Argentina

Argentina, with its capital Buenos Aires, encompasses a total area of 2,766,890 sq km. It is slightly less than three-tenths the size of the United States. The climate is mostly temperate but arid in the southeast and sub-antartic in the southwest. Argentina is the second-largest country in South America (after Brazil). There are rich plains of the Pampas in the northern half of the country, flat to rolling plateaus in the south, and rugged Andes mountains run along the western border. Their natural resources include: fertile plains of the Pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, and uranium. A number of environmental problems exist (urban and rural) typical of an industrializing economy such as: soil degradation, desertification, air pollution, and water pollution. The population of the country is about 37,384,816.

Spanish is the official language but English, Italian, German, and French are spoken throughout the country. The main industries include: food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, and steel. Agriculture is also an important source of income. Sunflower seeds, lemons, soybeans, grapes, corn, tobacco, peanuts, tea, wheat, and livestock are common products in Argentina.

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