"text":"<p>In 1816, the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata declared their independence from Spain. After Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay went their separate ways, the area that remained became Argentina. European immigrants heavily shaped the country's population and culture, with Italy and Spain providing the largest percentage of newcomers from 1860 to 1930. Until about the mid-20th century, much of Argentina's history was dominated by periods of internal political unrest and conflict between civilian and military factions.</p> <p>After World War II, former President Juan Domingo PERÓN -- the founder of the Peronist political movement -- introduced an era of populism, serving three non-consecutive terms in office until his death in 1974. Direct and indirect military interference in government throughout the PERÓN years led to a military junta taking power in 1976. In 1982, the junta failed in its bid to seize the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) by force from the United Kingdom. Democracy was reinstated in 1983 and has persisted despite numerous challenges, the most formidable of which was a severe economic crisis in 2001-02 that led to violent public protests and the successive resignations of several presidents. The years 2003-15 saw Peronist rule by Néstor KIRCHNER (2003-07) and his spouse Cristina FERNÁNDEZ DE KIRCHNER (2007-15), who oversaw several years of strong economic growth (2003-11) followed by a gradual deterioration in the government’s fiscal situation and eventual economic stagnation and isolation. Argentina underwent a brief period of economic reform and international reintegration under Mauricio MACRI (2015-19), but a recession in 2018-19 and frustration with MACRI’s economic policies ushered in a new Peronist government in 2019 led by President Alberto FERNÁNDEZ and Vice President Cristina FERNÁNDEZ DE KIRCHNER. Argentina's high public debts, its pandemic-related inflationary pressures, and systemic monetary woes served as the catalyst for the 2023 elections, culminating with President Javier MILEI's electoral success. Argentina has since eliminated half of its government agencies and is seeking shock therapy to amend taxation and monetary policies.</p>"
"text":"Lago Buenos Aires (shared with Chile) - 2,240 sq km; Lago Argentino - 1,410 sq km; Lago Viedma - 1,090 sq km; Lago San Martín (shared with Chile) - 1,010 sq km; Lago Colhué Huapi - 800 sq km; Lago Fagnano (shared with Chile) - 590 sq km; Lago Nahuel Huapi - 550 sq km"
"text":"Río de la Plata/Paraná river mouth (shared with Brazil [s], Paraguay, and Uruguay) - 4,880 km; Paraguay (shared with Brazil [s], and Paraguay [m]) - 2,549 km; Uruguay (shared with Brazil [s] and Uruguay [m]) - 1,610 km<br><br><strong>note:</strong>[s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth"
"text":"one third of the population lives in Buenos Aires; pockets of agglomeration occur throughout the northern and central parts of the country; Patagonia to the south remains sparsely populated"
"text":"San Miguel de Tucumán and Mendoza areas in the Andes subject to earthquakes; <em>pamperos </em>are violent windstorms that can strike the pampas and northeast; heavy flooding in some areas <br><br><strong>volcanism:</strong> volcanic activity in the Andes Mountains along the Chilean border; Copahue (2,997 m) last erupted in 2000; other historically active volcanoes include Llullaillaco, Maipo, Planchón-Peteroa, San José, Tromen, Tupungatito, and Viedma"
"text":"second-largest country in South America (after Brazil); strategic location relative to sea lanes between the South Atlantic and the South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); diverse geophysical landscapes range from tropical climates in the north to tundra in the far south; Cerro Aconcagua is the Western Hemisphere's tallest mountain, while Laguna del Carbón is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere; shares Iguazú Falls, the world's largest waterfalls system, with Brazil"
"text":"European (mostly Spanish and Italian descent) and Mestizo (mixed European and Indigenous ancestry) 97.2%, Indigenous 2.4%, African descent 0.4% (2010 est.)"
"text":"<br>La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)<br><br>The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information."
"text":"Roman Catholic 62.9%, Evangelical 15.3% (Pentecostal 13%, other Evangelical 2.3%), Jehovah's Witness and Church of Jesus Christ 1.4%, other 1.2% (includes Muslim, Jewish), none 18.9% (includes agnostic and atheist), unspecified 0.3% (2019 est.)"
