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)
Total renewable water resources:
814 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 29.19 cu km/yr (17%/9%/74%)
per capita: 753 cu m/yr (2000)
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
People
Argentina
Population:
40.482 million (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 25.8% (male 5,341,642/female 5,095,325)
15-64 years: 63.5% (male 12,807,458/female 12,884,745)
65 years and over: 10.8% (male 1,784,652/female 2,568,17
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