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| Overview | People | Geography | Economy | Government | Communications | Transport | Military | Map |
| Country | Argentina |
| Flag |  |
| 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: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends third Saturday in March; note - a new policy of daylight saving time was initiated by the government on 30 December 2007 |
| Population | 40,913,584 (July 2009 est.) |
| GMT | -3 |
| Location | Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay see map |
| Area | total: 2,766,890 sq km land: 2,736,690 sq km water: 30,200 sq km |
| Ethnic groups | white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry), Amerindian, or other non-white groups 3% |
| Religions | nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4% |
| Languages | Spanish (official), Italian, English, German, French |
| Government type | republic |
| National holiday | Revolution Day, 25 May (1810) |
| Constitution | 1 May 1853; amended many times starting in 1860 |
| Legal system | mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| 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 resignation of several interim presidents. |
| Internet country code | .ar |
