Argentina

The Argentinian , officially the Argentinian Republic (in Spanish: República Argentina ; ) is a country of South America dividing its borders with the Chile in the west, the Bolivia in the North-West, the Paraguay in north, the Brésil and the Uruguay in the North-East, and is bordered in the east by the Atlantic Ocean. The country acquired its independence the May 25th 1810, independence definitively proclaimed the July 9th 1816 with San Miguel de Tucumán.

Its capital is Buenos Aires, the national language is the Spanish and its currency is the Argentinian Peso. Its name Argentine comes from Latin Argentum meaning “money”.

Etymology

The name of the country comes from the Latin word argentum meaning “money”. It was allotted to the time of the first Spanish explorers on the Río of Plata (called: soft sea mar dulce ) where the survivors of a forwarding taken along by Juan Díaz de Solís met autochtones which offered silver objects to them. Thereafter, the legend of Sierra del Plata, mountain rich in money, reached the Spain towards 1524, and the name of Argentina was seen for the first time on a chart towards 1536. Starting from 1612, this name is employed everywhere when the country was indicated.

History

See also: History of Argentina

Time précoloniale

A small number of Indian tribes populated Argentina before the Spanish conquest.

Spanish colonization

In 1516, Spanish Díaz de Solís discovered Rio of Plata. The country is colonized between 16th and the 17th centuries by the Spanish .

Independence and dictatorship of Rosas

Movements of opposition appear at the dawn of 19th, as of 1810, but independence is declared only in 1816. A constitution is proclaimed in 1853, after the end of the dictatorship of Rosas .

Dictatorships of the XXe century

The presidencies follow one another between 1930 and 1983, but on sixteen presidents, eleven are soldiers and several are “presidents in fact” (in opposition to elected president). Perón arrived at the capacity after the end of the Second world war. This one having involved the weakening of the Occident, Argentina becomes, a time, the third world economic power. After the war, very many Nazis flees in Argentina.

After the return of the general Peron in 1973, which shows the massacre of Ezeiza (confrontations between the left and the right-hand side peronist), the country is inserted in a “Guerre salts”, which starts as of the Indépendence Operation in the Province of Tucuman. At this occasion, the lessons learned at the time of the Bataille of Algiers are put into practice. In March 1976, a coup d'etat directed by a junta of soldiers (Jorge Videla, etc) shift the third woman of Péron, Isabelle Peron. It is estimated that the “dirty war” made approximately 30  000 victims, in the majority of the missings, without counting the thousands of exiled. Buenos Aires takes part moreover in the Opération Condor, and of many political Réfugiés adjoining countries are assassinated by the means of the secret services or death squads (the Triple has). The embassy states-unienne is often with the current.

War of the Falklands and democratic transition

In order to start again her popularity, the junta of Buenos Aires, directed since December 1981 by Leopoldo Galtieri, one of more “hard”, decides to invade the Falkland Islands in 1982, thus causing the Guerre of the Falklands against the United Kingdom, then directed by Margaret Thatcher. Because of sound visceral Anticommunism and installation of the Charly operation (during which the Argentinian services transmitted to their counterparts of Central America the techniques of the dirty war: Death squads, systematic torture against the civil population in order to demoralize it, flights of death, etc), Buenos Aires seemed to think of being able to count, wrongly, on the support of Ronald Reagan, lately elected.

The defeat at the time of the war of the Falklands precipitates the fall of the mode and a slow democratic transition. Since then, several presidents followed one another: Raúl Alfonsín (1983 - 1989), Carlos Menem (1989 - 1999), Fernando of Rúa (1999 - 2001). Laws of amnesty are voted under Menem, in particular because of the rebellion of sectors of extreme right-hand side in the army (the Carapintadas, which try several coups d'etat at the end of the years 1980). A lawsuit during which the principal persons in charge of the junta, like Montoneros appear, holds nevertheless in 1985: it is the Lawsuit of the Juntas ( Processo has tired Juntas ).

The Menem decade is marked by the installation of the Néolibéralisme in the country, driving with the appearance of groups protestors, the piqueteros , which will become famous after the economic crisis of the end of the year 1990.

