At a glance

Official Name:
Argentine Republic

Capital: Buenos Aires

Population: 39,921,833 (2006 est.)

Languages: Spanish

Religion: Roman Catholic 93%, Jewish 2%, Muslim 1.5%

Life Expectancy:
Male: 72 Female: 78

Currency: Argentine Peso (ARS)

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity):
$671.5 billion (2006 est.)

National Holidays:
Memorial Day (March 24), Malvinas Day (April 2), July 9 (Independence Day)

Industries: Food Processing, Motor Vehicles, Consumer Durables, Textiles, Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Printing, Metallurgy, Steel

Argentina
Argentina is the second largest country in South America, behind Brazil. Buenos Aires, the capital, was founded by the Spanish in 1580 as a successful trading city. Argentina officially declared its independence from Spain in 1816, though they had already ousted the governor and set up their own government in 1810. From the late 1800’s to 1945 Argentina was a very prosperous country, with an export market that made it one of the top ten richest countries in the world. However, since that time political instability has often caused economic problems. For example, several military dictatorships hurt economic relationships and raised the country’s foreign debt. In 1983 the democracy was restored, but the economy still suffered because of political instability and inflation. The country has done very well since, experiencing very strong economic growth, with increased trade exports and investments from foreign countries.