Country name:

conventional long form: Argentine Republic

conventional short form: Argentina

local long form: Republica Argentina

local short form: Argentina

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

Geographic coordinates: 34 00 S, 64 00 W

Map references: South America Area: total: 2,780,400 sq km

country comparison to the world: 8

land: 2,736,690 sq km water: 43,710 sq km

Land boundaries: total: 9,861 km border countries: Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,261 km, Chile 5,308 km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 580 km Coastline: 4,989 km

Climate: mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest

Terrain: rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border

Elevation extremes: 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)

Natural resources: fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium

Land use: arable land: 10.03% permanent crops: 0.36% other: 89.61% (2005)

Irrigated land: 15,500 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 814 cu km (2000)

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 areas volcanism: Argentina experiences volcanic activity in the Andes Mountains along the Chilean border; Copahue (elev. 2,997 m, 9,833 ft) last erupted in 2000; other historically active volcanoes include Llullaillaco, Maipo, Planchon-Peteroa, San Jose, Tromen, Tupungatito, and Viedma

Government type: republic

Capital: name: Buenos Aires

geographic coordinates: 34 36 S, 58 40 W

time difference: UTC-3 (3 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 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 (Tierra del Fuego), Tucuman

Independence: 9 July 1816 (from Spain)

National holiday: Revolution Day, 25 May (1810)

Constitution: 1 May 1853; amended many times starting in 1860

Legal system: mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Population: 41,343,201 (July 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 32

Age structure: 0-14 years: 25.6% (male 5,369,477/female 5,122,260) 15-64 years: 63.5% (male 12,961,725/female 13,029,265) 65 years and over: 10.8% (male 1,819,057/female 2,611,800) (2010 est.)

Median age: total: 30.3 years male: 29.2 years female: 31.3 years (2010 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.036% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 119

Airports: 1,141 (2010) country comparison to the world: 6

Airports - with paved runways: total: 156 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 65 914 to 1,523 m: 51 under 914 m: 9 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 985 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 43 914 to 1,523 m: 530 under 914 m: 410 (2010)

Heliports: 2 (2010)

Pipelines: gas 28,248 km; liquid petroleum gas 41 km; oil 5,977 km; refined products 3,636 km (2009)

Railways: total: 31,409 km country comparison to the world: 8 broad gauge: 27,301 km 1.676-m gauge (94 km electrified) standard gauge: 2,780 km 1.435-m gauge (26 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,328 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)

Roadways: total: 231,374 km country comparison to the world: 22 paved: 69,412 km (includes 734 km of expressways) unpaved: 161,962 km (2004)

Waterways: 11,000 km (2007) country comparison to the world: 11

Merchant marine: total: 43 country comparison to the world: 74 by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 7, chemical tanker 4, container 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 23, refrigerated cargo 2 foreign-owned: 12 (Brazil 1, Chile 6, Spain 3, UK 2) registered in other countries: 17 (Liberia 3, Panama 7, Paraguay 5, Uruguay 2) (2010)

Ports and terminals: Arroyo Seco, Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, La Plata, Punta Colorada, Rosario, San Lorenzo-San Martin

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