Argentina – country information

Country name	Argentina
Official name	Argentine Republic
Capital	Buenos Aires
continent	South America
Area	2,780,400 km
Population	41 660 096 (2010)
Foundation of a state	9. 7. 1816
The highest mountains	Aconcagua 6959 m
Longest rivers	Paraná 4830 km (in the country 1700 km), Bermejo 2000 km
State system	a pluralistic federal presidential republic with a bicameral parliament
The biggest cities	Buenos Aires (capital) 11,750,000, Córdoba 1,240,000, Rosario 1,125,000
Official language	Spanish
Ethnicity/National Composition	Europeans 85.0%, mestizos and Indians 15%
Currency	1 peso (Ps) = 100 cents
gross domestic product (GDP)	US$17,917 (2012)
Average life expectancy of the population	76.12 let (2006)
Structure of GDP	agriculture, forestry and fishing 15.5%, mining 3%, industry 26%, construction 2%, services 53.5%

Argentina – neighboring countries

State	Capital	Area	Populace
Bolivia	Peace	1,098,580 km	10 027 254
Brazil	Brasilia	8,514,880 km	201 032 714
Chile	Santiago de Chile	756,096 km	16 341 929
Paraguay	Assumption	406,752 km2	6 783 374
Uruguay	Montevideo	175,016 km	3 286 314

Country overview

According to Abbreviationfinder, the name Argentina comes from Latin and means “land of silver”. He recalls that in the early days of the colonial period, the country was considered rich in this metal and attracted immigrants from all over Europe. Although the natural and human resources make it possible to transform the country into a modern and developed state, its social and economic development has long been hampered by political instability.

Country data

Location: South America

Time zone: CET – 4 (during summer time: CET – 5)

Total area: 2,780,400 km²

Land area: 2,736,690 km²

Water area: 43,710 km²

Length of the state border: 11,968 km

Bordering countries are accounted for:
Bolivia: 942 km
Brazil: 1,263 km
Chile: 6,691 km
Paraguay: 2,531 km
Uruguay: 541 km

Coastline: 4,989 km

Capital: Buenos Aires

Provinces: 23
Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Cordoba, Corrientes, Distrito Federal, 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, Antartica e Islas del Atlantico Sur, Tucuman

Electric current: 220 V / 50 Hz

Telephone code: 00 54 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Cerro Aconcagua 6,960 m

Population

Population: approx. 43 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 1% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 15

Life expectancy: 74 (male), 81 (female)

Official language: Spanish

Religions:

• 92% Roman Catholic
• 2% Protestants
• 6% other

Climate

Due to the extreme differences in altitude (west: sea level, east: Andean mountains), the climate can always differ greatly within a few kilometers.

The north has a subtropical climate, with a short rainy season in summer. It is more moderate in the pampas, but often very cold in Patagonia.

Note that the seasons in Argentina are the opposite of those in Europe. The summer months of January and February are the hottest, with temperatures between 15 and 40 ° C. In some regions the humidity rises to a level that is difficult for Europeans to tolerate. In winter (July / August) it is coldest with 1 to 15 ° C.

Currency / finance

Currency unit: Argentine Peso (ARS)

Classification: 1 Peso = 100 Centavos

ATMs: Available in many major cities.

International credit cards: These are rarely accepted in the larger cities and tourist centers.

Regulations: Foreign and national currencies can be imported and exported in unlimited amounts.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

• 400 cigarettes or 50 cigars
• 2 liters of alcoholic beverages
• small amounts of perfume

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

Behavioral advice

Since there has been an extreme increase in petty crime since the country’s severe financial crisis, you should not openly show or carry valuables and money with you.

There is currently a large amount of counterfeit money in circulation. Always check all the bills you receive.

Often passers-by are approached on the street and asked to change bills (pretext not to be able to change). The danger here is very high of receiving false notes.

Economy

Due to the large areas of pastureland, the keeping of sheep and pigs is particularly pronounced. Cattle, on the other hand, are rarely found.

In order to alleviate the country’s economic crisis and build its own profitable economy, mining, the textile industry and vehicle construction are heavily promoted.

Tourism only plays a subordinate role.

The sometimes massive devaluation of the national currency, the widespread corruption and the state regulations weaken an effective development of the economy in many areas.

Industries: automotive, chemical, food, metal processing, steel, textiles

Natural resources: iron, magnesium, uranium, zinc

Land use:

• Usable land: 9%
• Grain cultivation: 1%
• Pasture area: 52%
• Forests: 19%
• other: 19%

Plants

The Patagonian Andes, which run along the western border of Argentina, form a natural border with Chile, which is Argentina’s western neighbor. The highest point in the Andes, about 6,960 meters at the summit of Aconcagua, which, despite its enormous height, is not covered with snow like in the Himalayas. Besides, the Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the world outside of Asia.

There are many other mountains in Argentina, but these are mostly smaller, such as the Sierra de Córdoba in the center of the country with an altitude of around 2,900 meters. If you were to see Argentina scaled down as a 3-D model, it would appear like a ramp that slopes continuously and almost evenly from the Andes to the sea.

Agriculture in Argentina is very different because there is a large range between very water-rich and also desert-like areas. Well-known and important rivers in Argentina are the Paraná, the Uruguay, which is also the border to the neighboring state of the same name, the Río Colorado, the Río Salado and the Río Negro are other important rivers.

The warm, humid, tropical areas in the north are home to plants of the genera rosewood, guaiac trees, jacaranda and quebracho trees. But there are also palm trees in wide areas. There are also conifers, for example in the foothills of the Andes, Patagonia, firs, cypresses, cedars and pines, which are also widespread in our country.

Animals

In northern Argentina there are monkeys, jaguars, pumas, raccoons and tyras, which are a species of marten. These animals, which are often found in rainforests, are supplemented by an eccentric named ocelot, which is only found in America, exclusively in the area south of Texas.

The ocelot is a big cat with leopard-like spots. Its length is approx. 65 to 100 centimeters, the tail length 30 to 45 centimeters when fully grown. This animal was almost wiped out by the fur trade.

Tapirs, anteaters and peccaries, so-called umbilical pigs, are also widespread. Peccaries are only found in Central and South America, and in terms of appearance they are almost identical to the wild boar. However, they are much smaller and weigh a maximum of 40 kg. For comparison: a full-grown European wild boar weighs up to 350 kg.

The bird life in Argentina is quite colorful: parrots, hummingbirds and flamingos make up the largest part of the population.

There are 2 relatives of the camels in the Andes: the guanacos and the vicuñas, which are only found in the Andes. Furthermore there are many other wild animals that are also widespread in Europe: red deer, hares, foxes and herons.