| Country Information |  National name: República Argentina.
President: Néstor Kirchner (2003)
Area: 1,068,296 sq mi (2,766,890 sq km)
Monetary unit: Peso
Population (2005 est.): 39,537,943
- growth rate: 1.0%;
- birth rate: 16.9/1000;
- infant mortality rate: 15.2/1000;
- life expectancy: 75.9;
- density per sq mi: 37
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Buenos Aires, 13,076,300 (metro. area), 12,116,400 (city proper)
Other large cities:
- Córdoba, 1,486,200;
- Rosario, 1,276,900;
- Mendoza, 988,600;
- Mar del Plata, 683,700
| Languages:
- Spanish (official),
- English,
- Italian,
- German,
- French
| Ethnicity/race:
- white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%;
- mestizo,
- Amerindian,
- other 3% | Religions:
- Roman Catholic 92%,
- Protestant 2%,
- Jewish 2%,
- other 4% |
Literacy rate: 96.2% (1995 est.)
Economic summary:
- GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $483.5 billion; per capita $12,400.
- Real growth rate: 8.3%.
- Inflation: 6.1%.
- Unemployment: 14.8%.
- Arable land: 12%.
- Agriculture: sunflower seeds, lemons, soybeans, grapes, corn, tobacco, peanuts, tea, wheat; livestock.
- Labor force: 15.04 million; agriculture n.a., industry n.a., services n.a.
- Industries: food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel.
- Natural resources: fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium.
- Exports: $29.57 billion (f.o.b., 2003 est.): edible oils, fuels and energy, cereals, feed, motor vehicles.
- Imports: $13.27 billion (f.o.b., 2003 est.): machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal manufactures, plastics.
- Major trading partners: Brazil, U.S., Chile, Spain, Germany, China.
Communications:
- Telephones: main lines in use: 7.5 million (1998); mobile cellular: 3 million (Dec. 1999).
- Radio broadcast stations: AM 260 (including 10 inactive stations), FM n.a. (probably more than 1,000, mostly unlicensed), shortwave 6 (1998).
- Radios: 24.3 million (1997).
- Television broadcast stations: 42 (plus 444 repeaters) (1997).
- Televisions: 7.95 million (1997).
- Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 33 (2000).
- Internet users: 3.88 million (2001).
Transportation:
 - Railways: total: 33,744 km (141 km electrified) (2000est.).
- Highways: total: 215,434 km; paved: 63,553 km (including 734 km of expressways); unpaved: 151,881 km (1998 est.).
- Waterways: 10,950 km.
- Ports and harbors: Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Comodoro Rivadavia, Concepcion del Uruguay, La Plata, Mar del Plata, Necochea, Rio Gallegos, Rosario, Santa Fe, Ushuaia.
- Airports: 1,369 (2001).
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