Argentina 1

ArgentinaFor other uses, see Argentina (disambiguation).

Argentine Republic[1]Repblica Argentina(Spanish)

Flag Coat of arms

Motto:"En unin y libertad"(Spanish)"In Unity and Freedom"

Anthem:Himno Nacional Argentino(Spanish)Argentine National Anthem

Mainland Argentina shown in dark green, with territorial claims shown in light greenCapitaland largest city

Buenos Aires3436S 5823W [2]

Official languages Spanish[a]

Ethnicgroups (2013) 97% European 3% Mestizo, Amerindian and Asian

Demonym Argentine Argentinian Argentinean (uncommon)

Government Federal presidential constitutional republic

- President Cristina Fernndez de Kirchner

- Vice President Amado Boudou

- Supreme Court President Ricardo Lorenzetti

Argentina 2

Legislature Congress

- Upper house Senate

- Lower house Chamber of Deputies

Independencefrom Spain

- May Revolution 25 May 1810

- Declared 9 July 1816

- Current constitution 1 May 1853

Area

- Total 2,780,400km2[3] (8th)1,073,518sqmi

- Water(%) 1.57

Population

- 2013estimate 41,660,417

- 2010census 40,117,096 (32nd)

- Density 14.4/km2 (212th)37.3/sqmi

GDP(PPP) 2014estimate

- Total $793.779 billion (22nd)

- Per capita $18,917 (56th)

GDP(nominal) 2014estimate

- Total $404.483 billion (29th)

- Per capita $9,640 (69th)

Gini(2010) 44.49medium

HDI (2013) 0.811very high 45th

Currency Peso ($) (ARS)

Time zone ART (UTC3)

Date format dd.mm.yyyy (CE)

Drives on the right[b]

Calling code +54

ISO 3166 code AR

Internet TLD .ar

a. ^ De facto at all government levels.[4] In addition, some provinces have official de jure languages: Guaran in Corrientes Province. Kom, Moqoit and Wichi, in Chaco Province.

b. ^ Trains ride on left.

Argentina i/rdntin/, officially the Argentine Republic (Spanish: Repblica Argentina [repulika axentina]) is a federal republic located in southeastern South America. Covering most of the Southern Cone, it is bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay to the north; Brazil to the northeast; Uruguay and the South Atlantic Ocean to the

Argentina 3

east; Chile to the west and the Drake Passage to the south.With a mainland area of 2,780,400km2 (1,073,500sqmi), Argentina is the eighth-largest country in the world andthe second largest in Latin America. Argentina's population of over 41 million citizens (2013 estimate) constitutesthe world's fourth largest Spanish-speaking nation. Argentina claims sovereignty over part of Antarctica, theFalkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.A historical and current middle power[5][6] and a prominent Latin American[7][8] include Great Britain, Ukraine,Japan, South Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Argentina."[9][10][11][12] and Southern Cone[13][14][15] regionalpower, Argentina is one of the G-15 and G-20 major economies and Latin America's third-largest. It is also afounding member of the United Nations, WBG, WTO, Mercosur, UNASUR, CELAC and OEI. Because of itsstability, market size and increasing share of the high-tech sector, Argentina is classed by investors as a middleemerging economy with a "very high" rating on the Human Development Index.The earliest recorded human presence in the area now known as Argentina is dated from the Paleolithic period.[16]

The Spanish colonization began in 1512.[17] Argentina rose as the successor state of the Viceroyalty of the Ro de laPlata,[18][19][20] a Spanish overseas colony founded in 1776. The declaration and fight for independence(18101818) was followed by an extended civil war that lasted until 1861, which ended with the country'sreorganization as a federation of provinces with Buenos Aires as its capital city. From then onwhile massiveEuropean immigration waves radically reshaped its cultural and demographic outlookArgentina enjoyed anhistorically almost-unparalleled increase in prosperity: by the early 20th century it already ranked as the seventhwealthiest[21] developed nation[22] in the world. After 1930, however, and despite remaining among the fifteenrichest countries until mid-century,[21] it descended into political instability and suffered periodic economic crisisthat sank it back into underdevelopment.

Name and etymologyThe name "Argentina" is derived from Latin argentum ("silver", plata in Spanish), a noun associated with the silvermountains legend, widespread among the first European explorers of the La Plata Basin.[23]

The first written use of the name can be traced to La Argentina,[24] a 1602 poem by Martn del Barco Centeneradescribing the region and the foundation of Buenos Aires.[25] Although "Argentina" was already in common usageby the 18th century, the country was formally named "Viceroyalty of the Ro de la Plata" by the Spanish Empire, and"United Provinces of the Ro de la Plata" after independence.The 1826 constitution included the first use of the name "Argentine Republic" in legal documents.[26] The name"Argentine Confederation" was also commonly used and was formalized in the Argentine Constitution of 1853.[27]

In 1860 a presidential decree settled the country's name as "Argentine Republic",[28] and that year's constitutionalamendment ruled all the names since 1810 as legally valid.[29][30]

In the English language, the country was traditionally called "the Argentine", mimicking the typical Spanish usage laArgentina. This fell out of fashion during the mid to late 20th century, and now the country is simply referred to as"Argentina".

Argentina 4

HistoryMain article: History of Argentina

Pre-Columbian eraMain article: Indigenous peoples in Argentina

The Cave of the Hands in Santa Cruz, with indigenousartwork dating from 13,0009,000 years ago.

The earliest traces of human life in the area now known asArgentina are dated from the Paleolithic period, with further tracesin the Mesolithic and Neolithic.[16] Until the period of Europeancolonization Argentina was relatively sparsely populated by awide number of diverse cultures with different socialorganizations,[31] which can be divided into three main groups:[32]

Basic hunters and food gatherers without development ofpottery, like the Selknam and Yaghan in the extreme south.

Advanced hunters and food gatherers like the Puelche,Querand and Serranos in the center-east; and the Tehuelche inthe southall of them conquered by the Mapuche spreadingfrom Chile[33]and the Kom and Wichi in the north.

Farmers with pottery, like the Charra, Minuane and Guaran in the northeast, with slash and burn semisedentaryexistence;[31] the advanced Diaguita sedentary trading culture in the northwest, which was conquered by the IncaEmpire around 1480; the Toconot and Hna and Kmare in the country's center, and the Huarpe in thecenter-west, a culture that raised llamas cattle and was strongly influenced by the Incas.[31]

Argentina 5

Spanish colonial eraMain article: Colonial Argentina

Territorial divisions of the Viceroyalty of the Ro de laPlata.

Europeans first arrived in the region with the 1502 voyage ofAmerigo Vespucci. The Spanish navigators Juan Daz de Sols andSebastian Cabot visited the territory that is now Argentina in 1516and 1526, respectively.[17] In 1536 Pedro de Mendoza founded thesmall settlement of Buenos Aires, which was abandoned in1541.[34]

Further colonization efforts came from Paraguayestablishing theGovernorate of the Ro de la PlataPeru and Chile.[35] Franciscode Aguirre founded Santiago del Estero in 1553. Londres wasfounded in 1558; Mendoza, in 1561; San Juan, in 1562; SanMiguel de Tucumn, in 1565.[36] Juan de Garay founded Santa Fein 1573 and the same year Jernimo Luis de Cabrera set upCrdoba.[37] Garay went further south to re-fund Buenos Aires in1580.[38] San Luis was established in 1596.[36]

The Spanish Empire subordinated the economic potential of theArgentine territory to the immediate wealth of the silver and goldmines in Bolivia and Peru, and as such it became part of theViceroyalty of Peru until the creation of the Viceroyalty of the Rode la Plata in 1776 with Buenos Aires as its capital.[39]

Buenos Aires repelled two ill-fated British invasions in 1806 and1807.[40] The ideas of the Age of Enlightenment and the exampleof the first Atlantic Revolutions generated criticism to the absolutist monarchy that ruled the country. Like in the restof Spanish America, the overthrow of Ferdinand VII during the Peninsular War created great concern.[41]

Argentina 6

Independence and civil warsMain articles: May Revolution, Argentine War of Independence and Argentine Civil Wars

Portrait of General Jos de San Martin, Libertador ofArgentina, Chile and Peru.

Beginning a process from which Argentina was to emerge assuccessor state to the Viceroyalty,[18][19][20] the 1810 MayRevolution replaced the viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros withthe First Junta, a new government in Buenos Aires composed bylocals.[41] In the first clashes of the Independence War the Juntacrushed a royalist counter-revolution in Crdoba,[42] but failed toovercome those of the Banda Oriental, Upper Peru and Paraguay,which later became independent states.[43]

Revolutionaries split into two antagonist groups: the Centralistsand the Federalistsa move that would define Argentina's firstdecades of independence.[44] The Assembly of the Year XIIIappointed Gervasio Antonio de Posadas as Argentina's firstSupreme Director.[44]

In 1816 the Congress of Tucumn formalized the Declaration ofIndependence.[45][46] One year later General Martn Miguel deGemes stopped royalists on the North, and General Jos de SanMartn took an army across the Andes and secured theindependence of Chile; then he led the fight to the Spanishstronghold of Lima and proclaimed the independence of Peru.[47][48] In 1819 Buenos Aires enacted a centralistconstitution that was soon abrogated by federalists.[46]

The 1820 Battle of Cepeda, fought between the Centralists and the Federalists, resulted in the end of the SupremeDirector rule. In 1826 Buenos Aires enacted another centralist constitution, with Bernardino Rivadavia beingappointed as the first president of the country. However, the interior provinces soon rose against him, forced hisresignation and discarded the constitution.[49] Centralists and Federalists resumed the civil war; the latter prevailedand formed the Argentine Confederation in 1831, led by Juan Manuel de Rosas.[50] During his regime he faced aFrench blockade (18381840), the War of the Confederation (18361839), and a combined Anglo-French blockade(18451850), but remained undefeated and prevented further loss of national territory.[51] His trade restrictionpolicies, however, angered the interior provinces and in 1852 Justo Jos de Urquiza, another powerful caudillo, beathim out of power. As new president of the Confederation, Urquiza enacted the liberal and federal 1853 Constitution.Buenos Aires seceded but was forced back into the Confederation after being defeated in the 1859 Battle ofCepeda.[52]

Argentina 7

Rise of the Modern NationMain articles: Historical Presidencies and Generation of '80

President Julio Argentino Roca giving hisconstitutionally-mandated annual report to Congress,

1886.

