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ARGENTINA
Map of ARGENTINA
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Location:
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Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay |
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Geographic Coordinates:
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34 00 S, 64 00 W |
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Area:
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total: 2,766,890 sq km
land: 2,736,690 sq km
water: 30,200 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 9,861 km
border countries: Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,261 km, Chile 5,308 km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 580 km |
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Coastline:
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4,989 km |
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Maritime claims:
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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 |
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Climate:
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mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest |
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Terrain:
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rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Laguna del Carbon -105 m (located between Puerto San Julian and Comandante Luis Piedra Buena in the province of Santa Cruz)
highest point: Cerro Aconcagua 6,960 m (located in the northwestern corner of the province of Mendoza) |
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Natural resources:
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fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium |
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Land use:
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arable land: 10.03%
permanent crops: 0.36%
other: 89.61% (2005) |
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Irrigated land:
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15,500 sq km (2003) |
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Total renewable water resources:
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814 cu km (2000) |
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 29.19 cu km/yr (17%/9%/74%)
per capita: 753 cu m/yr (2000) |
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Natural hazards:
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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 |
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Environment - current issues:
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environmental problems (urban and rural) typical of an industrializing economy such as deforestation, soil degradation, desertification, air pollution, and water pollution
note: Argentina is a world leader in setting voluntary greenhouse gas targets |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation |
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Population:
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40,677,348 (July 2008 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 24.6% (male 5,123,722/female 4,893,843)
15-64 years: 64.6% (male 13,143,693/female 13,127,372)
65 years and over: 10.8% (male 1,801,101/female 2,587,617) (2008 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Argentine(s)
adjective: Argentine |
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Ethnic groups:
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white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry), Amerindian, or other non-white groups 3% |
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Religions:
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nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4% |
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Languages:
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Spanish (official), Italian, English, German, French |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.2%
male: 97.2%
female: 97.2% (2001 census) |
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
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total: 15 years
male: 14 years
female: 16 years (2005) |
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Education expenditures - percent of GDP:
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3.8% (2004) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Argentine Republic
conventional short form: Argentina
local long form: Republica Argentina
local short form: Argentina |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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name: Buenos Aires
geographic coordinates: 34 36 S, 58 40 W
time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends third Saturday in March; note - a new policy of daylight saving time was initiated by the government on 30 December 2007 |
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Administrative divisions:
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23 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 autonomous city* (distrito federal); Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Capital Federal*, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Cordoba, Corrientes, Entre Rios, Formosa, Jujuy, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Misiones, Neuquen, Rio Negro, Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero, Tierra del Fuego - Antartida e Islas del Atlantico Sur, Tucuman
note: the US does not recognize any claims to Antarctica |
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Independence:
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9 July 1816 (from Spain) |
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National holiday:
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Revolution Day, 25 May (1810)
Source: http://cia.gov
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