Argentina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Argentina (disambiguation).
Coordinates: 34°S 64°W
Argentine Republic[A]
República Argentina (Spanish)

Flag Coat of arms
Motto:
"En unión y libertad"
("In Unity and Freedom")
Anthem:
Himno Nacional Argentino
("Argentine National Anthem")

0:00

Sol de Mayo[2]
(Sun of May)
Sol de Mayo
Mainland Argentina shown in dark green, with territorial claims shown in light green
Mainland Argentina shown in dark green, with territorial claims shown in light green
Capital
and largest city Buenos Aires
34°36′S 58°23′W
Official languages None
Recognised regional languages · Guaraní in Corrientes[3]
· Qom, Mocoví and Wichi, in Chaco[4]
De facto languages Spanish[a]
Demonym
Argentine
Argentinian
Argentinean (uncommon)
Government Federal presidential constitutional republic
• President Mauricio Macri
• Vice President Gabriela Michetti
Legislature Congress
• Upper house Senate
• Lower house Chamber of Deputies
Independence from Spain
• May Revolution 25 May 1810
• Declared 9 July 1816
• Constitution 1 May 1853
Area
• Total 2,780,400 km2,[B] considering 1,084,386 km2 (418,684 sq mi) of the Exclusive Economic Zone area of Argentina is 3,939,463 sq km. In this figure the areas claimed are not included.[c] (8th)
1,073,518 sq mi
• Water (%) 1.57
Population
• 2015 estimate 43,417,000[6]
• 2010 census 40,117,096[5] (32nd)
• Density 14.4/km2[5] (212th)
37.3/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2016 estimate
• Total $968.476 billion[7] (25th)
• Per capita $22,231[7] (56th)
GDP (nominal) 2015 estimate
• Total $578.692 billion[7] (21st)
• Per capita $13,283[7] (53rd)
Gini (2013) 42.3[8]
medium
HDI (2014) Increase 0.836[9]
very high · 40th
Currency Peso ($) (ARS)
Time zone ART (UTC−3)
Date format dd.mm.yyyy (CE)
Drives on the right[b]
Calling code +54
ISO 3166 code AR
Internet TLD .ar
a. ^ 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.
b. ^ Trains driven on left.
Argentina (Listeni/ˌɑːrdʒənˈtiːnə/; Spanish: [aɾxenˈtina]), officially the Argentine Republic[A] (Spanish: República Argentina), is a federal republic located in southeastern South America. Sharing the bulk of the Southern Cone with its neighbor Chile to the west, the country is also bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, Brazil to the northeast, Uruguay and the South Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Drake Passage to the south. With a mainland area of 2,780,400 km2 (1,073,500 sq mi),[B] Argentina is the eighth-largest country in the world, the second largest in Latin America, and the largest Spanish-speaking one. The country is subdivided into twenty-three provinces (Spanish: provincias, singular provincia) and one autonomous city (ciudad autónoma), Buenos Aires, which is the federal capital of the nation (Spanish: Capital Federal) as decided by Congress.[10] The provinces and the capital have their own constitutions, but exist under a federal system.
Argentina claims sovereignty over part of Antarctica, the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas), South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The earliest recorded human presence in the area of modern-day Argentina dates back to the Paleolithic period.[11] The country has its roots in Spanish colonization of the region during the 16th century.[12] Argentina rose as the successor state of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata,[13] a Spanish overseas viceroyalty founded in 1776. The declaration and fight for independence (1810–1818) was followed by an extended civil war that lasted until 1861, culminating in the country's reorganization as a federation of provinces with Buenos Aires as its capital city. The country thereafter enjoyed relative peace and stability, with massive waves of European immigration radically reshaping its cultural and demographic outlook. The almost-unparalleled increase in prosperity led to Argentina becoming the seventh wealthiest developed nation in the world by the early 20th century.[14][15]
After 1930 Argentina descended into political instability and periodic economic crisis that pushed it back into underdevelopment,[16] though it nevertheless remained among the fifteen richest countries until the mid-20th century.[14] Argentina retains its historic status as a middle power[17] in international affairs, and is a prominent regional power in the Southern Cone and Latin America.[18][19] Argentina has the second largest economy in South America, the third-largest in Latin America and is a member of the G-15 and G-20 major economies. It is also a founding member of the United Nations, World Bank, World Trade Organization, Mercosur, Union of South American Nations, Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and the Organization of Ibero-American States. It is the country with the highest Human Development Index in Latin America with a rating of "very high".[9] Because of its stability, market size and growing high-tech sector,[20] Argentina is classified as a high-income economy.[21]