"text":"one third of the population lives in Buenos Aires; pockets of agglomeration occur throughout the northern and central parts of the country; Patagonia to the south remains sparsely populated"
"text":"15.490 million BUENOS AIRES (capital), 1.612 million Córdoba, 1.594 million Rosario, 1.226 million Mendoza, 1.027 million San Miguel de Tucumán, 914,000 La Plata (2023)"
"text":"the name is derived from one of the Spanish words for \"silver,\" but the origin is unclear; it may have described the land next to the Rio de la Plata (\"Silver River\"), a major river that forms the boundary between Argentina and Uruguay; another possible source is the Spanish explorers in the 16th century mistakenly believing that the silver ornaments they bought from inhabitants came from a local source of silver"
"text":"the name translates as \"fair winds\" in Spanish; the full original name, Nuestra Senora Santa Maria de los Buenos Aires, was given only to the port; the city was founded separately from the port in 1536 and was named Ciudad de la Santissima Trinidad (City of the Most Holy Trinity); the shortened version of the port name eventually became the city name"
"text":"23 provinces (<em>provincias</em>, singular - <em>provincia</em>) and 1 autonomous city*; Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires*, Cordoba, Corrientes, Entre Rios, Formosa, Jujuy, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Misiones, Neuquen, Rio Negro, Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero, Tierra del Fuego - Antartida e Islas del Atlantico Sur (Tierra del Fuego - Antarctica and the South Atlantic Islands), Tucuman",
"text":"a declaration of proposed amendments requires two-thirds majority vote by both houses of the National Congress followed by approval by an ad hoc, multi-member constitutional convention"
"text":"president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by qualified majority vote (to win, a candidate must receive at least 45% of votes, or 40% of votes and a 10-point lead over the second-place candidate; if neither occurs, a second round is held); the president serves a 4-year term (eligible for a second consecutive term)"
},
"most recent election date":{
"text":"22 October 2023, with a runoff held 19 November 2023"
"text":"<br>2023: Javier Gerardo MILEI elected president in second round; percent vote in first round - Sergio Tomás MASSA (FR) 36.7%, Javier Gerardo MILEI (PL) 30%, Patricia BULLRICH 23.8% (JxC/PRO), Juan SCHIARETTI (PJ) 6.8%, Myriam BREGMAN (PTS)<em> </em>2.7%; percent of vote in second round - Javier Gerardo MILEI 55.7%, Sergio Tomás MASSA 44.3%<em><br><br>2019:</em> Alberto Ángel FERNÁNDEZ elected president; percent of vote - Alberto Angel FERNÁNDEZ (TODOS) 48.1%, Mauricio MACRI (PRO) 40.4%, Roberto LAVAGNA (independent) 6.2%, other 5.3%"
"text":"Union for the Homeland (UP) (48); Freedom Advances (LLA) (28); Together for Change (JxC/Juntos) (27); Other (27)"
},
"percentage of women in chamber":{
"text":"42.4%"
},
"expected date of next election":{
"text":"October 2025"
}
},
"Legislative branch - upper chamber":{
"chamber name":{
"text":"Senate (Senado)"
},
"number of seats":{
"text":"72 (all directly elected)"
},
"electoral system":{
"text":"proportional representation"
},
"scope of elections":{
"text":"partial renewal"
},
"term in office":{
"text":"6 years"
},
"most recent election date":{
"text":"10/22/2023"
},
"parties elected and seats per party":{
"text":"Union for the Homeland (UP) (9); Freedom Advances (LLA) (6); Together for Change (JxC/Juntos) (2); Front for the Renewal of Social Concord – Federal Innovation (2); Federal Renewal (2); For Santa Cruz (2); Other (1)"
"text":"judges nominated by the president and approved by the Senate; ministers can serve until mandatory retirement at age 75; extensions beyond 75 require renomination by the president and approval by the Senate"
"text":"Avanza Libertad or AL<br>Civic Coalition ARI or CC-ARI<br>Consenso Federal (Federal Consensus) or CF<br>Frente Cívico por Santiago (Civic Front for Santiago)<br>Frente de Izquierda y de los Trabajadores – Unidad (Workers' Left Front) or FIT-U (coalition of leftist parties in lower house; includes PTS, PO, and MST) <br>Frente de la Concordia Misionero (Front for the Renewal of Social Concord) or FRCS<br>Frente Renovador (Renewal Front) or FR<br>Generación por un Encuentro Nacional (Generation for a National Encounter) or GEN<br>Hacemos por Córdoba (We do for Cordoba) or HC<br>Hacemos por Nuestro Pais (We Do For Our Country) or NHP<br>Juntos por el Cambio (Together for Change) or JxC (includes CC-ARI, PRO, and UCR); note - primary opposition coalition since 2019<br>Juntos Somos Río Negro (Together We Are Rio Negro) or JSRN <br>Partido Justicialista (Justicialist Party) or PJ<br>La Cámpora<br>La Libertad Avanza (The Liberty Advances) or LLA<br>Movimiento Popular Neuquino (Neuquén People's Movement) or MPN<br>Movimiento Socialista de los Trabajadores (Workers' Socialist Movement) or MST <br>Partido de los Trabajadores Socialistas (Socialist Workers' Party) or PTS<br>Partido Demócrata (Democratic Party) or PDN<br>Partido Libertario (Libertarian Party) or PL; note - party is also a founding member of the coalition La Libertad Avanza<br>Partido Obrero (Workers' Party) or PO<br>Partido Socialista or PS<br>Propuesta Republicana (Republican Proposal) or PRO<br>Unidad Federal (coalition of provencial parties in the lower house; includes FRCS and JSRN)<br>Unión Cívica Radical (Radical Civic Union) or UCR<br>Unión por la Patria (Union for the Homeland) or UP <em>(formerly Frente de Todos (Everyone's Front) or FdT) </em>(includes FR, La Cámpora, and PJ); note - ruling coalition since 2019; includes several national and provincial Peronist political parties<br>Vamos con Vos (Let's Go with You) or VcV"