Overpowering Urquiza in the 1861 Battle of Pavn, BartolomMitre secured Buenos Aires predominance and was elected as thefirst president of the reunified country. He was followed byDomingo Faustino Sarmiento and Nicols Avellaneda; these threepresidencies set up the bases of the modern Argentine State.[53]

Starting with Julio Argentino Roca in 1880, ten consecutivefederal governments emphasized liberal economic policies. Themassive wave of European immigration they promotedsecondonly to the United States'led to a near-reinvention of Argentinesociety and economy that by 1908 had placed the country as theseventh wealthiest[21] developed nation[22] in the world. Driven bythis immigration wave and decreasing mortality, the Argentine population grew fivefold and the economy15-fold:[54] from 1870 to 1910 Argentina's wheat exports went from 100,000 to 2,500,000t (110,000 to 2,760,000short tons) per year, while frozen beef exports increased from 25,000 to 365,000t (28,000 to 402,000 short tons) peryear,[55] placing Argentina as one of the world's top five exporters.[56] Its railway mileage rose from 503 to31,104km (313 to 19,327mi).[57] Fostered by a new public, compulsory, free and secular education system, literacyskyrocketed from 22% to 65%, a level higher than most Latin American nations would reach even fifty yearslater.[56] Furthermore, real GDP grew so fast that despite the huge immigration flux, per capita income between 1862to 1920 went from 67% of developed country levels to 100%:[57]

By 1865 Argentina was already one of the top 25 nations by per capita income. By 1901 it had raised to the 10th place ahead of Germany, Austria and France. By 1908 it had surpassed Denmark, Canada and The Netherlands to reach the 7th place behind Switzerland, New

Zealand, Australia, United States, Great Britain and Belgium. Argentina's per capita income was 70% higher thanItaly's, 90% higher than Spain's, 180% higher than Japan's and 400% higher than Brazil's.[21]

Despite these unique achievements, the country was slow to meet its original goals of industrialization:[58] after steepdevelopment of capital-intensive local industries in the 1920s, a significant part of the manufacture sector remainedlabor-intensive in the 1930s.[59]

In 1912, president Roque Senz Pea enacted universal and secret male suffrage, which allowed Hiplito Yrigoyen,leader of the Radical Civic Union (or UCR), to win the 1916 election. He enacted social and economic reforms andextended assistance to family farmers and small businesses. Argentina stayed neutral during World War I. Thesecond administration of Yrigoyen faced an economic crisis, influenced by the Great Depression.[60]

The Infamous DecadeMain articles: Infamous Decade and Argentina in World War IIIn 1930 Yrigoyen was ousted from power by the military led by Jos Flix Uriburu. Although Argentina remainedamong the fifteen richest countries until mid-century,[21] this coup d'tat marks the start of the steady economic andsocial decline that pushed the country back into underdevelopment.Uriburu ruled for two years; then Agustn Pedro Justo was elected with fraud, and signed a controversial treaty withthe United Kingdom. Argentina stayed neutral during World War II, a decision that had full British support but wasrejected by the United States after the attack on Pearl Harbor. A new military coup rose to government, andArgentina declared war to the Axis Powers a month before the end of World War II in Europe. The minister ofwelfare, Juan Domingo Pern, was fired and jailed because of his high popularity among workers. His liberation wasforced by a massive popular demonstration, and he went to win the 1946 election.[61]

Argentina 8

PeronismMain article: Peronism

Official presidential portrait of Juan Domingo Pernand his wife Eva Pern, 1948.

Pern created a political movement known as Peronism. Henationalized strategic industries and services, improved wages andworking conditions, paid the full external debt and achieved nearlyfull employment. The economy, however, began to decline in1950 because of over-expenditure. His highly popular wife, EvaPern, played a central political role. She pushed Congress toenact women suffrage in 1947,[62] and developed anunprecedented social assistance to the most vulnerable sectors ofsociety.[63] However, her declining health did not allow her to runfor the vice-presidency in 1951, and she died of cancer thefollowing year. Pern was reelected in 1951, even surpassing his1946 performance. In 1955 the Navy bombed the Plaza de Mayoin an ill-fated attempt to kill the president. A few months later,during the self-called Liberating Revolution coup, he resigned andwent into exile in Spain.[64]

The new head of State, Pedro Eugenio Aramburu, proscribedPeronism and banned all of its manifestations; nevertheless,Peronists kept organized underground. Arturo Frondizi from theUCR won the following elections.[65] He encouraged investmentto achieve energetic and industrial self-sufficiency, reversed achronic trade deficit and lifted Peronism proscription; yet his efforts to stay in good terms with Peronists and themilitary earned him the rejection of both and a new coup forced him out.[66] But Senate president Jos Mara Guidoreacted swiftly and applied the anti-power vacuum legislation, becoming president instead; elections were repealedand Peronism proscribed again. Arturo Illia was elected in 1963 and led to an overall increase in prosperity; howeverhis attempts to legalize Peronism resulted in his overthrow in 1966 by the Juan Carlos Ongana-led ArgentineRevolution, a new military government that sought to rule indefinitely.[67]

Dirty WarMain article: Dirty War

Second Resistance March opposing the NationalReorganization Process, December 1982.

Ongana shut down Congress, banned all political parties anddismantled student and worker unions. In 1969, popular discontentled to two massive protests: the Cordobazo and the Rosariazo. Theterrorist guerrilla organization Montoneros kidnapped andexecuted Aramburu.[68] The newly chosen head of government,Alejandro Agustn Lanusse, seeking to ease the growing politicalpressure, let Hctor Jos Cmpora be the Peronist candidateinstead of Pern. Cmpora won the March 1973 election, issued apardon for condemned guerrilla members and then secured Pern'sreturn from his exile in Spain.[69]

On the day Pern returned to Argentina, the clash betweenPeronist internal factionsright-wing union leaders and left-wing youth from Montonerosresulted in the EzeizaMassacre. Cmpora resigned, overwhelmed by political violence, and Pern won the September 1973 election with his third wife Isabel as vice-president. He expelled Montoneros from the party[70] and they became once again a

Argentina 9

clandestine organization. Jos Lpez Rega organized the Argentine Anticommunist Alliance (AAA) to fight againstthem and the People's Revolutionary Army (ERP). Pern died in July 1974 and was succeeded by his wife, whosigned a secret decree empowering the military and the police to "annihilate" the left-wing subversion,[71] stoppingERP's attempt to start a rural insurgence in Tucumn Province.[72] Isabel Pern was ousted one year later by JorgeRafael Videla, initiating the National Reorganization Process, often shortened as Proceso.[73]

The Proceso shut down Congress, removed the judges of the Supreme Court, banned political parties and unions,and resorted to the forced disappearance of suspected guerrilla members and of anyone believed to be associatedwith the left-wing. By the end of 1976 Montoneros had lost near 2000 members; by 1977, the ERP was completelydefeated. A severely weakened Montoneros launched a counterattack in 1979, which was quickly annihilated, endingthe guerrilla threat; nevertheless the Junta stayed in government. Then head of State Leopoldo Galtieri launchedOperation Rosario, which escalated into the Falklands War (Spanish: Guerra de Malvinas); within two monthsArgentina was defeated by the United Kingdom. Reynaldo Bignone replaced Galtieri and began to organize thetransition to democratic rule.[74]

Contemporary eraMain articles: Argentine economic crisis (19992002) and Kirchnerism

Cristina Fernndez de Kirchner, President of Argentinasince 2007.

Ral Alfonsn won the 1983 elections campaigning for theprosecution of those responsible for human rights violationsduring the Proceso: the Trial of the Juntas and other martial courtssentenced all the coup's leaders but, under military pressure, healso enacted the Full Stop and Due Obedience laws, which haltedprosecutions further down the chain of command. The worseningeconomic crisis and hyperinflation reduced his popular supportand the Peronist Carlos Menem won the 1989 election. Soon after,riots forced Alfonsn to an early resignation.[75]

Menem embraced neoliberal policies:[76] a fixed exchange rate,business deregulation, privatizations and dismantling ofprotectionist barriers normalized the economy for a while. He pardoned the officers who had been sentenced duringAlfonsn's government. The 1994 Constitutional Amendment allowed Menem to be elected for a second term. Theeconomy began to decline in 1995, with increasing unemployment and recession;[77] led by Fernando de la Ra, theUCR returned to the presidency in the 1999 elections.[78]

De la Ra kept Menem's economic plan despite the worsening crisis, which led to growing social discontent.[77] Amassive capital flight was responded to with a freezing of bank accounts, generating further turmoil. The December2001 riots forced him to resign.[79] Congress appointed Eduardo Duhalde as acting president, who abrogated thefixed exchange rate established by Menem.[80] By the late 2002 the economic crisis began to recess, but theassassination of two piqueteros by the police caused political commotion, prompting Duhalde to move electionsforward.[81] Nstor Kirchner was elected as the new president.[82]

Boosting the neo-keynesian economic policies[81] laid by Duhalde, Kirchner ended the economic crisis attainingsignificant fiscal and trade surpluses, and steep GDP growth.[83] Under his administration Argentina restructured itsdefaulted debt with an unprecedented discount of about 70% on most bonds, paid off debts with the InternationalMonetary Fund,[84] purged the military of officers with doubtful human rights records,[85] nullified and voided theFull Stop and Due Obedience laws,[86] ruled them as unconstitutional, and resumed legal prosecution of theJuntas' crimes. He did not run for reelection, promoting instead the candidacy of his wife, senator Cristina Fernndezde Kirchner, who was elected in 2007[87] and reelected in 2011.

