Argentina

Broadcast media

government owns a TV station and a radio network; more than 2 dozen TV stations and hundreds of privately-owned radio stations; high rate of cable TV subscription usage (2007)

Internet country code

.ar

Internet hosts

6.025 million (2010) country comparison to the world: 16

Internet users

13.694 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 28

Telephone system

general assessment: the "Telecommunications Liberalization Plan of 1998" opened the telecommunications market to competition and foreign investment encouraging the growth of modern telecommunications technology; fiber-optic cable trunk lines are being installed between all major cities; major networks are entirely digital and the availability of telephone service is improving domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber-optic cable, and a domestic satellite system with 40 earth stations serve the trunk network; fixed-line teledensity is increasing gradually and mobile-cellular subscribership is increasing rapidly; broadband Internet services are gaining ground international: country code - 54; landing point for the Atlantis-2, UNISUR, South America-1, and South American Crossing/Latin American Nautilus submarine cable systems that provide links to Europe, Africa, South and Central America, and US; satellite earth stations - 112; 2 international gateways near Buenos Aires (2009)

Telephones - main lines in use

10 million (2010) country comparison to the world: 21

Telephones - mobile cellular

57.3 million (2010) country comparison to the world: 22

Agriculture - products

sunflower seeds, lemons, soybeans, grapes, corn, tobacco, peanuts, tea, wheat; livestock

Budget

revenues: $89.95 billion expenditures: $89.17 billion (2010 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

0.2% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 39

Central bank discount rate

NA%

Commercial bank prime lending rate

10.558% (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 44 15.655% (31 December 2009 est.)

Current account balance

$3.573 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 41 $11.06 billion (2009 est.)

Debt - external

$132.5 billion (30 June 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 35 $128 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

45.8 (2009) country comparison to the world: 35

Economy - overview

Argentina benefits from rich natural resources, a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. Although one of the world's wealthiest countries 100 years ago, Argentina suffered during most of the 20th century from recurring economic crises, persistent fiscal and current account deficits, high inflation, mounting external debt, and capital flight. A severe depression, growing public and external indebtedness, and a bank run culminated in 2001 in the most serious economic, social, and political crisis in the country's turbulent history. Interim President Adolfo RODRIGUEZ SAA declared a default - the largest in history - on the government's foreign debt in December of that year, and abruptly resigned only a few days after taking office. His successor, Eduardo DUHALDE, announced an end to the peso's decade-long 1-to-1 peg to the US dollar in early 2002. The economy bottomed out that year, with real GDP 18% smaller than in 1998 and almost 60% of Argentines under the poverty line. Real GDP rebounded to grow by an average 8.5% annually over the subsequent six years, taking advantage of previously idled industrial capacity and labor, an audacious debt restructuring and reduced debt burden, excellent international financial conditions, and expansionary monetary and fiscal policies. Inflation also increased, however, during the administration of President Nestor KIRCHNER, which responded with price restraints on businesses, as well as export taxes and restraints, and beginning in early 2007, with understating inflation data. Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER succeeded her husband as President in late 2007, and the rapid economic growth of previous years began to slow sharply the following year as government policies held back exports and the world economy fell into recession. The economy has rebounded strongly from the 2009 recession, but the government's continued reliance on expansionary fiscal and monetary policies risks exacerbating already high inflation.

Electricity - consumption

104.7 billion kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 30

Electricity - exports

3 billion kWh (2009 est.)

Electricity - imports

5.53 billion kWh (2009 est.)

Electricity - production

115.4 billion kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 30

Exchange rates

Argentine pesos (ARS) per US dollar - 3.8983 (2010) 3.7101 (2009) 3.1636 (2008) 3.1105 (2007) 3.0543 (2006)

Exports

$68.13 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 45 $55.67 billion (2009 est.)

Exports - commodities

soybeans and derivatives, petroleum and gas, vehicles, corn, wheat

Exports - partners

Brazil 21.2%, China 9.1%, Chile 7%, US 5.4% (2010)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$370.3 billion (2010 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$596 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 24 $554.5 billion (2009 est.) $571.6 billion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 8.5% industry: 31.6% services: 59.8% (2010 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$14,700 (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 77 $13,700 (2009 est.) $14,100 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

7.5% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 26 -3% (2009 est.) 5% (2008 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1.7% highest 10%: 29.5% (3rd Quarter, 2010)

Imports

$53.87 billion (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 49 $37.15 billion (2009 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery, motor vehicles, petroleum and natural gas, organic chemicals, plastics

Imports - partners

Brazil 34.5%, US 13.8%, China 11.4%, Germany 5% (2010)

Industrial production growth rate

8.9% country comparison to the world: 35 note: based on private estimates (2010 est.)