Crisis of 2001

Caused by a massive capital flight during October and September, August, the crisis is partially suppressed by a drastic control of the bank deposits, called Corralito , based on the obligation to carry out all the financial transactions through the banks and the restriction of the money withdrawals in cash. The large one of the population not being bancarisé, the perception of remunerations and wages became a true headache, which causes a drastic aggravation of the crisis in December 2001, causing a true social chaos, and riots of the social classes most impoverished by the crisis. Repression causes 31 dead, the Minister for Finance is raised of its functions, but that is not enough and the president means his resignation while fleeing of the palate of the Government in the helicopter. The government, the the IMF and the parity between the peso and the American dollar are the most criticized topics.

In ten days, four presidents follow one another (Camaño, Rodriguez Saeb Erakat, Puerta, Duhalde), the Argentinian government state themselves in a state of suspension of payment, repeal the law devoting the intangibility of the bank deposits (what causes the evaporation of the deposits of the middle-classes which had some but had not transferred them) and, therefore, by a deepening of the economic crisis. January 6th, 2002 the new government carries out a total gel of the asset banking, called Corralón , and a official Dévaluation of the peso of 28% compared to the dollar, while in the street the dollar changes with 1,60 peso to reach very quickly more than 3 pesos.

Eduardo Duhalde remains President of Argentina between the January 2002 and May 2003 when it puts an end to the parity between the Argentinian peso and the dollar states-unien and set up a productivist economic plan. He called with anticipated presidential elections in April 2003 when he supports the candidate peronist of center left Nestor Kirchner. This last is elected by defect following the withdrawal of Carlos Menem to the second turn.

Krichner era

Nestor Kirchner exerts the president's function of the Argentinian Republic until November 2007. It rectifies the country by renegotiating the debt of the country in 2005 (in fact, it refuses the refunding of the three-quarter of the 100 billion dollars of foreign debt). By the freezing of the energy tariffs and transport, the very strong tax on exports, it starts again the economic activity (+ 50  % in five years) supported by the public expenditure, and double wage bill (of 2003 to 2007). His wife, Cristina Kirchner, elected with the first turn on October 28th, 2007 will succeed the December 10th to him 2007.

The country is however insulated, only the Venezuela of Hugo Chavez acceptor to agree to him of the loans (5 billion dollars in 2007)

Policy

See also: Political of Argentina

Distribution of the capacities

Argentina has a presidential regime in a federal republic. The Argentinian Constitution of 1853, revised on two occasions in 1994 and 1997 stipulates that the presidential mandate is four years (renewable once). Elected by the vote for all, the president is at the same time with the report heading and with the head of the government, the current president is Nestor Kirchner (and its vice-president is Daniel Scioli).

The Constitution guarantees the separation of the capacities between the executive, the legislature and the legal one. The executive is entrusted to the president, the legislature at the Parliament (compound of two rooms), legal at the Supreme court of the Argentina made up one of seven members

The Parliament is composed of two rooms:

  • the Senate: 72 members (3 senators by provinces) elected officials for six years.
  • the House of Commons: 257 members elected by the vote for all, renewable by half every two years. A third of the candidates must be female.

International relations

Argentina is permanent member of the Mercosur (economic community of the countries of South America) with the Brésil, the Paraguay, the Uruguay and the Venezuela; five other countries are associated there: the Bolivia, the Chile, the Peru, the Colombia and the Ecuador.

Argentina was the only country of South America to have taken share with the first war of the Gulf in 1991, elected by UNO. It was also the only Latin country to take part in the democratic operation with Haiti in 1994 - 95. Finally it engaged in the Gripping force of peace of the United Nations ( Blue helmets ) throughout the world of which conflicts relating to El Salvador - Honduras - Guatemala - Nicaragua, Ecuador - Peru, the the Western Sahara, the Angola, the Kuwait, Cyprus, the Croatia, the Kosovo, the Bosnia-Herzégovine or the Eastern Timor.

In January 1998, in recognition of its contributions to international safety, the president of the the United States Bill Clinton indicated Argentina one of the major allies except NATO. In 2005, it was elected temporary member with the Safety advice of the United Nations.

In 1993, Argentina launched the initiative of the white helmets of the United Nations specialized in the humanitarian Aid.

