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Geography of Argentina

Location:Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay
Geographic coordinates:34 00 S, 64 00 W
Map references:South America
Area:total: 2,766,890 sq km
land: 2,736,690 sq km
water: 30,200 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US
Land boundaries:total: 9,861 km
border countries: Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,261 km, Chile 5,308 km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 580 km
Coastline:4,989 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest
Terrain:rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Laguna del Carbon -105 m (located between Puerto San Julian and Comandante Luis Piedra Buena in the province of Santa Cruz)
highest point: Cerro Aconcagua 6,960 m (located in the northwestern corner of the province of Mendoza)
Natural resources:fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium
Land use:arable land: 10.03%
permanent crops: 0.36%
other: 89.61% (2005)
Irrigated land:15,500 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:San Miguel de Tucuman and Mendoza areas in the Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike the pampas and northeast; heavy flooding
Environment - current issues:environmental problems (urban and rural) typical of an industrializing economy such as deforestation, soil degradation, desertification, air pollution, and water pollution
note: Argentina is a world leader in setting voluntary greenhouse gas targets
Environment - international agreements:party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note: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 Carbon is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere

Argentina Quickstats

  • Population: 40,301,927 (July 2007 est.)
  • Area: 2,766,890 sq km
  • Density: 14 /km² (195th)
  • GDP (total): US 671.508 billion (2007 (20th)
  • GDP (per capita): US$17,062 (2007) (50th)
  • Literacy: 97.2%

Languages of Argentina

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  • Currency: Peso (ARS)
  • Dial code: +54

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