Industries

food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

22% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 220 16% (2009 est.) note: data are derived from private estimates

Investment (gross fixed)

22% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 89

Labor force

16.54 million country comparison to the world: 36 note: urban areas only (2010 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 5% industry: 23% services: 72% (2009 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$63.91 billion (31 December 2010) country comparison to the world: 53 $48.93 billion (31 December 2009) $52.31 billion (31 December 2008)

Natural gas - consumption

43.46 billion cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 20

Natural gas - exports

880 million cu m (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 37

Natural gas - imports

3.78 billion cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 37

Natural gas - production

40.1 billion cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 22

Natural gas - proved reserves

378.8 billion cu m (1 January 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 34

Oil - consumption

618,000 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 29

Oil - exports

238,100 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 51

Oil - imports

19,380 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 114

Oil - production

763,600 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 27

Oil - proved reserves

2.505 billion bbl (1 January 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 32

Population below poverty line

30% note: data are based on private estimates (2010)

Public debt

45.1% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 60 48.6% of GDP (2009 est.) note: official data

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$52.23 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 31 $48.03 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money

$112.9 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 48 $85.18 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$30.39 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 38 $29.45 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$86.35 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 37 $80.15 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$104.9 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 48 $83.35 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$56.32 billion (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 43 $43.44 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

24.3% of GDP (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 129

Unemployment rate

7.8% (2010) country comparison to the world: 88 8.7% (2009 est.)

Area

total: 2,780,400 sq km country comparison to the world: 8 land: 2,736,690 sq km water: 43,710 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US

Climate

mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest

Coastline

4,989 km

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)

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

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 29.19 cu km/yr (17%/9%/74%) per capita: 753 cu m/yr (2000)

Geographic coordinates

34 00 S, 64 00 W

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

Irrigated land

15,500 sq km (2008)

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

Land use

arable land: 10.03% permanent crops: 0.36% other: 89.61% (2005)

Location

Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay

Map references

South America

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

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 in some areas volcanism: Argentina experiences volcanic activity in the Andes Mountains along the Chilean border; Copahue (elev. 2,997 m) last erupted in 2000; other historically active volcanoes include Llullaillaco, Maipo, Planchon-Peteroa, San Jose, Tromen, Tupungatito, and Viedma

Natural resources

fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium

Terrain

rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border

Total renewable water resources

814 cu km (2000)

Administrative divisions

23 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) 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), Tucuman note: the US does not recognize any claims to Antarctica

Capital

name: Buenos Aires geographic coordinates: 34 36 S, 58 40 W time difference: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: none scheduled for 2011

Constitution

1 May 1853; amended many times starting in 1860

Country name

conventional long form: Argentine Republic conventional short form: Argentina local long form: Republica Argentina local short form: Argentina

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Vilma MARTINEZ embassy: Avenida Colombia 4300, C1425GMN Buenos Aires mailing address: international mail: use embassy street address; APO address: US Embassy Buenos Aires, Unit 4334, APO AA 34034 telephone: [54] (11) 5777-4533 FAX: [54] (11) 5777-4240

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Alfredo Vicente CHIARADIA chancery: 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 238-6400 FAX: [1] (202) 332-3171 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York

Executive branch

chief of state: President Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER (since 10 December 2007); Vice President Julio COBOS (since 10 December 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER (since 10 December 2007); Vice President Julio COBOS (since 10 December 2007) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website) elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held on 23 October 2011 (next election to be held in October 2015) election results: Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER reelected president; percent of vote - Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER 54%, Hermes BINNER 16.9%, Ricardo ALFONSIN 11.1%, Alberto Rodriguez SAA 8%, Eduardo DUHALDE 5.9%, other 4.1%

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of light blue (top), white, and light blue; centered in the white band is a radiant yellow sun with a human face known as the Sun of May; the colors represent the clear skies and snow of the Andes; the sun symbol commemorates the appearance of the sun through cloudy skies on 25 May 1810 during the first mass demonstration in favor of independence; the sun features are those of Inti, the Inca god of the sun

Government type

republic

Independence

9 July 1816 (from Spain)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

AfDB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CAN (associate), FAO, FATF, G-15, G-20, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, Paris Club (associate), PCA, RG, SICA (observer), UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina (observer), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch

Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (the Supreme Court judges are appointed by the president with approval of the Senate) note: the Supreme Court has seven judges; the Argentine Congress in 2006 passed a bill to gradually reduce the number of Supreme Court judges to five

