Capital City: Buenos Aires, 13,076,300 (metro. area), 12,116,400 (city proper)National name: República Argentina
President: Néstor Kirchner (2003)
Area: 1,068,296 sq mi (2,766,890 sq km)
Population (2005 est.): 39,537,943 (growth rate: 1.0%); birth rate: 16.9/1000; infant mortality rate: 15.2/1000; life expectancy: 75.9; density per sq mi: 37 Buenos Aires, 13,076,300 (metro. area), 12,116,400 (city proper)
Other large cities: Córdoba, 1,486,200; Rosario, 1,276,900; Mendoza, 988,600; Mar del Plata, 683,700
Monetary unit: Peso
Languages: Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French
Ethnicity: white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%; mestizo, Amerindian, other 3%
Religions: Roman Catholic 92%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%
Literacy rate: 96.2% (1995 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $483.5 billion; per capita $12,400. Real growth rate: 8.3%. Inflation: 6.1%. Unemployment: 14.8%. Arable land: 12%. Agriculture: sunflower seeds, lemons, soybeans, grapes, corn, tobacco, peanuts, tea, wheat; livestock. Labor force: 15.04 million; agriculture n.a., industry n.a., services n.a. Industries: food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel. Natural resources: fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium. Exports: $33.78 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): edible oils, fuels and energy, cereals, feed, motor vehicles. Imports: $22.06 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal manufactures, plastics. Major trading partners: Brazil, Chile, U.S., China, Spain, Germany (2003).

Transportation: Highways: total: 215,471 km; paved: 63,348 km (including 734 km of expressways); unpaved: 152,123 km (1999). Waterways: 11,000 km (2004). Ports and harbors: Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Concepcion del Uruguay, La Plata, Punta Colorada, Rosario, San Lorenzo-San Martin, San Nicolas.Railways: total: 34,091 km (167 km electrified) (2004). Airports: 1,334 (2004 est.).