Since 2004, the usually cordial relations between Argentina and the Uruguay were gradually degraded because of the “Guerre of paper”. In question, construction in Uruguay of two large manufacturing planies of cellulose, for the production of paper, on banks of the Rio Uruguay which marks the border between the two countries: Argentina proposes the ecological damage that the river would undergo. The polemic was fed by a climbing of declarations on behalf of the two States, Argentina carrying the business in front of CIJ in May 2006, then Uruguay encasing the step in November 2006 to him. Road blockades in Argentina prevented the supply construction materials since the Chile, worsening the situation. The economic relations and social between the two countries improved in 2007.

In 2005, the town of Mar del Plata accommodated the fourth Sommet of Americas, marked by many anti-US protests. So that the following year, it put its priority in the regional initiatives such as Mercosur or the Banque of the South after one decade (during the Années 1990) of partnership with the the United States.

In dispute with the the United Kingdom, Argentina claims the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, of the South Georgia, the Sandwich islands of the South and the Shetland Islands of the South (these last also asserted by the Chile but the claims of the three countries are cold since the signature of the Treaty of the Antarctic) and from approximately 1 million km ² of the continent the Antarctic. Another subject of discord is the border with the Chile, in particular about the layout of the southern extreme border in Ground of Fire, a treaty was signed in 1984 between the two countries with the the Vatican.

Finally Argentina was one of the initial signatories of the Traité on the Antarctic.

Relations between Argentina and Uruguay

The Uruguay is a State which is at the east of Argentina. The two countries are limited by the river Rio Uruguay. The relations between the two countries, which are very close from the cultural and economic point of view, were always excellent. However, since 2005, the relations were degraded. In question, the Uruguyan government which would like to build a factory on the river Rio Uruguay which is used as natural border between Argentina and the Uruguay. The Argentinian government proposes the considerable ecological damage that the river would undergo. On its side, the Uruguyan government thinks that, considering strong unemployment rate in Uruguay (approximately 12%), the country would have an urgent need of the work which this factory would provide. The Argentinian and Uruguyan ecologists are them also, against this project of factory.

October 28th, 2007, at the time of the election of Cristina Fernandez of Kirchner at the post of president of the Argentinian republic, the Uruguyan president invited Cristina Fernandez in order to congratulate it for his victory. The hatchet seems buried.

Provinces

See also: Provinces of Argentina

In accordance with the constitution of 1853, revised in 1994, Argentina is a organized federal République of 23 provinces (which are in fact of the federated States, directed by elected Gouverneur S) and an autonomous city set up in federal district: Buenos Aires, federal capital which has a special statute. The 23 provnces are: The provinces have in fact all the capacities which were not deputy expressly at the federal government. They are charged to manage justice and primary education. They are organized as they hear it by electing their executive powers and legislature. The provinces can regulate between them all kinds of agreements of type the legal, economic or social. The national executive power has only the capacity to intervene in order to ensure the republican shape of the government and to push back the foreign invasions.

The majority of the provinces of the center and the north of the country are former to the existence of Argentina like Federal state, however provinces with a great aboriginal presence or a weak population (like are in north: Chaco, Formosa and Misiones; and the great southern part of the country: the Pampa, Neuquén, Rio Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz, the Ground of Fire, the Argentinian territory in the Antarctic and the islands of the South Atlantic) were at one time of the “national territories” depending on the federal government. While becoming provinces, they acquired the same administrative statute as those which existed already.

The last territories to change statute were the Ground of Fire, the Antarctic and islands of the South Atlantic which were gathered to become same and single province in 1991, in spite of the fact that the definition of this province contains territories disputed in the Antarctic (with Chile and the United Kingdom) and owing to the fact that Argentina ratified the Treaty on the Antarctic which has cold the territorial claims, and the islands of the South Atlantic are recognized internationally like parts of the United Kingdom (except for Shetland Islands of the South integrated into the Treaty on the Antarctic), only the litigation of sovereignty concerning the division of the Earth of Fire having been solved (by an international treaty signed with Chile).

One of old the national territories , the territory of the Andes, never managed to be converted into province. It was formed in 1900 and then covered the totality of the Puna of the North-West of the country, but, because of a very weak development and a population, it was dissolved in 1943, the territories being then incorporated in the provinces of Jujuy, Salta and Catamarca.