Legal system

civil law system based on West European legal systems; note - efforts at civil code reform begun in the mid-1980s has stagnated

Legislative branch

bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate (72 seats; members are elected by direct vote; presently one-third of the members elected every two years to serve six-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies (257 seats; members are elected by direct vote; one-half of the members elected every two years to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held on 28 June 2009 (next to be held in 2011); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 28 June 2009 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Senate - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA; seats by bloc or party - FpV 8, ACyS 14, PJ disidente 2; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA; seats by bloc or party - FpV 45, ACyS 42, PRO 20, PJ disidente 12, other 8; note - as of 1 February 2011, the composition of the entire legislature is as follows: Senate - seats by bloc or party - FpV 32, UCR 16, PJ disidente 14, other 10; Chamber of Deputies - seats by bloc or party - FpV 87, ACyS 43, PRO 11, PJ disidente 28, CC 19, PS 6, other 63

National anthem

name: "Himno Nacional Argentino" (Argentine National Anthem) lyrics/music: Vicente LOPEZ y PLANES/Jose Blas PARERA note: adopted 1813; Vicente LOPEZ was inspired to write the anthem after watching a play about the 1810 May Revolution against Spain

National holiday

Revolution Day, 25 May (1810)

National symbol(s)

Sun of May (a sun-with-face symbol)

Political parties and leaders

Civic and Social Accord or ACyS (a now-defunct center-left alliance that included the CC, UCR, and Socialist parties-created ahead of the 2009 legislative elections); Civic Coalition or CC (a broad coalition loosely affiliated with Elisa CARRIO); Dissident Peronists or PJ Disidente (a sector of the Justicialist Party opposed to the Kirchners); Front for Victory or FpV (a broad coalition, including elements of the UCR and numerous provincial parties) [Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER]; Justicialist Party or PJ [Daniel SCIOLI]; Radical Civic Union or UCR [Ernesto SANZ]; Republican Proposal or PRO [Mauricio MACRI] (including Federal Recreate Movement or RECREAR [Esteban BULLRICH]; Socialist Party or PS [Ruben GIUSTINIANI]; Union For All [Patricia BULLRICH] (associated with the Civic Coalition); numerous provincial parties

Political pressure groups and leaders

Argentine Association of Pharmaceutical Labs (CILFA); Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers' association); Argentine Rural Confederation or CRA (small to medium landowners' association); Argentine Rural Society (large landowners' association); Central of Argentine Workers or CTA (a radical union for employed and unemployed workers); General Confederation of Labor or CGT (Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization); White and Blue CGT (dissident CGT labor confederation); Roman Catholic Church other: business organizations; Peronist-dominated labor movement; Piquetero groups (popular protest organizations that can be either pro or anti-government); students

Suffrage

18-70 years of age; universal and compulsory

Background

In 1816, the United Provinces of the Rio Plata declared their independence from Spain. After Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay went their separate ways, the area that remained became Argentina. The country's population and culture were heavily shaped by immigrants from throughout Europe, but most particularly Italy and Spain, which provided the largest percentage of newcomers from 1860 to 1930. Up until about the mid-20th century, much of Argentina's history was dominated by periods of internal political conflict between Federalists and Unitarians and between civilian and military factions. After World War II, an era of Peronist populism and direct and indirect military interference in subsequent governments was followed by a military junta that took power in 1976. Democracy returned in 1983 after a failed bid to seize the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands by force, 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.

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 10,038,967 females age 16-49: 9,959,134 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 8,458,362 females age 16-49: 8,414,460 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 339,503 female: 323,170 (2010 est.)

Military - note

the Argentine military is a well-organized force constrained by the country's prolonged economic hardship; the country has recently experienced a strong recovery, and the military is implementing a modernization plan aimed at making the ground forces lighter and more responsive (2008)

Military branches

Argentine Army (Ejercito Argentino), Navy of the Argentine Republic (Armada Republica; includes naval aviation and naval infantry), Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Argentina, FAA) (2011)

Military expenditures

0.8% of GDP (2009) country comparison to the world: 146

Military service age and obligation

18-24 years of age for voluntary military service (18-21 requires parental consent); no conscription (2001)

Age structure

0-14 years: 25.4% (male 5,429,488/female 5,181,289) 15-64 years: 63.6% (male 13,253,468/female 13,301,530) 65 years and over: 11% (male 1,897,144/female 2,706,807) (2011 est.)