Argentina 10

GeographyMain article: Geography of ArgentinaWith a mainland surface area of 2,780,400km2 (1,073,518sqmi), Argentina is located in southern South America,sharing land borders with Chile across the Andes to the west;[88] Bolivia and Paraguay to the north; Brazil to thenortheast, Uruguay and the South Atlantic Ocean to the east; and the Drake Passage to the south;[89][90] for anoverall land border length of 9,376km (5,826mi). Its coastal border over the Ro de la Plata and South AtlanticOcean is 5,117km (3,180mi) long.Argentina's highest point is Mount Aconcagua in the Mendoza province (6,959m (22,831ft) above sea level), alsothe highest point in the Southern and Western Hemispheres.[91] The lowest point is Laguna del Carbn in the SanJulin Great Depression, Santa Cruz province (105m (344ft) below sea level, also the lowest point in theSouthern and Western Hemispheres, and the seventh lowest point on Earth)The northernmost point is at the confluence of the Grande de San Juan and Mojinete rivers in Jujuy province; thesouthernmost is Cape San Po in Tierra del Fuego province; the easternmost is northeast of Bernardo de Irigoyen,Misiones and the westernmost is within Los Glaciares National Park in Santa Cruz province. The maximumnorthsouth distance is 3,694km (2,295mi), while the maximum eastwest one is 1,423km (884mi).Some of the major rivers are the Paran, Uruguay (which join to form the Ro de la Plata), Paraguay, Salado, Negro,Santa Cruz, Pilcomayo, Bermejo and Colorado.[92] These rivers are discharged into the Argentine Sea, the shallowarea of the Atlantic Ocean over the Argentine Shelf, an unusually wide continental platform.[93] Its waters areinfluenced by two major ocean currents: the warm Brazil Current and the cold Falklands Current.[94]

RegionsArgentina is divided into seven geographical regions:[95]

Northwest, a continuation of the high Puna with even higher, more rugged topography to the far-west;[96] the aridprecordillera, filled with narrow valleys or quebradas to the mid-west;[97] and an extension of the mountainousYungas jungles to the east.[97]

Mesopotamia, a subtropical wedge covering the western Paran Plateau and neighbouring lowlands enclosed bythe Paran and Uruguay rivers.[91]

Gran Chaco, a large, subtropical and tropical low-lying, gently sloping alluvial plain[98] between Mesopotamiaand the Andes.

Sierras Pampeanas, a series of medium-height mountain chains located in the center.[99]

Cuyo, a basin and range area in the central Andes piedmont, to the west.[98]

Pampas, a massive and hugely fertile alluvial plain located in the center east.[100][91]

Patagonia, a large southern plateau consisting mostly of arid, rocky steppes[91] to the east, moister cold grasslandsto the south and dense subantarctic forests to the west.[101]

Argentina 11

Top: Pampas, Sierras Pampeanas, Mesopotamia, Gran Chaco, CuyoBottom: Northwest Puna, Northwest Yungas, Northwest Valleys, western Patagonia, eastern Patagonia.

ClimateMain article: Climate of Argentina

Argentina 12

Tropical climate in Mesopotamia and subpolar in Western PatagoniaAlthough the most populated areas are generally temperate, Argentina has an exceptional climate diversity, rangingfrom tropical in the north[102] to subpolar in the far continental south.[100] Climate patterns roughly follow thegeographic regional division: The Northwest climate is varied, with rainfall diminishing north to south and east to west:[93] Puna, to the high

Andean west, is dry and with great temperature fluctuation but cold overall, frequently falling below freezingpoint at night;[93] Yungas, to the east, are tropical, very hot and moisty.[103]

Mesopotamia is subtropical overall, with hot and very humid tropical climate in the north,[104] and graduallybecoming temperate and semi-humid to the south.[105]

Gran Chaco has very hot subtropical to tropical climate,[102] and humid summers with mild drier winters. Withheavy seasonal rainfalls,[105] it is subject to periodic droughts.[106]

Cuyo is generally mild, although mountainous areas have alpine climate with temperatures below freezing muchof the year.[107]

Pampas and Sierras Pampeanas are temperate, with hot, stormy summers and cool winters; moisture is higher inthe east.[108]

Patagonia is very windy, with mild summers and cold[93] to very cold winters[109] with heavy snowfall andfrost,[93] especially in mountainous zones.[110] Precipitation steeply diminishes from west to east.[111]

Major wind currents include the cool Pampero Winds blowing on the flat plains of Patagonia and the Pampas;following the cold front, warm currents blow from the north in middle and late winter, creating mild conditions.[108]

The Sudestada usually moderates cold temperatures but brings very heavy rains, rough seas and coastal flooding. Itis most common in late autumn and winter along the central coast and in the Ro de la Plata estuary.[108] The Zonda,a hot dry wind, affects Cuyo and the central Pampas. Squeezed of all moisture during the 6,000m (19,685ft) descentfrom the Andes, Zonda winds can blow for hours with gusts up to 120km/h (75mph), fueling wildfires and causingdamage; between June and November, when the Zonda blows, snowstorms and blizzard (viento blanco) conditionsusually affect higher elevations.[112]

BiodiversityMain article: Environment of ArgentinaSee also: List of Protected Areas of ArgentinaArgentina is a megadiverse country hosting one of the greatest ecosystem varieties in the world: 15 continentalzones, 3 oceanic zones, and the Antarctic region are all represented in its territory. This huge ecosystem variety hasled to a biological diversity that is among the world's largest: 9,372 catalogued vascular plant species (ranked 24th)[113]

1,038 catalogued bird species (ranked 14th)[114]

375 catalogued mammal species (ranked 12th)[115]

338 catalogued reptilian species (ranked 16th) 162 catalogued amphibian species (ranked 19th)From this total, 529 species of vertebrates and at least 240 plants are threatened, mostly by conversion of natural land for agriculture and deforestation, but also by industrialization, urbanization and a growing number of alien invasive

Argentina 13

species.Argentina is also the 9th most biocapable country in the world. As of 2013[116] it has a protected area networkconsisting of 299 continental zones (6.3% of total mainland area), 21 Ramsar sites and 11 biosphere reserves,partially sampling most of its 24 terrestrial ecoregions.

GovernmentMain articles: Government of Argentina and Politics of ArgentinaArgentina is a federal constitutional republic and representative democracy.[117] The government is regulated by asystem of checks and balances defined by the Constitution of Argentina, the country's supreme legal document. Theseat of government is the city of Buenos Aires, as designated by Congress.[118] Suffrage is universal, equal, secretand mandatory.[119][120]The federal government is composed of three branches: Legislative: The bicameral Congress, made up of the Senate and Deputy chambers, makes federal law, declares

war, approves treaties and has the power of the purse and of impeachment, by which it can remove sittingmembers of the government.[121]

The Chamber of Deputies represents the people and has 257 voting members elected to a four-year term. Seatsare apportioned among the provinces by population every tenth year.[122] As of 2013[116] ten provinces havejust five deputies while the Buenos Aires Province, being the most populous one, has 70.

The Chamber of Senators represents the provinces, has 72 members elected at-large to six-year terms, witheach province having three seats; one third of Senate seats are up for election every other year.[123] At leastone-third of the candidates presented by the parties must be women.

Executive: The president is the commander-in-chief of the military, can veto legislative bills before they becomelawsubject to Congressional overrideand appoints the members of the Cabinet and other officers, whoadminister and enforce federal laws and policies.[124] The president is elected directly by the vote of the people,serves a four-year term and may be elected to office no more than twice in a row.[125]

Judicial: The Supreme Court and lower federal courts interpret laws and overturn those they findunconstitutional.[126] The Judicial is independent of the Executive and the Legislative. The Supreme Court hasseven members appointed by the Presidentsubject to Senate approvalwho serve for life. The lower courts'judges are proposed by the Council of Magistrates (a secretariat composed of representatives of judges, lawyers,researchers, the Executive and the Legislative), and appointed by the President on Senate approval.[127]

Congressional Palace, seat of the Congress

Argentina 14

Casa Rosada, workplace of the President

Palace of Justice, seat of the Supreme Court

Political divisionsMain article: Provinces of ArgentinaSee also: List of Argentine provinces by populationArgentina is a federation of twenty-three provinces and oneautonomous city, Buenos Aires. Provinces are divided foradministration purposes into departments and municipalities,except for Buenos Aires Province, which is divided intopartidos. The City of Buenos Aires is divided into communes.

Provinces hold all the power that they chose not to delegate tothe federal government;[128] they must be representativerepublics and must not contradict the Constitution.[129]

Beyond this they are fully autonomous: they enact their ownconstitutions,[130] freely organize their localgovernments,[131] and own and manage their natural andfinancial resources.[132] Some provinces have bicamerallegislatures, while others have unicameral ones.[133]

During the War of Independence the main cities and theirsurrounding countrysides became provinces though theintervention of their cabildos. The Anarchy of the Year XXcompleted this process, shaping the original thirteenprovinces. Jujuy seceded from Salta in 1834, and the thirteenprovinces became fourteen. After seceding for a decade,Buenos Aires accepted the 1853 Constitution of Argentina in1861, and was made a federal territory in 1880.[134]

A 1862 law designated as national territories those underfederal control but outside the frontiers of the provinces. In

1884 they served as bases for the establishment of the governorates of Misiones, Formosa, Chaco, La Pampa, Neuqun, Ro Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz and Tierra del Fuego.[135] The agreement about a frontier dispute with

Argentina 15

Chile in 1900 created the National Territory of Los Andes; its lands were incorporated into Jujuy, Salta andCatamarca in 1943.[134] La Pampa and Chaco became provinces in 1951. Misiones did so in 1953, and Formosa,Neuqun, Ro Negro, Chubut and Santa Cruz, in 1955. The last national territory, Tierra del Fuego, became theTierra del Fuego, Antrtida e Islas del Atlntico Sur Province in 1990.[134]

Foreign relationsMain article: Foreign relations of Argentina

Argentine diplomatic missions ArgentinaNations hosting aresident diplomatic missionNations without a resident diplomatic

mission

Foreign policy is officially handled by the Ministry ofForeign Affairs, International Trade and Worship,which answers to the President.

An historical and current middle power,[5][6] Argentinabases its foreign policies on the guiding principles ofnon-intervention,[136] human rights, self-determination,international cooperation, disarmament and peacefulsettlement of conflicts. The country is one of the G-15and G-20 major economies of the world, and afounding member of the UN, WBG, WTO and OAS. In2012 Argentina was elected again to a two-yearnon-permanent position on the United Nations Security Council and is participating in major peacekeepingoperations in Haiti, Cyprus, Western Sahara and the Middle East.