"text":"<strong>description:</strong> three equal horizontal bands of sky blue (top), white, and sky blue; centered in the white band is a radiant yellow sun with a human face that is known as the Sun of May<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> the colors represent the clear skies and snow of the Andes Mountains; the sun commemorates the first mass demonstration in favor of independence on 25 May 1810, when the sun broke through the clouds; the sun is designed to look like Inti, the Incan god of the sun"
"text":"adopted 1813; Vicente LOPEZ was inspired to write the anthem after watching a play about the 1810 May Revolution against Spain; a 1900 presidential decree declared that only the first and last verses would be considered official, rather than the original nine verses"
"text":"Los Glaciares National Park (n); Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis (c); Iguazú National Park (n); Cueva de las Manos (c); Valdés Península (n); Ischigualasto/Talampaya National Parks (n); Jesuit Block and Estancias of Córdoba (c); Quebrada de Humahuaca (c); Qhapaq Ñan/Andean Road System (c)"
"note":"<b>note:</b> central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated"
"text":"Buenos Aires, Campana, Concepcion del Uruguay, La Plata, Mar del Plata, Puerto Belgrano, Puerto Ingeniero White, Puerto Madryn, Rosario, San Sebastian Bay, Santa Fe, Ushuaia, Zarate"
"text":"Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic (Fuerzas Armadas de la República Argentina): Argentine Army (Ejercito Argentino, EA), Navy of the Argentine Republic (Armada Republica, ARA; includes naval aviation and naval infantry), Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Argentina, FAA)<br><br>Ministry of Security: Gendarmería Nacional Argentina (National Gendarmerie), Coast Guard (Prefectura Naval) (2025)",
"text":"the inventory of Argentina's armed forces is a mix of domestically-produced and mostly older imported weapons, largely from Europe and the US; in recent years, France and the US have been the leading suppliers of equipment; Argentina has an indigenous defense industry that produces air, land, and naval systems (2024)"
"text":"18-24 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription suspended in 1995; citizens can still be drafted in times of crisis, national emergency, or war, or if the Defense Ministry is unable to fill all vacancies to keep the military functional (2024)",
"text":"the Argentine military’s primary responsibilities are territorial defense and protecting the country’s sovereignty; duties also include border security, countering narcotics trafficking, and other internal missions, such as disaster response and infrastructure development; it conducts support operations and has bases in Antarctica to promote an active presence in areas of national territory that are sparsely populated; the military also participates in both bilateral and multinational training exercises and supports UN peacekeeping operations<br><br>Argentina participates in the Tripartite Command, an interagency security mechanism created by Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay to exchange information and combat transnational threats, such as crime and terrorism, in the Tri-Border Area; in addition, Argentina and Chile have a joint peacekeeping force known as the Combined Southern Cross Peacekeeping Force, designed to be made available to the UN; Argentina has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US, a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation<br><br>the Army and Navy were both created in 1810 during the Argentine War of Independence, while the Air Force was established in 1945; the military conducted coups d'état in 1930, 1943, 1955, 1962, 1966, and 1976; the 1976 coup, aka the \"National Reorganization Process,\" marked the beginning of the so-called \"Dirty War,\" a period of state-sponsored terrorism that saw the deaths or disappearances of thousands of Argentinians; the defeat in the 1982 Falklands War led to the downfall of the military junta (2025)"
"text":"Argentina National Space Activities Commission (Comision Nacional de Actividades Espaciales, CONAE; formed in 1991) (2025)",
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> CONAE’s predecessor was the National Commission for Space Research (Comisión Nacional de Investigaciones Espaciales, CNIE; formed in 1960)"
"text":"Manuel Belgrano Space Center (Buenos Aires province); Punta Indio Space Center (Buenos Aires province); Teofilo Tabanera Space Center (CETT; Cordoba Province; testing/mission control) (2025)"
"text":"has a national space program and a history in the development of space-related capabilities, including rockets and satellites; develops, builds, and operates communications, remote sensing (RS), and scientific satellites, often in partnership with other countries; developing additional satellites with more advanced payloads; contracts with commercial and other government space agencies for launches, but has a domestic rocket program and is developing space launch vehicle (SLV) capabilities; cooperates with a broad range of space agencies and industries, including those of Brazil, China, the European Space Agency and its member states (particularly France, Italy), and the US; also has a commercial space industry (2025)"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide"
