Care & Community - ARGENTINA Country Facts

Argentina

Population: 39.3 million (UN, 2005) Capital: Buenos Aires Area: 2.8 million sq km (1.1 million sq miles) Major language: Spanish Major religion: Christianity Life expectancy: 71 years (men), 78 years (women) Monetary unit: 1 peso = 100 centavos Main exports: Food and live animals, mineral fuels, cereals, machinery GNI per capita: US $4,470 (World Bank, 2006) International dialing code: +54

Geography

With 4989km of coastline bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, and land boundaries with 5 countries adding up to 9665km, Argentina is the second largest country in South America after Brazil, and the eighth largest country in the world. The majority of the country enjoys a temperate climate except the arid southeast and the sub-Antarctic southwest. Some areas are subject to earthquakes, violent windstorms and heavy flooding. Argentina is a land of geographical diversity, possessing some of the world's tallest mountains, expansive deserts, and impressive waterfalls. Over half of Argentina's land is permanent pastures, and one fifth is woodland. Crops and arable land only make up ten per cent of land use, and is mainly in the rich northern plains of the Pampas.The Pampas are home to many natural resources including lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum and uranium.
Argentina suffers from environmental problems typical of an industrializing economy such as water and air pollution, desertification and soil degradation. However, Argentina prides itself on being a world leader in setting voluntary greenhouse gas targets.

People

When the Spanish first discovered Argentina in the 16th Century it was very sparsely populated. However, with three decades of colonization and mass immigration from Europe, the population expanded. Roughly 85% of Argentineans are of European origin. The rest of the population is made up of Mestizo and Native American people. The 3.5 million Europeans who emigrated to Argentina between 1850 and 1960 have managed to preserve their own languages, so while the official language is Spanish and is spoken by everyone, other languages spoken by Argentineans include English, Italian, German and French, as well as the original Native American languages. Argentina is a true melting pot of nationalities and languages, but despite this Argentines are fiercely nationalistic.

The majority of the population claim to be Roman Catholic. However, only 20% attend church regularly and fewer make annual pilgrimages to holy sites and local shrines. Most Argentineans like to get involve with the national sport, football! The national team is one of the best in the world and has already won the world cup twice. Other popular sports include polo, rugby, tennis and horse racing. Those Argentineans who are not sportsmen work either in the service sector, the oil and gas industry, mining, shipbuilding, or the food, tobacco and automotive industries. Since Argentina entered into the world economy, the number of farmers has rapidly decreased. Children are now encouraged to enter into education at an early age, and it is compulsory for those between the ages of 6 and 14. Another area of importance for Argentineans is food. Most families eat four meals per day, the largest being the evening meal called 'cena' which usually includes beef.

Brief History

In 1516, a Spanish expedition led by Juan Díaz de Solís went in search of a passage connecting the Atlantic Ocean to India via the Pacific Ocean. They failed, but instead accidentally discovered the lands that are now defined as Argentina. The Spanish settled in Argentina and continued to officially occupy the country until 1816 when the natives gained their independence.
Following independence, several years of internal conflict ensued between Unitarians and Federals, a conflict which was eventually won by the Unitarians. This period was also the beginning of the making of modern Argentina. Foreign investment and immigration from Europe made possible the integration of Argentina into the world economy and allowed for significant economic growth and prosperity. After WWII there was a period of Peronist authoritarian rule which lasted over a decade. Peron's wife Eva, (known as Evita and made famous by the Andrew Lloyd-Weber musical) helped him gain popularity with labor and women's groups, and was the main influence in obtaining the right for women to vote which was implemented in 1947. Eva's death in 1952 lost Peron a key political ally, and in 1955 he was deposed in a military coup. Following several military dictatorships characterized by violence and debt accumulation, Argentina finally returned to a system of democracy in 1983 which continues in the present day.

Politics

Argentina has been a democratic republic since 1983. The current president, Nestor Kirchner, came to power in 2003 by winning an uncontested presidential run-off after his rival stood down. When Kirchner took office, he faced the challenge of restoring the country after its economic collapse of 2001. With half the population living in poverty and a foreign debt crisis on his hands, his government was forced to secure loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Kirchner's popularity during the election campaign was in part because he promised to boost employment, and in 2005, thanks to a major public works programme, 2.5 million jobs were created.

Economy

Argentina is the most developed country in Latin America, thanks to its abundance of natural resources, a highly literate population, high agricultural exports, and a diversified industrial base. Within Latin America it has the highest GDP per capita and the highest levels of education. Since President Kirchner took office in 2003, the near economic collapse of 2001 has been addressed to the extent that there is now an 8% growth rate. Kirchner is also responsible for successfully restructuring the country's debt, which is now steadily decreasing. Unemployment is also decreasing.