As a prominent Latin American[7][8][9][10][11][12] and Southern Cone[13][14][15] regional power, Argentina co-foundedOEI, CELAC and UNASUR, of which the former president Nstor Kirchner was first Secretary General. It is also afounding member of the Mercosur block, having Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela as partners. Since 2002the country has emphasized its key role in Latin American integration, and the blockwhich has some supranationallegislative functionsis its first international priority.[137]

Argentina claims 965,597km2 (372,819sqmi) in Antarctica, where it has the world's oldest continuous statepresence, since 1904. This overlaps claims by Chile and the United Kingdom, though all such claims fall under theprovisions of the 1961 Antarctic Treaty, of which Argentina is a founding signatory and permanent consultingmember, with the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat being based in Buenos Aires.Argentina disputes sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas), and South Georgia and theSouth Sandwich Islands,[138] which are administered by the United Kingdom as Overseas Territories.

Armed ForcesMain article: Armed Forces of Argentina

Argentina 16

Argentine Marines in formation during a UNITAS jointamphibious assault exercise in Peru.

The president holds the title of commander-in-chief of theArgentine Armed Forces, as part of a legal framework thatimposes a strict separation between national defence and internalsecurity systems: The National Defence System, an exclusive responsibility of

the federal government,[139] coordinated by the Ministry ofDefense and comprising the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.Ruled and monitored by Congress[140] through the Houses'Defence Committees, it is organized around the essentialprinciple of legitimate self-defence: the repelling of anyexternal military aggression in order to guarantee freedom ofthe people, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity. Its secondary missions include committing tomultinational operations within the framework of the United Nations, participating in internal support missions,assisting friendly countries, and establishing a sub-regional defence system.

Military service is voluntary, with enlistment age between 18 and 24 years old and no conscription.Argentina's defence has historically been one of the best equipped in the region, even managing its ownweapon research facilities, shipyards, ordnance, tank and plane factories.[141] However, real militaryexpenditures declined steadily after 1981 and the defence budget in 2011 was about 0.74% of GDP, ahistorical minimum, below the Latin American average.

The Interior Security System, jointly administered by the federal and subscribing provincial governments. At thefederal level it is coordinated by the Interior, Security and Justice ministries, and monitored by Congress. It isenforced by the Federal Police; the Prefecture, which fulfills coast guard duties; the Gendarmerie, which servesborder guard tasks; and the Airport Security Police. At the provincial level it is coordinated by the respectiveinternal security ministries and enforced by local police agencies.

EconomyMain articles: Economy of Argentina, Agriculture in Argentina and Argentine foreign tradeBenefiting from rich natural resources, a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector and adiversified industrial base, the economy of Argentina is Latin America's third-largest. It has a "very high" rating onthe Human Development Index and a relatively high GDP per capita, with a considerable internal market size and agrowing share of the high-tech sector.A middle emerging economy and one of the world's top developing nations,[142] Argentina is a member of the G-20major economies. Historically, however, its economic performance has been very uneven, with high economicgrowth alternating with severe recessions, income maldistribution andin the recent decadesincreasing poverty.Early in the 20th century Argentina achieved development,[22] and became the world's seventh richest country.[21]

Although managing to keep a place among the top fifteen economies until mid-century,[21] it suffered a long andsteady decline and now it's just an upper middle-income country.High inflationa weakness of the Argentine economy for decadeshas become a trouble once again, with rates in2013 between the official 10.2% and the privately estimated 25%, causing heated public debate over manipulatedstatistics. Income distribution, having improved since 2002, is classified as "medium", still considerably unequal.Argentina ranks 102nd out of 178 countries in the Transparency International's 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index.

Argentina 17

Industry

President Fernndez inaugurating a factory inUshuaia. Firms like BlackBerry, HP and

Motorola have set up plants in Tierra del Fuego,drawn by tax breaks.

Manufacturing is the largest single sector in the nation's economy(19% of GDP), and is well-integrated into Argentine agriculture, withhalf the nation's industrial exports being agricultural in nature. Basedon food processing and textiles during its early development in the firsthalf of the 20th century, industrial production has become highlydiversified in Argentina.[143] Leading sectors by production value are:Food processing and beverages; motor vehicles and auto parts; refineryproducts, and biodiesel; chemicals and pharmaceuticals; steel andaluminum; and industrial and farm machinery; electronics and homeappliances. These latter include over three million big ticket items, aswell as an array of electronics, kitchen appliances and cellular phones,among others. The country's auto industry produced 829,000 motor

vehicles in 2011, and exported 507,000 (mainly to Brazil, which in turn exported a somewhat larger number toArgentina). Beverages are another significant sector, and Argentina has long been among the top five wineproducing countries in the world; beer overtook wine production in 2000, and today leads by nearly two billion litersa year to one.

Other manufactured goods include: glass and cement; plastics and tires; lumber products; textiles; tobacco products;recording and print media; furniture; apparel and leather. Most manufacturing is organized around 280 industrialparks, with another 190 slated to open during 2012. Nearly half the industries are based in the Greater Buenos Airesarea, although Crdoba, Rosario, and Ushuaia are also significant industrial centers; the latter city became thenation's leading center of electronics production during the 1980s. The production of computers, laptops, and serversgrew by 160% in 2011, to nearly 3.4 million units, and covered two-thirds of local demand. Another important rubrichistorically dominated by imports farm machinery will likewise mainly be manufactured domestically by 2014.

Construction permits nationwide covered nearly 19 million m (205million ft) in 2008. The construction sectoraccounts for over 5% of GDP, and two-thirds of the construction was for residential buildings.Argentine electric output totaled over 122billion Kwh in 2009. This was generated in large part through welldeveloped natural gas and hydroelectric resources. Nuclear energy is also of high importance,[144] and the country isone of the largest producers and exporters, alongside Canada and Russia of cobalt-60, a radioactive isotope widelyused in cancer therapy.

Argentina 18

TransportMain article: Transport in Argentina

Vintage Line A station entrance of Buenos AiresMetro. The city was the first in Latin America and in

the Southern Hemisphere to develop a subwaynetwork.

Argentina has the largest railway system in Latin America, with36,966km (22,970mi) of operating lines out of a full network ofalmost 48,000km (30,000mi). This system links all 23 provincesplus Buenos Aires City, and connects with all neighboringcountries. There are four incompatible gauges in use; this forcesvirtually all interregional freight traffic to pass through BuenosAires. The system has been in decline since the 1940s: regularlyrunning up large budgetary deficits, by 1991 it was transporting1400 times less merchandise than it did in 1973.

Buenos Aires, all provincial capitals except Ushuaia, and allmedium-sized towns are interconnected by 69,412km (43,131mi)of paved roads, out of a total road network of 230,604km(143,291mi). Most important cities are linked by a growingnumber of expressways, including Buenos AiresLa Plata,RosarioCrdoba, CrdobaVilla Carlos Paz, Villa MercedesMendoza, National Route 14 General Jos GervasioArtigas and Provincial Route 2 Juan Manuel Fangio, among others. Nevertheless this road infrastructure is stillinadequate and cannot handle the sharply growing demand caused by deterioration of the railway system.

There are about 11,000km (6,800mi) of waterways, mostly comprising the La Plata, Paran, Paraguay and Uruguayrivers, with Buenos Aires, Zrate, Campana, Rosario, San Lorenzo, Santa Fe, Barranqueras and San Nicolas de losArroyos as the main fluvial ports. Some of the largest sea ports are La PlataEnsenada, Baha Blanca, Mar del Plata,QuequnNecochea, Comodoro Rivadavia, Puerto Deseado, Puerto Madryn, Ushuaia and San Antonio Oeste.Buenos Aires has historically been the most important port; however since the 1990s the Up-River port region hasbecome dominant: stretching along 67km (42mi) of the Paran river shore in Santa Fe province, it includes 17 portsand in 2013[116] accounted for 50% of all exports.

As of 2013[116] there are 159 airports with paved runways out of more than a thousand. The Ezeiza InternationalAirport, about 35km (22mi) from downtown Buenos Aires,[145] is the largest in the country, followed by Cataratasdel Iguaz in Misiones, and El Plumerillo in Mendoza. Aeroparque, in the city of Buenos Aires, is the mostimportant domestic airport.[146]

Media and communicationsMain article: Communications in ArgentinaPrint media industry is highly developed in Argentina, with more than two hundred newspapers. The major nationalones include the centrist Clarn, the best-seller in Latin America and the second most widely circulated in theSpanish-speaking world; La Nacin (center-right, published since 1870), Pgina/12 (left-wing, founded in 1987), theBuenos Aires Herald (Latin America's most prestigious English language daily, dating back to 1876) and La Voz delInterior (center, founded in 1904)[147]

Argentina began the world's first regular radio broadcasting on 27 August 1920, when Richard Wagner's Parsifalwas aired by a team of medical students led by Enrique Telmaco Susini in Buenos Aires' Teatro Coliseo.[148] By2002[116] there were 260 AM and 1150 FM registered radio stations in the country.The Argentine television industry is large, diverse and popular across Latin America, with many productions and TVformats having been exported outside. Since 1999 Argentines enjoy the highest availability of cable and satellitetelevision in Latin America, as of 2014[116] totaling 87.4% of the country's households, a rate similar to those in theUnited States, Canada and Europe.

Argentina 19

As of 2011[116] Argentina has also the highest coverage of networked telecommunications among Latin Americanpowers: about 67% of its population has internet access and 137.2%, mobile phone subscriptions.

Science and technologyMain article: Science and technology in Argentina

Argentine satellite SAC-D

Argentines have three Nobel Prize laureates in the Sciences. BernardoHoussay, the first Latin American among them, discovered the role ofpituitary hormones in regulating glucose in animals. Csar Milstein didextensive research in antibodies. Luis Leloir discovered how organismsstore energy converting glucose into glycogen and the compoundswhich are fundamental in metabolizing carbohydrates. Argentineresearch has led to the treatment of heart diseases and several forms ofcancer. Domingo Liotta designed and developed the first artificial heartsuccessfully implanted in a human being in 1969. Ren Favalorodeveloped the techniques and performed the world's first ever coronarybypass surgery.

