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NAVIGATION
Argentine Republic
Republica Argentina
Argentina
GOVERNMENT
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Argentine Republic
conventional short form: Argentina local short form: Argentina local long form: Republica Argentina |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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Buenos Aires |
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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) |
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Constitution:
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1 May 1853; revised August 1994 |
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Legal system:
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mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal and mandatory |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Eduardo Alberto DUHALDE (since 2 January 2002); note - selected by National Congress in aftermath of resignation of former President DE LA RUA on 20 December 2001 and resignations of others who briefly held the office following DE LA RUA's departure; Vice President Carlos "Chacho" ALVAREZ resigned 6 October 2000 and the post remains vacant; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Eduardo Alberto DUHALDE (since 2 January 2002); note - selected by National Congress in aftermath of resignation of former President DE LA RUA on 20 December 2001 and resignations of others who briefly held the office following DE LA RUA's departure; Vice President Carlos "Chacho" ALVAREZ resigned 6 October 2000 and the post remains vacant; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president election results: Fernando DE LA RUA elected president; percent of vote - 48.5% ; Vice President Carlos "Chacho" ALVAREZ resigned 6 October 2000 and a replacement was not named; DE LA RUA resigned 20 December 2001; following a series of interim presidents, Eduardo Alberto DUHALDE was selected president by the National Congress on 1 January 2002 elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 24 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2003) |
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate (72 seats; formerly, three members appointed by each of the provincial legislatures; presently transitioning to one-third of the members being elected every two years to six-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies (257 seats; one-half of the members elected every two years to four-year terms)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA%; seats by bloc or party - Justicialist (Peronist) 40, UCR 24, provincial parties 6, Frepaso 1, ARI 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA%; seats by bloc or party - Justicialist (Peronist) 113, UCR 74, provincial parties 27, Frepaso 17, ARI 17, AR 9 elections: Senate - last held 14 October 2001 (next to be held NA October 2003); Chamber of Deputies - last held 14 October 2001 (next to be held NA October 2003) |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (the nine Supreme Court judges are appointed by the president with approval by the Senate) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Action for the Republic or AR [Domingo CAVALLO]; Alternative for a Republic of Equals or ARI [Elisa CARRIO]; Front for a Country in Solidarity or Frepaso (a four-party coalition) [Dario Pedro ALESSANDRO]; Justicialist Party or PJ [Carlos Saul MENEM] (Peronist umbrella political organization); Radical Civic Union or UCR [Angel ROZAS]; several provincial parties |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Argentine Association of Pharmaceutical Labs (CILFA); Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers' association); Argentine Rural Society (large landowners' association); business organizations; General Confederation of Labor or CGT (Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization); Peronist-dominated labor movement; Roman Catholic Church; students |
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International organization participation:
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AfDB, Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-6, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MINURSO, MIPONUH, MTCR, NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOVIC, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Eduardo AMADEO
chancery: 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York FAX: [1] (202) 332-3171 telephone: [1] (202) 238-6400 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador James D. WALSH
embassy: Avenida Colombia 4300, C1425GMN Buenos Aires mailing address: international mail: use street address; APO address: Unit 4334, APO AA 34034 telephone: [54] (11) 5777-4533 FAX: [54] (11) 5777-4240 |
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Flag description:
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three equal horizontal bands of light blue (top), white, and light blue; centered in the white band is a radiant yellow sun with a human face known as the Sun of May |
ECONOMY
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Economy - overview:
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Argentina benefits from rich natural resources, a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. Over the past decade, however, the country has suffered recurring economic problems of inflation, hugh external debt, capital flight, and budget deficits. Growth in 2000 was a negative 0.5%, as both domestic and foreign investors remained skeptical of the government's ability to pay debts and maintain the peso's fixed exchange rate with the US dollar. The economic situation worsened in 2001 with the widening of spreads on Argentine bonds, massive withdrawals from the banks, and a further decline in consumer and investor confidence. Government efforts to achieve a "zero deficit", to stabilize the banking system, and to restore economic growth proved inadequate in the face of the mounting economic problems. The peso's peg to the dollar was abandoned in January 2002, and the peso was floated in February; the exchange rate plunged and inflation picked up rapidly, but by mid-2002 the economy had stabilized, albeit at a lower level. Output was 14.7% below the previous year's figure, and unemployment remained high, at 21.5%. In order to reverse the crisis some economists recently have advocated that Argentina adopt the US dollar as the national currency, however, others argue tieing the economy closely to the dollar was precisely what led to Argentina's current problems. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $391 billion (2002 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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-14.7% (2002 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $10,200 (2002 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 5%
industry: 28% services: 66% (2000 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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37% (2001 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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4% (2001 est.) |
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Labor force:
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15 million (1999) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% |
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Unemployment rate:
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25% (yearend 2001) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $44 billion
expenditures: $48 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
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Industries:
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food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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1% (2000 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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82.802 billion kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 52%
hydro: 41% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 7% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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80.806 billion kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - exports:
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3.7 billion kWh (2000) |
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Electricity - imports:
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7.5 billion kWh (2000) |
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Agriculture - products:
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sunflower seeds, lemons, soybeans, grapes, corn, tobacco, peanuts, tea, wheat; livestock |
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Exports:
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$26.7 billion f.o.b. (2001) |
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Exports - commodities:
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edible oils, fuels and energy, cereals, feed, motor vehicles |
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Exports - partners:
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Brazil 26.5%, US 11.8%, Chile 10.6%, Spain 3.5% (2000) |
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Imports:
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$20.3 billion f.o.b. (2001) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal manufactures, plastics |
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Imports - partners:
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Brazil 25.1%, US 18.7%, Germany 5%, China 4.6% (2000) |
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Debt - external:
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$155 billion (2001 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$10 billion (2001 est.) |
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Currency:
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Argentine peso (ARS) |
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Currency code:
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ARS |
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Exchange rates:
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Argentine pesos per US dollar - 1.33325 (January 2002), 1.000 (1997-2001); note - fixed rate pegged to the US dollar was abandoned in January 2002; peso now floats |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |