Official Name:República Argentina (Argentina Republic)

Area: South America
Size: 2,766,890 km²
Coastline: 4,989 km

Independence: from Spain 25 May 1810 
Form of Govt.: Federal republic
Head of Govt.: President

Capital: Buenos Aires
Largest City: Buenos Aires

Demographics (2005): 39,921,833, 14 /km²

The population of Argentina is heavily made up of inhabitants of European background - 97%, the largest being Italians and Spaniards.

GDP per Capita (2005): $15,000

Languages: The only national official language of Argentina is Spanish (which the Argentines call "Castellano" or Castilian). English, Italian, German, and French are also spoken

Geography : (1.) The Pampas contains many lakes that rise gradually from the Atlantic Ocean to the Andean foothills, (2.) Patagonia is a windswept semiarid region that rises to elevations of 1,500 meters with depressions below sea level by 32 meters, (3.) the northeastern lowlands lie to the north of the Pampas and east of the Andes and (4.) the northwestern Andes which extend along the western half of the country. The Andes contain broad valleys and are generally inhospitable. The principal rivers are the Parana, Uruguay and Paraguay Rivers which drain into the Rio de la Plata Basin in northern Argentina while in the south the Colorado and Negro Rivers rise in the Andes and flow to the Atlantic Ocean

Climate: Most of Argentina lies in the shadow of the Andes. As the prevailing westerly winds lose their moisture and descend into Argentina temperatures increase while humidity decreases. As a whole, the climate varies from a humid sub-tropical climate in the north with the central semi-arid Pampa ranging from a tropical to a moderately cool climate. The southern area of the country is sub-arctic and is directly influenced by the prevailing westerlies. Rainfall diminishes from east to west with snow rarely falling. Average temperature ranges in Buenos Aires are from -5 to 14 degrees in June to 17 to 29 degrees in January.