Argentina's nuclear programme has been highly successful. In 1957Argentina was the first country in Latin America to design and build aresearch reactor with homegrown technology, the RA-1 Enrico Fermi.This reliance in the development of own nuclear related technologies,instead of simply buying them abroad, was a constant of Argentina'snuclear programme conducted by the civilian National Atomic EnergyCommission (CNEA). Nuclear facilities with Argentine technologyhave been built in Peru, Algeria, Australia and Egypt. In 1983, the country admitted having the capability ofproducing weapon-grade uranium, a major step needed to assemble nuclear weapons; since then, however, Argentinahas pledged to use nuclear power only for peaceful purposes. As a member of the Board of Governors of theInternational Atomic Energy Agency, Argentina has been a strong voice in support of nuclear non-proliferationefforts and is highly committed to global nuclear security. In 1974 it was the first country in Latin America to putin-line a commercial nuclear power plant, Atucha I. Although the Argentine built parts for that station amounted to10% of the total, the nuclear fuel it uses are since entirely built in the country. Later nuclear power stations employeda higher percentage of Argentine built components; Embalse, finished in 1983, a 30% and the 2011 Atucha II reactora 40%.

Despite its modest budget and numerous setbacks, academics and the sciences in Argentina have enjoyed aninternational respect since the turn of the 1900s, when Dr. Luis Agote devised the first safe and effective means ofblood transfusion as well as Ren Favaloro, who was a pioneer in the improvement of the coronary artery bypasssurgery. Argentine scientists are still on the cutting edge in fields such as nanotechnology, physics, computersciences, molecular biology, oncology, ecology, and cardiology. Juan Maldacena, an Argentine-American scientist,is a leading figure in string theory. Argentine built satellites include LUSAT-1 (1990), Vctor-1 (1996),PEHUENSAT-1 (2007), and those developed by CONAE, the Argentine space agency, of the SAC series. The PierreAuger Observatory near Malarge, Mendoza, is the world's foremost cosmic ray observatory.Space research has also become increasingly active in Argentina. Argentina has its own satellite programme, nuclear power station designs (4th generation) and public nuclear energy company INVAP, which provides several countries with nuclear reactors.[149] Established in 1991, the CONAE has since launched two satellites successfully and,[150] in June 2009, secured an agreement with the European Space Agency on for the installation of a 35-m diameter antenna and other mission support facilities at the Pierre Auger Observatory. The facility will contribute to numerous ESA space probes, as well as CONAE's own, domestic research projects. Chosen from 20 potential sites and one of only

Argentina 20

three such ESA installations in the world, the new antenna will create a triangulation which will allow the ESA toensure mission coverage around the clock.[151]

TourismMain article: Tourism in Argentina

The largest ski center in Latin America, Bariloche(Argentine Patagonia)

Tourism in Argentina is characterized by its cultural offerings and itsample and varied natural assets. The country had 5.28 million visitorsin 2010, ranking in terms of the international tourist arrivals as the topdestination in South America, and second in Latin America afterMexico. Revenues from international tourists reached US$4.93 billionin 2010, up from US$3.96 billion in 2009.[152] The country's capitalcity, Buenos Aires, is the most visited city in South America.

Tourist destinations: Buenos Aires, the capital of the Nation. Iguaz National Park, waterfalls and jungle. Bariloche, the largest ski centre in Latin America, and La Angostura. Los Alerces National Park in central Patagonia. Los Glaciares National Park, everlasting glaciers. Inca and colonial sites in Humahuaca, the Calchaqu Valleys, Iruya, Tilcara, and other cities of the North.

DemographicsMain article: Demographics of ArgentinaSee also: Argentine people

Balvanera, filled with picturesque Dutch styletenements.

In the 2001 census [INDEC], Argentina had a population of 36,260,130,and preliminary results from the 2010 census were of 40,091,359inhabitants. Argentina ranks third in South America in total populationand 33rd globally. Population density is of 15 persons per squarekilometer of land area, well below the world average of 50 persons.The population growth rate in 2010 was an estimated 1.03% annually,with a birth rate of 17.7 live births per 1,000 inhabitants and amortality rate of 7.4 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants. The net migrationrate has ranged from zero to four immigrants per 1,000 inhabitants.

The proportion of people under 15 is 25.6%, a little below the worldaverage of 28%, and the proportion of people 65 and older is relativelyhigh at 10.8%. In Latin America this is second only to Uruguay and well above the world average, which is currently7%. Argentina has one of Latin America's lowest population growth rates, recently about 1% a year, as well as acomparatively low infant mortality rate. Its birth rate of 2.3 children per woman is still nearly twice as high as that inSpain or Italy, compared here as they have similar religious practices and proportions.[153] The median age isapproximately 30 years and life expectancy at birth is 77.14 years.

Argentina became in 2010 the first country in Latin America and the second in the Americas to allow same-sexmarriage nationwide. It was the tenth country to allow same-sex marriage.

Argentina 21

EthnographyMain articles: Ethnography of Argentina and Immigration to Argentina

Norwegian-Argentine children, during the celebrationof the National Day of Norway.

As with other areas of new settlement such as the United States,Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Uruguay, it isconsidered that Argentina is a country of immigrants. Argentinesusually refer to the country as a crisol de razas (crucible of races,or melting pot).

During the 18th and 19th centuries especially, Argentina was thecountry with the second biggest immigration wave in the world,with 6.6 million, second only to the USA in the numbers ofimmigrants received (27 millions) and ahead of such other areas ofnew settlement like Canada, Brazil and Australia.

Strikingly, at those times, the national population doubled everytwo decades. This belief is endured in the popular saying "losargentinos descienden de los barcos" (Argentines descend fromthe ships). Therefore, most Argentines are descended from the19th- and 20th-century immigrants of the great immigration waveto Argentina (18501955), with a great majority of theseimmigrants coming from diverse European countries. The majorityof these European immigrants came from Italy and Spain.[154]

Argentina is home to a significant population of Arab and partialArab background, mostly of Syrian and Lebanese origin (in Argentina they are considered among the White people,just like in the USA Census). The Asian population in the country numbers at around 180,000 individuals, most ofwhom are of Chinese and Korean descent, although an older Japanese community that traces back to the early 20thcentury also exists.

Family in northern Argentina

Although statistically not significant enough sample size to be areliable nationwide projection, a study conducted on 218 individuals in2010 by the Argentine geneticist Daniel Corach, has established thatthe genetic map of Argentina is composed by 79% from differentEuropean, mainly Italian and Spanish ethnicity, 18% of differentethnicities Native American, and 4.3% of African ethnic groups, and63.6% of the tested group had at least one ancestor who was Indian.[155] [156]

Recent Illegal immigration has mostly been coming from Bolivia,Paraguay and Peru, with smaller numbers from Dominican Republic,

Ecuador and Romania.[157] The Argentine government estimates that 750,000 inhabitants lack official documentsand has launched a program to encourage illegal immigrants to declare their status in return for two-year residencevisas so far over 670,000 applications have been processed under the program.

Argentina 22

LanguagesMain article: Languages of Argentina

Dialectal variants of the Spanish language inArgentina.

The de facto official language is Spanish, spoken by almost allArgentines.[158] The country is the largest Spanish-speakingsociety that universally employs voseo, the use of the pronoun vosinstead of t ("you"), which imposes the use of alternate verbforms as well. Due to the extensive Argentine geography, Spanishhas a strong variation among regions, although the prevalentdialect is Rioplatense, primarily spoken in the La Plata Basin andaccented similarly to Neapolitan language.[159] Italian and otherEuropean immigrants influenced Lunfardothe regionalslangpermeating the vernacular vocabulary of other LatinAmerican countries as well.

There are several second-languages in widespread use among theArgentine population: English,[160] taught since elementary school. 42.3% of

Argentines claim to speak it, with 15.4% of them claiming tohave a high level of languagecomprehension.Wikipedia:Citation needed

Italian, by 1.5million people.[158][161]

Arabic Language, specially its Northern Levantine dialect, byone million people.[158]

Standard German, by at least 400,000 people.[158][162]

Yiddish, by about 200,000 people,[158] the largest Jewishpopulation in Latin America and 7th in the world.[163]

Guaran, by about 200,000 people,[158] mostly in Corrientes, where it is official de jure. Catalan, by about 174,000 people.[158]

French, including the rare Occitan language. Quechua, by about 65,000 people, mostly in the north west.[158]

Wich, by about 53,700 people, mostly in Chaco[158] where, along with Kom and Moqoit, it is official de jure. Aymara, by 30,000 people, mostly in the Andean northwest.[158]

Welsh, including its Patagonian dialect, in which about 25,000 WelshArgentines are fluent.[158] Some districtshave recently incorporated it as an educational language.[164]

Argentina 23

ReligionMain article: Religion in Argentina

Francis, the first pope from the New World, was bornand raised in Argentina.

The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion[165] and, althoughit does not enforce an official religion, it gives Roman Catholicisma differential status.[166][167]

According to a CONICET poll, Argentines are 76.5% Catholic,11.3% Agnostics and Atheists, 9% Evangelists, 1.2% Jehova'sWitnesses, 0.9% Mormons; 1.2% follow other religions, includingIslam, Judaism and Buddhism.[168]

The country is home to both the largest Muslim and largest Jewishcommunities in Latin America, the latter being the 7th mostpopulous in the world.[163] Argentina is a member of theInternational Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

Argentines show high individualization and de-institutionalizationof religious beliefs;[169] 23.8% of them claim to always attendreligious services; 49.1%, to seldom do and 26.8%, to neverdo.[170]

On 13 March 2013, Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergogliowas elected as Pope of the Catholic Church and took the name"Francis", becoming the first pope from the Americas and from theSouthern Hemisphere, the first non-European pope in 1272 years,and the first Jesuit one.

