 miles) long.
Population
According to the Census of 1998, there are
32,6 million habitants in the country. Almost
half of the country population live in the province
of Buenos Aires.
Argentina's population is 55 per cent Caucasian
and fifty per cent Indian or mestizo (mixed Indian-Spanish).
A great wave of Southern European immigrants got
to the country between 1860 and 1940, most of
them of Italian and Spanish origin. Of the original
Indian population, the largest group are the Guaran’es,
who are found mostly in Corrientes and Misiones.
Density: 12,9 habitants/Km2
Annual Growth: 1,5%
Urban Population: 88,1%
Life Expectancy: Men: 67 years old. Women: 74
years old.
Language
Spanish. English is widely used in companies
and for business purposes.
Religion
The official religion of the country is the
Catholic Church, (95% of the population). However,
Judaism, Protestantism, and a number of other
Christian and non-Christian religions are practiced
since religious freedom is enshrined in the constitution.
By law, the president and vice president of Argentina
must be Roman Catholic.
Climate
Continental Argentina stretches from the
Tropic of Capricorn in the north to 55% latitude
in the south. Therefore, it includes a wide range
of climatic zones: while the northern provinces
are tropical, Misiones, Chaco and Formosa are
subtropical, provinces in the middle of the country
are temperate and Tierra del Fuego is subarctic.
The Cordillera de los Andes, natural boundary
between Chile and Argentina, both prevents winds
from the Pacific from getting into the country
and takes part of their humidity and rain. The
temperatures range from the 49¼C in the North
to the -35¼C in Tierra del Fuego and the Antartic.
In Buenos Aires the average temperature range
is 17¡ to 29¡ C (63¡ to 85¡ F) in January and
6¡ to 14¡ C (42¡ to 57¡ F) in July There are wide
regional variations as regards precipitation in
the country. More than 1520 mm (60 in) fall annually
in the northern provinces, but lands become semiarid
towards the west and south.
Economy
1- Agriculture Exceptional lands to be cultivated
on. Argentina is Latin America's largest exporter
of food and other agricultural products. The Pampas,
largely made up of a fine sand and clay are ideal
for the cultivation of cereal. Wheat, the principal
cash crop, corn, oats, rye, rice and sunflowers
are mainly reaped in Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Santa
Fe, Entre R’os and La Pampa. The natural grasslands
of this region are primarily used as pasture for
sheep. Potatoes, tomatoes, beans and garlic are
also cultivated in the central provinces. Grapevines
are grown in the Cuyo region and Tucum‡n is the
main cane sugar producer. Yerba mate is cultivated
in Misiones while cotton in the Chaco province.
Tobacco is reaped in Corrientes, Misiones and
Salta. Rice comes from Entre R’os and Corrientes.
The Andean foothill region is unsuitable for farming,
but several valleys favor the growth of oranges
towards the north. In the south, there are apples,
pears and plums in the R’o Negro province. All
kind of citric is cultivated in the Paran‡ Delta.
2- Cattle Second major industry of the country.
Cattle was first brought into the country when
the Spaniards first attempted to found Buenos
Aires in 1536. Cows, sheep, horses and pigs proliferated
in the pampas. Sheep also grew into large herds
in the Patagonia region. All of these encouraged
the production and export of veal and wool -among
others- to the rest of the world.
3- Manufacture Refined petroleum products, motor
vehicles, Portland cement, textiles, chemicals
and petrochemicals, metallurgy, crude steel, wine,
beer, steel tubes, cigarettes, wood, paper and
electrical appliances among others.
Money
Monetary Unit: Peso, with an official rate
of $1 to US$ 1 since April 1991.
Education
The 96% of the argentinians are literate.
Education is free and compulsory for children
between sixteen and fourteen years old. Argentina
has 25 national universities and other private
universities. The Universidad de Buenos Aires
(UBA) was founded in 1821 and is the largest institution
of highest education of the country. Other major
national universities are the Catholic University
of Argentina (1958), the National Technological
University (1959) and the National University
of C—rdoba (1613). The major library of Argentina
is the National Library (1810) in Buenos Aires,
with about 2 million volumes.
Sports
Football is Argentina's greatest passion.
There are 17 stadiums in the city, most of them
big enough to allow 40,000 spectators. The pato
is the most genuine sport of the country and Argentinian
players are considered to be among the best of
the world. Other sports: tennis, hockey, rugby,
ski, volleyball and basketball.
Music
The most important components of traditional
Argentine music are the gaucho folk song and folk
dance. The tango developed in Buenos Aires and
became a favorite ballroom dance throughout much
of the world. Astor Piazzolla is a prolific 20th-century
tango composer, bandleader, and performer.
Tourism
Argentina has been recently discovered by
the European tourists; but it is already very
popular among Spanish and Italian visitors. Its
wide scope of possibilities -which go from skiing
in the harsh Patagonian winter to the tropical
attractions in Jujuy and Salta-- satisfy tourists
from all over the world. Accommodation Buenos
Aires is a huge city and has a wide range of hotels
which are rated according to the number of stars
they display (from 5 to 1 in decreasing order).
There are also residenciales (A,B or C), hoster’as,
caba–as, motels and camping areas.
Transport
Bus lines go everywhere in the country. The
Buenos Aires bus terminal is next to Retiro station,
400 meters away from the underground Subte "C"
Railways Argentina's rail system -which developed
at the beginning of this century- is usually cheaper
but slower than bus travel. Air services The international
airport Ministro Pistarini -also known as Aeropuerto
de Ezeiza- is located 35 km away from Buenos Aires
City. The local air services are covered by Aerol’nes
Argentinas, Austral, Dinar, LADE, LAPA and SW.
There are bus and taxi services to and from the
airport. Car rental International rental companies
do also operate in Argentina. If you have a credit
card, charges can be paid in your home country.
Taxis There are 32,000 taxis in Buenos Aires.
Taxi drivers charge a fixed fee and add an extra
cost according to the distance that has been traveled.
(Source: The Buenos Aires Herald "Argentina Info")
Map of Argentina
Argentine Embassy in Washington DC
Ambassador:
Ambassador Guillermo Enrique
Gonzalez
Curr’culum Vitae - Castellano
| English
Presentacion
de Cartas Credenciales
Address and Contact Information:
1600 New Hampshire Avenue
NW
Washington, DC 20009
Horario de Atenci—n: de 10:00 a 17:00
Conmutador: (202) 238-6400
Fax: (202) 332-3171
Guardia: (202) 674-7855
http://www.embajadaargentina-usa.org
http://www.embassyofargentina-usa.org
argentina@veriomail.com
Edificio
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento
1811 Q Street, NW
Washington DC 20009
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