Geography

See also: Geography of Argentina

General data

The entire surface of Argentina is distributed in the following way (except the Antarctic):
  • Total: 2,766,890  km ²
  • Ground: 2,736,691  km ²
  • Water: 30,200  km ²

Argentina 3.700 kilometers is long of north in the south and of 1.400 kilometers of the east in the west. The territory can be divided into four distinct zones: Fertile plains of the Pampa in the center of the country, lowland of the Patagonie in the south (extending on a large southern quarter from the country (28%), until the Ground of Fire), dry plains of the Gran Chaco in north and finally the very high area of the Andes cordillera in the west along the border with the Chile whose mount Aconcagua culminates with 6.960 meters.

The culminating point of Argentina is the mount Aconcagua (being also the culminating point of the America S), a contrario the major depression of America is the site called Laguna del Carbón with 105 meters under the sea level with Santa Cruz, finally the geographical center of the country is localized in the province the Pampa.

The Climat is generally moderate, but one meets however a climate subtropical in north and arid/subantarctic in the extreme south of the country.

Geographical areas

The country is traditionally divided into various major areas: ; Pampas: Plains in the west and the south of Buenos Aires. Called the wet Pampa , this area recovers the majority of the provinces of Buenos Aires and Córdoba like those of Santa Fe and the Pampa. ; Gran Chaco: The area Gran Chaco is at the north of the country, with seasons wet and dry, it allows the breeding of Bétail and the culture of Coton. It recovers the provinces of the Chaco and Formosa. It also includes/understands subtropical forests where the vegetation and the animals develop. ; Mesopotamia: This territory is between the Rio Paraná and the Rio Uruguay, divided between the provinces of Corrientes and Between Ríos, om one maintains the Bétail and the Esteros del Iberá. The province of Misiones too tropical, is characterized by the Chutes of Iguaçu ; Patagonie: The Steppe S of the Patagonie in the provinces of Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut and Santa Cruz are tertiary origins . The territory is semi-arid with north and cold and arid in the south, but is made up in the west of several big lakes and forests. The Ground of Fire cold and wet, is moderated by the oceanic influence. Lastly, north can be referred with Comahue. ; Cuyo: The West of Argentina is dominated by imposing the Andes cordillera, in the east is an arid area called Cuyo, water going down from the mountains allows the Viticulture and the Agriculture thanks to its irrigation, although the relief is broken there.

Rivers and lakes

Among large the River S, let us quote the Paraguay, the Bermejo, the río Negro, the río Colorado, the Uruguay, as well as the Paraná which is the longest river of Argentina. The rivers Paraná and Uruguay run towards the Atlantic Ocean and meet to form the estuary of the Río of Plata. In the national park of Misiones, in the north of the country, mini-fall them of a saturated selva will meet to form the Panana river. Big lakes as of the seas were formed with the foot of the the Andes, in still virgin sites the such Nahuel Huapi, with San Carlos de Bariloche.

Fauna and flora

See also: Fauna of Argentina

In the immense ones extended from the Pampa still a fauna précolombienne remains represented in particular by the Tatou, said to nine bands: the Gaúcho S pursue this made toothless mammal, because they fear its burrows, in which the cattle breaks the legs.

In altitude, the LAMA is still used like animal of bearing.

Land borders

  • 5.151 km with the Chile: the Argentinian border - Chile is the third longer land borders in the world.
  • 1.880 km with the Paraguay.
  • 1.224 km with the Brazil.
  • 832 km with the Bolivia.
  • 579 km with the Uruguay.

Economy

See also: Economy of Argentina

Argentina has of many natural wealths and a very qualified labor, an agriculture directed towards export and a diversified industrial fabric.

In 1913, Argentina was one of the richest countries of the world. Its GDP per capita positioned it with the 9th world rank, higher than that of the France.

In spite of these assets, Argentina accumulated at the end of the years 1980 a heavy external debt (debt which it intends to refund only partly, “10%”), inflation reached 200% per month and the production had fallen considerably.

To fight against this economic crisis, the government of Menem launched a policy of liberalization of the trade, deregulation and privatization. In 1991, the government decided to anchor the Argentinian Peso to the American dollar and limited by a law the growth of the money supply to the growth of monetary reserves.