UrbanizationSee also: List of cities in Argentina by populationArgentina is highly urbanized, with 92% of its population living in cities: the ten largest metropolitan areas accountfor half of the population. About 3million people live in the city of Buenos Aires, and including the Greater BuenosAires metropolitan area it totals around 13million, making it one of the largest urban areas in the world.The metropolitan areas of Crdoba and Rosario have around 1.3million inhabitants each and Mendoza, Tucumn,La Plata, Mar del Plata, Salta and Santa Fe have at least half a million people each.The population is unequally distributed: about 60% live in the Pampa region (21% of the total area), including15million people in Buenos Aires Province. The provinces of Crdoba and Santa Fe, and the city of Buenos Aireshave 3million each. Seven other provinces have over one million people each: Mendoza, Tucumn, Entre Ros,Salta, Chaco, Corrientes and Misiones. Tucumn is the most densely populated with 60 inhabitants per squarekilometre (160/sqmi), the only Argentine province more densely populated than the world average, while thesouthern province of Santa Cruz has around 1 inhabitants per square kilometre (2.6/sqmi)Wikipedia:Citationneeded

Argentina 24

EducationMain article: Education in Argentina

Argentina has historically been placed high in the global rankings ofliteracy, with rates similar to those of developed countries.

The Argentine education system consists of four levels: An initial level for children between 45 days to 5

years old, with the last year being compulsory. A primary or lower school mandatory level lasting 6

or 7 years.[171] As of 2010[116] the country has aliteracy rate of 98.07%.

A secondary or high school mandatory level lasting5 or 6 years. As of 2010[116] 18.3% of people overage 15 have completed secondary school.

A higher level, divided in tertiary, university andpost-graduate sub-levels. As of 2013[116] there are 47 national public universities across the country, as well as46 private ones. As of 2010[116] 6.3% of people over age 20 have graduated from university. The publicuniversities of Buenos Aires, Crdoba, La Plata, Rosario, and the National Technological University are some ofthe most important.

The Argentine state guarantees universal, secular and free-of-charge public education for all levels.[172]

Responsibility for educational supervision is organised at the federal and individual provincial states. In the lastdecades the role of the private sector has grown across all educational levels.

Health careMain article: Health care in Argentina

The University of Buenos Aires School ofMedicine, alma mater to many of the country's

3,000 medical graduates, annually.

Health care is provided through a combination of employer and laborunion-sponsored plans (Obras Sociales), government insurance plans,public hospitals and clinics and through private health insurance plans.Health care cooperatives number over 300 (of which 200 are related tolabor unions) and provide health care for half the population; thenational INSSJP (popularly known as PAMI) covers nearly all of thefive million senior citizens.

There are more than 153,000 hospital beds, 121,000 physicians and37,000 dentists (ratios comparable to developed nations).[173][174] Therelatively high access to medical care has historically resulted inmortality patterns and trends similar to developed nations': from 1953to 2005, deaths from cardiovascular disease increased from 20% to23% of the total, those from tumors from 14% to 20%, respiratory problems from 7% to 14%, digestive maladies(non-infectious) from 7% to 11%, strokes a steady 7%, injuries, 6%, and infectious diseases, 4%. Causes related tosenility led to many of the rest. Infant deaths have fallen from 19% of all deaths in 1953 to 3% in 2005.[175]

The availability of health care has also reduced infant mortality from 70 per 1000 live births in 1948[176] to 12.1 in2009 and raised life expectancy at birth from 60 years to 76. Though these figures compare favorably with globalaverages, they fall short of levels in developed nations and in 2006, Argentina ranked fourth in Latin America.

Argentina 25

CultureMain article: Culture of ArgentinaSee also: List of ArgentinesArgentina is a multicultural country with significant European influences. Its cities are largely characterized by boththe prevalence of people of European descent, and of conscious imitation of European styles in fashion, architectureand design.[177] The other big influence is the gauchos and their traditional country lifestyle of self-reliance.[178]

Finally, indigenous American traditions have been absorbed into the general cultural milieu.

LiteratureMain article: Argentine literature

Four of the most influential Argentine writers. Top-leftto bottom-right: Julio Cortzar, Victoria Ocampo,

Jorge Luis Borges and Adolfo Bioy Casares.

Although Argentina's rich literary history began around 1550,[179]

it reached full independence with Esteban Echeverra's ElMatadero, a romantic landmark that played a significant role in thedevelopment of 19th century's Argentine narrative, split by theideological divide between the popular, federalist epic of JosHernndez' Martn Fierro and the elitist and cultured discourse ofSarmiento's masterpiece, Facundo.

The Modernist movement advanced into the 20th centuryincluding exponents such as Leopoldo Lugones and poetAlfonsina Storni; it was followed by Vanguardism, with RicardoGiraldes's Don Segundo Sombra as an important reference.

Jorge Luis Borges, Argentina's most acclaimed writer and one ofthe leading figures in the history of literature,[180] found new waysof looking at the modern world in metaphor and philosophicaldebate and his influence has extended to authors all over the globe.Short stories such as Ficciones and The Aleph are among his mostfamous books. He was a friend and collaborator with Adolfo BioyCasares, who wrote one of the most praised science fiction novels,The Invention of Morel. Julio Cortzar, one of the founders of theLatin American Boom, influenced an entire generation of writers in the Americas and Europe.

Other highly regarded Argentine writers, poets and essayists include Eugenio Cambaceres, Almafuerte, Hugo Wast,Enrique Banchs, Ezequiel Martnez Estrada, Victoria Ocampo, Silvina Ocampo, Roberto Arlt, Eduardo Mallea,Silvina Bullrich, Ernesto Sbato, Mara Elena Walsh. Toms Eloy Martnez, Manuel Puig and Osvaldo Soriano.

Argentina 26

MusicMain article: Music of Argentina

Argentine singer and songwriter Carlos Gardel, perhaps the most prominent figure in the history of tango.Por una Cabeza

Tango, a Rioplatense musical genre with European and African influences,[181] is one of Argentina's internationalcultural symbols.[182] The golden age of tango (1930 to mid-1950s) mirrored that of jazz and swing in the UnitedStates, featuring large orchestras like those of Osvaldo Pugliese, Anbal Troilo, Francisco Canaro, Julio de Caro andJuan d'Arienzo. After 1955, virtuoso stor Piazzolla popularized Nuevo tango, a subtler and more intellectual trendfor the genre. Tango enjoys worldwide popularity nowadays with groups like Gotan Project, Bajofondo andTanghetto.Argentina developed strong classical music and dance scenes that gave rise to renowned artists such as AlbertoGinastera, composer; Alberto Lysy, violinist; Martha Argerich and Eduardo Delgado, pianists; Daniel Barenboim,pianist and symphonic orchestra director; and to ballet dancers Jorge Donn, Jos Neglia, Norma Fontenla,Maximiliano Guerra, Paloma Herrera, Marianela Nez, Iaki Urlezaga and Julio Bocca.A national Argentine folk style emerged in the 1930s from dozens of regional musical genres and went to influencethe entirety of Latin American music. Some of its interpreters, like Atahualpa Yupanqui and Mercedes Sosa,achieved worldwide acclaim.The romantic ballad genre included singers of international fame such as Sandro de Amrica.Argentine rock developed as a distinct musical style in the mid-1960s, when Buenos Aires and Rosario becamecradles of aspiring musicians. Founding bands like Los Gatos, Almendra and Manal were followed by Seru Giran,Los Abuelos de la Nada, Soda Stereo and Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota, with prominent artists includingLitto Nebbia, Luis Alberto Spinetta, Charly Garca, Fito Paez and Len Gieco.Tenor saxophonist Leandro "Gato" Barbieri and composer and big band conductor Lalo Schifrin are among the mostinternationally successful Argentine jazz musicians.

Argentina 27

Theatre and cinemaMain articles: Theatre in Argentina and Cinema of Argentina

Teatro Coln, one of the five best concert venues in theworld.

Buenos Aires is one of the great theater capitals of the world, witha scene of international caliber centered around CorrientesAvenue, "the street that never sleeps", sometimes referred to as anintellectual Broadway in Buenos Aires.[183] Teatro Coln is aglobal landmark for opera and classical performances; its acousticsare considered among the world's top five.[184][185] Otherimportant theatrical venues include Teatro General San Martn,Cervantes, both in Buenos Aires City; Argentino in La Plata, ElCrculo in Rosario, Independencia in Mendoza, and Libertador inCrdoba. Griselda Gambaro, Copi, Roberto Cossa, Marco Denevi,Carlos Gorostiza, and Alberto Vaccarezza are a few of the mostprominent Argentine playwrights.

Development of Argentine cinema started in 1896; by the early 1930s it had already become Latin America's leadingfilm producer, a place it kept until the early 1950s.[186] The world's first animated feature films were made andreleased in Argentina, by cartoonist Quirino Cristiani, in 1917 and 1918.Argentine films have achieved worldwide recognition: the country has won fourteen Goya Awards for Best SpanishLanguage Foreign Filmbeing by far the most awardedand is also the only Latin American country that has wonan Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, with The Official Story (1985) and The Secret in Their Eyes (2009). Inaddition, Argentine composers Luis Enrique Bacalov and Gustavo Santaolalla have been honored with AcademyAward for Best Original Score nods. Many other Argentine films have been acclaimed by the international critique:Camila (1984), Man Facing Southeast (1986), A Place in the World (1992), Pizza, Beer, and Cigarettes (1997), NineQueens (2000), A Red Bear (2002), The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) and The Aura (2005) being some of them.As of 2013[116] about 100 full-length motion pictures are being created annually.

Visual artsSee also: Argentine painting

Detail of The Nereids Fountain by Lola Mora.

Some of the best-known Argentine painters are Cndido Lpezand Florencio Molina Campos (Nave style); Ernesto de laCrcova and Eduardo Svori (Realism); Fernando Fader(Impressionism); Po Collivadino, Atilio Malinverno and CesreoBernaldo de Quirs (Postimpressionism); Emilio Pettoruti(Cubism); Julio Barragn (Concretism and Cubism) Antonio Berni(Neofigurativism); Roberto Aizenberg and Xul Solar (Surrealism);Gyula Koice (Constructivism); Eduardo Mac Entyre (Generativeart); Juan Del Prete (Futucubism); Luis Seoane, CarlosTorrallardona, Luis Aquino, and Alfredo Gramajo Gutirrez(Modernism); Lucio Fontana (Spatialism); Toms Maldonado andGuillermo Kuitca (Abstract art); Len Ferrari and Marta Minujn(Conceptual art); and Ciruelo (Fantasy art).