Birth rate

17.54 births/1,000 population (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 111

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

2.3% (2005) country comparison to the world: 106

Death rate

7.38 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 120

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 98% of population rural: 80% of population total: 97% of population unimproved: urban: 2% of population rural: 20% of population total: 3% of population (2008)

Education expenditures

4.9% of GDP (2007) country comparison to the world: 63

Ethnic groups

white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry), Amerindian, or other non-white groups 3%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.5% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 66

HIV/AIDS - deaths

2,900 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 46

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

110,000 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 39

Health expenditures

9.5% of GDP (2009) country comparison to the world: 37

Hospital bed density

4 beds/1,000 population (2005) country comparison to the world: 50

Infant mortality rate

total: 10.81 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 145 male: 12.08 deaths/1,000 live births female: 9.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.)

Languages

Spanish (official), Italian, English, German, French

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 76.95 years country comparison to the world: 68 male: 73.71 years female: 80.36 years (2011 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.2% male: 97.2% female: 97.2% (2001 census)

Major cities - population

BUENOS AIRES (capital) 12.988 million; Cordoba 1.493 million; Rosario 1.231 million; Mendoza 917,000; San Miguel de Tucuman 831,000 (2009)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A water contact disease: leptospirosis (2009)

Maternal mortality rate

70 deaths/100,000 live births (2008) country comparison to the world: 85

Median age

total: 30.5 years male: 29.5 years female: 31.6 years (2011 est.)

Nationality

noun: Argentine(s) adjective: Argentine

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 114

Physicians density

3.155 physicians/1,000 population (2004) country comparison to the world: 34

Population

41,769,726 (July 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 32

Population growth rate

1.017% (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 115

Religions

nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 91% of population rural: 77% of population total: 90% of population unimproved: urban: 9% of population rural: 23% of population total: 10% of population (2008)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 16 years male: 15 years female: 17 years (2007)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.052 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.31 children born/woman (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 98

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 21.2% country comparison to the world: 50 male: 18.8% female: 24.7% (2009)

Urbanization

urban population: 92% of total population (2010) rate of urbanization: 1.1% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Disputes - international

Argentina continues to assert its claims to the UK-administered Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands in its constitution, forcibly occupying the Falklands in 1982, but in 1995 agreed no longer to seek settlement by force; UK continues to reject Argentine requests for sovereignty talks; territorial claim in Antarctica partially overlaps UK and Chilean claims; uncontested dispute between Brazil and Uruguay over Braziliera/Brasiliera Island in the Quarai/Cuareim River leaves the tripoint with Argentina in question; in 2010, the ICJ ruled in favor of Uruguay's operation of two paper mills on the Uruguay River, which forms the border with Argentina; the two countries formed a joint pollution monitoring regime; the joint boundary commission, established by Chile and Argentina in 2001 has yet to map and demarcate the delimited boundary in the inhospitable Andean Southern Ice Field (Campo de Hielo Sur); contraband smuggling, human trafficking, and illegal narcotic trafficking are problems in the porous areas of the border with Bolivia

Illicit drugs

a transshipment country for cocaine headed for Europe, heroin headed for the US, and ephedrine and pseudoephedrine headed for Mexico; some money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border Area; law enforcement corruption; a source for precursor chemicals; increasing domestic consumption of drugs in urban centers, especially cocaine base and synthetic drugs (2008)

Airports

1,141 (2010) country comparison to the world: 6

Airports - with paved runways

total: 156 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 65 914 to 1,523 m: 51 under 914 m: 9 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 985 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 43 914 to 1,523 m: 530 under 914 m: 410 (2010)

Heliports

2 (2010)

Merchant marine

total: 43 country comparison to the world: 74 by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 7, chemical tanker 4, container 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 23, refrigerated cargo 2 foreign-owned: 12 (Brazil 1, Chile 6, Spain 3, UK 2) registered in other countries: 17 (Liberia 3, Panama 7, Paraguay 5, Uruguay 2) (2010)

Pipelines

gas 29,401 km; liquid petroleum gas 41 km; oil 6,166 km; refined products 3,631 km (2010)

Ports and terminals

Arroyo Seco, Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, La Plata, Punta Colorada, Rosario, San Lorenzo-San Martin, Ushuaia

Railways

total: 36,966 km country comparison to the world: 8 broad gauge: 26,475 km 1.676-m gauge (94 km electrified) standard gauge: 2,780 km 1.435-m gauge (42 km electrified) narrow gauge: 7,711 km 1.000-m gauge (2010)

Roadways

total: 231,374 km country comparison to the world: 22 paved: 69,412 km (includes 734 km of expressways) unpaved: 161,962 km (2004)

Waterways

11,000 km (2007) country comparison to the world: 12