Political instability and economic plunged the Argentinian economy in the hell of an unprecedented crisis (2002). This crisis took along more than 60% of the population under the poverty line. Demonstrations were then organized, followed plunderings of stores.

The peso was related to the dollar. GDP fell of 11% in 2002 with the end of parity 1 peso = 1 dollar.

In 2003-2005 the GDP sets out again to 8% of annual growth, by producing an economic reactivation in all the sectors, a strong reduction of poverty and a return of the middle-class.

February 1st, 2006, Argentina and the Brésil sign, after almost three years of negotiations, an agreement which must make it possible to protect the manufacturing sectors which could be too hard affected by the competition of the adjoining country. The Adaptation mechanism competitive (MAC) makes it possible to once fix customs duties on the “too competitive” product of the adjoining country for three years, renewable.

Since 2004, Argentina seems to have taken the good way, the way of the economic strong growth and the wage increase. But still 23% of the population live under the poverty line.

Demography

See also: Demography of Argentina

Argentina counts nearly 40 million inhabitants, mainly resulting from immigrations Spanish S (since the beginnings of colonization with the 16th century until the Années 1950) and Italy. Other immigrants French, German and Suisse S arrived during the same period but of number much lower. Indeed, the Argentinian ones of Italian or Spanish origin account for 85% of the national population.

The population is very unequally distributed, since a third of the population (approximately 13 million inhabitants) is concentrated in the capital and the agglomeration of Buenos Aires (also called Gran Buenos Aires).

In addition to the area of the federal capital, the population is concentrated in other urban areas whose principal ones are: Córdoba (center, 1,6 million inhabitants), Rosario (is, 1,4 million inhabitants), Mendoza (western, 1 million inhabitants), San Miguel de Tucumán (northern, nearly 1 million inhabitants).

The indigenous population accounts for only approximately 1 million inhabitants in the provinces of Patagonie in the south and in the provinces of Jujuy, Chaco, Formosa and Misiones in north.

Traditionally Argentina enjoyed very high standards of living in comparison with other countries of the area, but the economic crisis of the years 2001 - 2002 decreased however this impression. Still thus, more half of the population is regarded as being middle-class, and since the crisis, a strong economic recovery subsequently helped to reduce poverty to 23,4% of the population. More than 5% of the population lived in perilous conditions, in villas miserias or Bidonville S.

Culture

See also: Culture of Argentina

Even if the Spanish is the only official language at the federal level, a few hundreds of natives still speak about the Amerindian Langues: the Quechua in the Andean areas of the North-West and the guarani in the province of Corrientes (the guarani is Co-official in this province).

Strong immigration, as of the 19th century, coming from the Italy introduced the use of the Italian in Argentina which from now on is regarded as the second language of the nation.

The French is also included/understood by approximately 10% of the Argentinian ones.

The training of the English or the French is obligatory as of the school second cycle. In the higher learning, the Portuguese can also be learned.

The principal religion is the Catholicism (which is the Religion of State), but of important Muslim communities, Jewish and Protestant are present in the country. The constitution guarantees, indeed, the Freedom of worship.

Religion

According to a recent study, 92% of Argentinian would be declared catholic of which 18,5% are practitioners. Among the catholics, 35% would not go or little to the church. But Argentina also has Jewish minorities (2% of the population) and Protestant women (2% also). Moslems and " without religions" 4% of the population would represent.

National symbols

  • the Flag of Argentina, created by the national hero Manual Belgrano, inspired several Latin-American people in the choice of their own flag. It was in its time adopted by the plain Provinces of Central America, and therefore the flags of the El Salvador, of the Honduras and of the Nicaragua are very similar to the Argentinian flag, just like that of the Guatemala.
  • the national flower of Argentina is the ceibo , whose scientific name is Erythrina crista-galli. She was declared like the such December 23rd 1942 by the decree 13  847 of the executive power.
  • the national bird is the hornero or furnarius rufus, sympathetic nerve bird which one finds in all the Argentinas cities and which built curious nests there.
  • the national stone is the Rhodochrosite.

Festivals and bank holidays

See too

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