In 1946 Gyula Koice and others created The Mad Movement in Argentina, which then spread to Europe and UnitedStates, where it had a significant impact. Toms Maldonado was one of the main theorists of the Ulm Model ofdesign education, still highly influential globally.

Argentina 28

Other Argentine artists of worldwide fame include Adolfo Bellocq, whose lithographs have been influential since the1920s, and Benito Quinquela Martn, the quintessential port painter, inspired by the immigrant-bound La Bocaneighborhood.Internationally laureate sculptors Erminio Blotta, Lola Mora and Rogelio Yrurtia authored many of the classicalevocative monuments of the Argentine cityscape.

ArchitectureMain article: Architecture of Argentina

Argentine Bon March, inside of Galeras Pacfico.The colonization brought the Spanish Baroque architecture, which can still be appreciated in its simpler Rioplatensestyle in the reduction of San Ignacio Min, the Cathedral of Crdoba, and the Cabildo of Lujn. Italian and Frenchinfluences increased at the beginning of the 19th century with strong eclectic overtones that gave the localarchitecture a unique feeling.Numerous Argentine architects have enriched their own country's cityscape and those around the world: JuanAntonio Buschiazzo helped popularize Beaux-Arts architecture and Francisco Gianotti combined Art Nouveau withItalianate styles, each adding flair to Argentine cities during the early 20th century. Francisco Salamone and ViktorSuli left an Art Deco legacy, and Alejandro Bustillo created a prolific body of Neoclassical and Rationalistarchitecture. Alberto Prebisch and Amancio Williams were highly influenced by Le Corbusier, while Clorindo Testaintroduced Brutalist architecture locally. Csar Pelli's and Patricio Pouchulu's Futurist creations have graced citiesworldwide: Pelli's 1980s throwbacks to the Art Deco glory of the 1920s made him one of the world's mostprestigious architects, with the Norwest Center and the Petronas Towers among his most celebrated creations.

Argentina 29

CuisineMain article: Argentine cuisine

Argentine beef as asado, a traditional dish.

Besides many of the pasta, sausage and dessert dishes common tocontinental Europe, Argentines enjoy a wide variety of Indigenousand Criollo creations, including empanadas (a small stuffedpastry), locro (a mixture of corn, beans, meat, bacon, onion, andgourd), humita and mate.

The country has the highest consumption of red meat in the world,traditionally prepared as asado, the Argentine barbecue. It is madewith various types of meats, often including chorizo, sweetbread,chitterlings, and blood sausage.

Common desserts include facturas (Viennese-style pastry) anddulce de leche (a sort of milk caramel jam used to fill cakes andpancakes), alfajores (shortbread cookies sandwiched together with chocolate, dulce de leche or a fruit paste).

Argentine wine, one of the world's finest, is an integral part of the local menu. Malbec, Torronts, CabernetSauvignon, Syrah and Chardonnay are some of the most sought-after varieties.

SportsMain article: Sports in Argentina

Lionel Messi, four time FIFA Ballon d'Or winner,playing for Argentina

The official national sport of Argentina is pato, played with asix-handle ball on horseback, but the most popular sport isassociation football. The national football team has won 25 majorinternational titles including two FIFA World Cups, two Olympicgold medals and fourteen Copa Amricas. Over one thousandArgentine players play abroad, the majority of them in Europeanfootball leagues. There are 331,811 registered football players, andArgentina has produced some of the greatest players in the world,including joint FIFA Player of the Century Diego Maradona, fourtime FIFA Ballon d'Or recipient Lionel Messi, Argentina and RealMadrid legend Alfredo Di Stfano, 1978 World Cup winningcaptain Daniel Passarella and Golden Boot winner Mario Kempes,and the all-time leading goalscorer for the national team GabrielBatistuta.

The Argentine Football Association (AFA) was formed in 1893and is the eighth oldest national football association in the world.The AFA today counts 3,377 football clubs, including 20 in thePremier Division. Since the AFA went professional in 1931,fifteen teams have won national tournament titles, including RiverPlate with 33 and Boca Juniors with 24. Over the last twentyyears, futsal and beach soccer have become increasingly popular. The Argentine beach football team was one of fourcompetitors in the first international championship for the sport in 1993.[187] An increasing number of girls andwomen play the sport, who have organized their own national championships since 1991 and were South Americanchampions in 2006.

Argentina 30

Basketball is the second most popular sport; a number of basketball players play in the U.S. National BasketballAssociation and European leagues including Manu Ginbili, Andrs Nocioni, Carlos Delfino, Luis Scola andFabricio Oberto. The men's national basketball team won Olympic gold in the 2004 Olympics and the bronze medalin 2008. Argentina has been ranked number one in the FIBA World Rankings between 2007 and 2010.Argentina has an important rugby union football team, "Los Pumas", with many of its players playing in Europe.Argentina beat host nation France twice in the 2007 Rugby World Cup, placing them third in the competition. ThePumas are currently (as per October, 2013) tenth in the official world rankings.On 4 July 2013, Buenos Aires was selected as host city for the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics.[188]

National symbolsMain article: National symbols of ArgentinaSome of Argentina national symbols are defined by law, while others are traditions lacking formal designation. TheFlag of Argentina consists of three horizontal stripes equal in width and colored light blue, white and light blue, withthe Sun of May in the center of the middle white stripe. The flag was designed by Manuel Belgrano in 1812; it wasadopted as a national symbol on 20 July 1816.[189] The Coat of Arms, which represents the union of the provinces,came into use in 1813 as the seal for official documents. The Argentine National Anthem was written by VicenteLpez y Planes with music by Blas Parera, and was adopted in 1813. The National Cockade was first used during theMay Revolution of 1810 and was made official two years later.[190] The Virgin of Lujn is Argentina's patron saint.The hornero, living across most of the national territory, was chosen as the national bird in 1928 after a lower schoolsurvey. The ceibo is the national floral emblem and national tree, while the quebracho colorado is the national foresttree. Rhodochrosite is known as the national gemstone.The national sport is pato, an ancient horseback game locally originated in the early 1600s, predecessor of horseball.Argentine wine is the national liquor, and mate, the national infusion. Asado and locro are considered as the nationaldishes.

Notes[1] Article 35 of the Argentine Constitution gives equal recognition to the names "United Provinces of the River Plate", "Argentine Republic"

and "Argentine Confederation" and authorizes the use of "Argentine Nation" in the making and enactment of laws.Constitution of Argentina, art. 35.

[2] http:/ / tools. wmflabs. org/ geohack/ geohack. php?pagename=Argentina& params=34_36_S_58_23_W_type:country[3] Area does not include territorial claims in Antarctica (965,597 km2, including the South Orkney Islands), the Falkland Islands (11,410 km2),

the South Georgia (3,560 km2) and the South Sandwich Islands (307 km2).[4] Though not declared official de jure, the Spanish language is the only one used in the wording of laws, decrees, resolutions, official

documents and public acts.[5][5] Wood 1988, p.18.[6][6] Solomon 1997, p.3.[7][7] Huntington 2000, p.6.[8] Nierop 2001, p.61: "Secondary regional powers in Huntington's viewHuntington 2000, p.6.[9][9] Lake 2009, p.55: "The US has created a foundation upon which the regional powers, especially Argentina and Brazil, can develop their own

rules for further managing regional relations."[10][10] Papadopoulos 2010, p.283: "The driving force behind the adoption of the MERCOSUR agreement was similar to that of the establishment

of the EU: the hope of limiting the possibilities of traditional military hostility between the major regional powers, Brazil and Argentina."[11] Malamud 2011, p.9: "Though not a surprise, the position of Argentina, Brazils main regional partner, as the staunchest opponent of its main

international ambition [to win a permanent seat on the UN Security Council] dealt a heavy blow to Brazils image as a regional leader."[12][12] Boughton 2012, p.101: "When the U.S. Treasury organized the next round of finance meetings, it included several non-APEC members,

including all the European members of the G7, the Latin American powers Argentina and Brazil, and such other emerging markets as India,Poland, and South Africa."

[13][13] Morris 1988, p.63: "Argentina has been the leading military and economic power in the Southern Cone in the Twentieth Century."[14] Adler & Greve 2009, p.78: "The southern cone of South America, including Argentina and Brazil, the two regional powers, has recently

become a pluralistic security community."

Argentina 31

[15][15] Ruiz-Dana et al. 2009, p.18: "[...] notably by linking the Southern Cone's rival regional powers, Brazil and Argentina."[16][16] Abad de Santilln 1971, p.17.[17][17] Crow 1992, p.128.[18][18] Levene 1948, p.11, vol. IV: "[After the Viceroyalty became] a new period that commenced with the revolution of 1810, whose plan

consisted in declaring the independence of a nation, thus turning the legal bond of vassalage into one of citizenship as a component ofsovereignty and, in addition, organizing the democratic republic."

[19] Snchez Viamonte 1948, pp.196197: "The Argentine nation was a unity in colonial times, during the Viceroyalty, and remained so afterthe revolution of May 1810. [...] The provinces never acted as independent sovereign states, but as entities created within the nation and asintegral parts of it, incidentally affected by internal conflicts."

[20] Vanossi 1964, p.11: "[The Argentine nationality is a] unique national entity, successor to the Viceroyalty, which, after undergoing a longperiod of anarchy and disorganization, adopted a decentralized form in 18531860 under the Constitution."

[21] Bolt & Van Zanden 2013.[22][22] Daz Alejandro 1970, p.1.[23] "Information on Argentina". (http:/ / www. argentine-embassy-uk. org/ docs_eng/ links/ links_information_argentina. shtml) Argentine

Embassy London.[24] The poem's full name is La Argentina y conquista del Ro de la Plata, con otros acaecimientos de los reinos del Per, Tucumn y estado del

Brasil.[25][25] Traba 1985, pp.15, 71.[26][26] Constitution of Argentina, 1826, art. 1.[27][27] Constitution of Argentina, 1853, Preamble.[28][28] Rosenblat 1964, p.78.[29][29] Constitution of Argentina, 1860 amd., art. 35.[30][30] Also stated in article 35 of all subsequent amendments: 1866, 1898, 1949, 1957, 1972 and 1994 (current)[31][31] Edwards 2008, p.12.[32] Abad de Santilln 1971, pp.1819.[33][33] Edwards 2008, p.13.[34] Crow 1992, pp.129132.[35] Abad de Santilln 1971, pp.96140.[36][36] Crow 1992, p.353.[37][37] Crow 1992, p.134.[38][38] Crow 1992, p.135.[39][39] Crow 1992, p.347.[40][40] Crow 1992, p.421.[41][41] Abad de Santilln 1971, p.194ff.[42][42] Rock 1987, p.81.[43] Rock 1987, pp.8283.[44] Lewis 2003, pp.3940.[45][45] Rock 1987, p.92.[46][46] Lewis 2003, p.41.[47] Galasso 2011, pp.349353, vol. I.[48] San Martn's military campaigns, together with those of Simn Bolvar in Gran Colombia are collectively known as the Spanish American

wars of independence.Galasso 2011, pp.185252, vol. I.[49][49] Lewis 2003, p.43.[50][50] Lewis 2003, p.45.[51] Lewis 2003, pp.4647.[52] Lewis 2003, pp.4850.[53] Galasso 2011, pp.363541, vol. I.[54] Lewis 1990, pp.1830.[55] Mosk 1990, pp.8889.[56][56] Cruz 1990, p.10.[57] Daz Alejandro 1970, pp.23.[58] Galasso 2011, pp.567625, vol. I.[59] Lewis 1990, pp.3738.[60] Galasso 2011, pp.7178, vol. II.[61] Galasso 2011, pp.181302, vol. II.[62][62] Barnes 1978, p.3.[63][63] Barnes 1978, p.113ff.[64] Galasso 2011, pp.303351, vol. II.[65] Galasso 2011, pp.353379, vol. II.

Argentina 32

[66][66] Robben 2011, p.34.[67] Galasso 2011, pp.381422, vol. II.[68][68] Robben 2011, p.127.[69] Galasso 2011, pp.423465, vol. II.[70] Robben 2011, pp.7677.[71][71] Robben 2011, p.145.[72][72] Robben 2011, p.148.[73] Galasso 2011, pp.467504, vol. II.[74] Galasso 2011, pp.505532, vol. II.[75] Galasso 2011, pp.533549, vol. II.[76] Epstein & Pion-Berlin 2006, p.6.[77] Epstein & Pion-Berlin 2006, p.9.[78] Galasso 2011, pp.551573, vol. II.[79] Galasso 2011, pp.575587, vol. II.[80] Epstein & Pion-Berlin 2006, p.12.[81] Epstein & Pion-Berlin 2006, p.13.[82] Galasso 2011, pp.587595, vol. II.[83] Epstein & Pion-Berlin 2006, p.16.[84] Epstein & Pion-Berlin 2006, p.15.[85] Epstein & Pion-Berlin 2006, p.14.[86] The Full Stop and Due Obedience laws had been abrogated by Congress in 1998.[87] Galasso 2011, pp.597626, vol. II.[88][88] McColl 2005, p. 52: "The Andes Mountains form the "backbone" of Argentina along the western border with Chile."[89][89] McKinney 1993, p.6.[90] Fearns & Fearns 2005, p.31.[91][91] McColl 2005, p.52.[92] McCloskey & Burford 2006, pp.5, 7, 8, 51, 175.[93] McCloskey & Burford 2006, p.8.[94] McCloskey & Burford 2006, p.18.[95] This regional subdivision does not include Argentine Antarctica claims.[96][96] Crooker 2009, p.16.[97] McCloskey & Burford 2006, p.209.[98][98] Crooker 2009, p.32.[99] McCloskey & Burford 2006, pp.5, 157.[100] McCloskey & Burford 2006, p.5.[101] Menutti & Menutti 1980, p.44.[102][102] Crooker 2009, p.22.[103] McCloskey & Burford 2006, p.11.[104] McCloskey & Burford 2006, p.203.[105] McCloskey & Burford 2006, p.6.[106] Menutti & Menutti 1980, pp.5657.[107][107] Crooker 2009, p.17.[108] Menutti & Menutti 1980, p.69.[109] Crooker 2009, p.25: "[Sarmiento, the] small town in the Chico River Canyon of Chubut Province holds [as of 2009] the record for the

lowest temperature in South America, a bone chilling 27.22C (17F)."[110] Menutti & Menutti 1980, p.73.[111] McCloskey & Burford 2006, p.7.[112] Menutti & Menutti 1980, p.53.[113] Includes higher plants only: ferns and fern allies, conifers and cycads, and flowering plants. UNIQ-ref-0-9453e29cf496f7cd-QINU[114] Includes only birds that breed in Argentina, not those that migrate or winter there.Article 35 of the Argentine Constitution gives equal

recognition to the names "United Provinces of the River Plate", "Argentine Republic" and "Argentine Confederation" and authorizes the use of"Argentine Nation" in the making and enactment of laws.Constitution ofArgentina, art. 35.

[115][115] Excludes marine mammals.[116] http:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ w/ index. php?title=Argentina& action=edit[117][117] Constitution of Argentina, art. 1.[118][118] Constitution of Argentina, art. 3.[119][119] Constitution of Argentina, art. 37.[120] Since 2012 suffrage is optative for ages 16 and 17.

Argentina 33

[121][121] Constitution of Argentina, arts. 53, 59, 75.[122][122] Constitution of Argentina, arts. 45, 47, 50.[123][123] Constitution of Argentina, arts. 54, 56.[124][124] Constitution of Argentina, art. 99.[125][125] Constitution of Argentina, art. 90.[126][126] Constitution of Argentina, art. 116.[127][127] Constitution of Argentina, arts. 99, 114.[128][128] Constitution of Argentina, art. 121.[129][129] Constitution of Argentina, arts. 5, 6.[130][130] Constitution of Argentina, art. 123.[131][131] Constitution of Argentina, art. 122.[132] Constitution of Argentina, arts. 124125.[133] The City of Buenos Aires is a federal district, but its local organization has similarities with the provinces: it has its own constitution, an

elected mayor and representatives to the Senate and Deputy chambers.Constitution of Argentina, art. 129.

[134][134] Rey Balmaceda 1995, p.19.[135][135] Rock 1987, p.155.[136][136] Margheritis 2010, pp.15, 92.[137][137] Galasso 2011, p.600, vol. II.[138][138] Constitution of Argentina, T. R. 1.[139][139] Constitution of Argentina, arts. 125, 126.[140][140] Constitution of Argentina, arts. 21, 75, 99.[141] Maldifassi & Abetti 1994, pp.6586.[142] The other top developing nations being Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa and Turkey.Area does not include territorial

claims in Antarctica (965,597 km2, including the South Orkney Islands), the Falkland Islands (11,410 km2), the South Georgia (3,560 km2)and the South Sandwich Islands (307 km2).

[143] Evolucin de la industria nacional Argentina } (http:/ / www. gestiopolis. com/ recursos2/ documentos/ fulldocs/ eco/ evoindnalarg. htm) .Gestiopolis.com. Retrieved on 2012-10-25.

[144] Themes in Nuclear Energy and Physics (http:/ / www. cnea. gov. ar/ xxi/ divulgacion/ reactores/ c_reactores_fii. html). CNEA. Retrievedon 2012-10-25.

[145] Aeberhard, Benson & Phillips 2000, p.76.[146] Aeberhard, Benson & Phillips 2000, pp.2425.[147] Aeberhard, Benson & Phillips 2000, p.45.[148][148] Moore 1995.[149] Science and Education in Argentina (https:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20080617145706/ http:/ / www. argentina. ar/ sw_seccion.

php?id=124& idioma_sel=en). argentina.ar[150] satellites (http:/ / www. conae. gov. ar/ eng/ satelites/ satelites. html). CONAE. Retrieved on 2012-10-25.[151] Interplanetary support station to be installed in Argentina (http:/ / buenosairesherald. com/ BreakingNews/ View/ 4670). Buenos Aires

Herald (2009-06-23). Retrieved on 2012-10-25.[152] See table in pp. 8.[153][153] UN Demographic Yearbook, 2007.[154] Captulo VII. Inmigrantes (https:/ / web. archive. org/ web/ 20070610215422/ http:/ / www. cels. org. ar/ Site_cels/ publicaciones/

informes_pdf/ 1998. Capitulo7. pdf). CELS Informe 1998[155] http:/ / onlinelibrary. wiley. com/ doi/ 10. 1111/ j. 1469-1809. 2009. 00556. x/ full[156] http:/ / www. scielo. org. ar/ scielo. php?script=sci_abstract& pid=S0025-76802006000200004& lng=es& nrm=iso& tlng=es[157] "El variet de la calle Florida" (http:/ / www. clarin. com/ diario/ 2007/ 03/ 04/ sociedad/ s-01373795. htm) (Editorial) Clarn[158][158] Ethnologue 2013.[159] Colantoni & Gurlekian 2004, pp.107119.[160][160] English is also the primary language of the disputed Falkland Islands.[161] Many elder people also speak a macaronic language of Italian and Spanish called cocoliche, which was originated by the Italian immigrants

in the late 19th century.[162] It gave origin to a mixture of Spanish and German called Belgranodeutsch.[163][163] DellaPergola 2012.[164] Aeberhard, Benson & Phillips 2000, p.602.[165][165] Constitution of Argentina, art. 14.[166][166] Constitution of Argentina, art. 2.[167] In practice this differential status amounts to tax-exempt school subsidies and licensing preferences for radio broadcasting frequencies.[168] Mallimaci, Esquivel & Irrazbal 2008, p.9.

Argentina 34

[169] Mallimaci, Esquivel & Irrazbal 2008, p.21.[170] Mallimaci, Esquivel & Irrazbal 2008, p.24.[171][171] Level duration depends on jurisdiction.[172][172] The post-graduate sub-level of higher education is usually paid.[173] ESTADISTICAS VITALES INFORMACION BASICA AO 2008 (http:/ / www. deis.