User:Jmjosh90/sandbox/Argentina

= Argentina country profile =

Basic information
Population: 47,327,407 (2022)

Location: Argentina is located on the southern right side of South America.

Country size: Argentina is the world’s eighth largest country and second largest country in South America. Argentina is shaped like an inverted triangle with 880 miles (1,420 km) across at its widest from east to west and stretches 2,360 miles (3,800 km) from the subtropical north to the subantarctic south.

Origin of country name: The country’s name comes from the Latin word argentum, which means silver. Colonizers believed that they would find silver but Potosi, Bolivia would quickly become the base of their silver empire.

Flag: Argentina’s flag was originally inspired by the Bourbon family. The flag consists of two blue stripes with a white stripe in the middle. The center of the flag is a yellow sun, the Sun of May

National symbol: The Argentine national coat of arms consists of two hands shaking each other which symbolizes the union of the Buenos Aires Province at the beginning of the Argentine revolution.

Climate & Terrain: Most of the regions within Argentina experience subtropical climate, while the lower part of Argentina experiences lower rainfall. However, throughout Argentina there are many variations of climate from warm and sunny to cold and windy in the southern region. Most of Argentina is temperate lowlands. However the northern region of Argentina consists of subtropical wetlands because of its proximity to the Amazon rainforest and the equator. There are also several patagonian steppe and grassland regions.

Level of Urbanization: In 2020, 92.11% of Argentines lived in urban communities, making Argentina one of the most urbanized countries in the world.

Ethnic makeup
Argentina is one of the least racially diverse countries in South America. The majority of the population is of European descent, and there is a small indigenous population; however, compared to the rest of Latin America, the European immigrants that came to Argentina are very diverse. The European ethnicities include Dutch, French, German, Italian, Jewish, Polish, and Russian. These European migrants came to Argentina around the turn of the 20th century and took over middle and lower-class occupations.

When looking at its official language, there is no officially established language in Argentina, but all government documents recorded are written in Spanish.

Catholicism continues to be the main religion in Argentina, but Protestantism has grown in popularity over the last 70 years. Interestingly, one unique aspect of religion in Argentina is that in recent years there has been a surge of Argentines who do not associate with any religion.

Indigenous peoples in Argentina
There are 35 different indigenous tribes recognized by the Argentine government. In the colonial and expansionist periods of Argentine history, similarly to the indigenous peoples of the United States, the indigenous groups were forced to either assimilate into white society or migrate from their homelands. Recently, indigenous groups between Argentina and Chile have begun to assert their sovereignty in the form of protests against the government.

Independence movement and political heroes
Argentina gained its independence during the first wave of American independence movements in the early 1800s. In 1808, the links between Argentina and Spain weakened when Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Spain and forced the Spanish king, Ferdinand VII, to abdicate the throne. At that time, Argentina became the center of the resistance against the Spanish royalists. Jose de San Martín took advantage of this political instability and organized groups of grenadiers and gauchos guerrilleros against the Spanish, quietly preparing them to liberate South America. On 25 May 1810, with San Martín’s help and following the May Revolution, the Viceroy was deposed, and the first junta took control of Argentina. This act began the Argentine War of Independence, a conflict between those loyal to the Spanish Crown and the new government, which would last until 1818. While the first junta put Argentina on the path to independence, it did not break all links with Spain until 1816. Indepencence for the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata was declared on 9 July 1816. Soon after, San Martín formed the army of the Andes to cross over and liberate Chile from Spanish rule. After the battles of Chacabuco and Maipu assured Chilean independence, he continued his journey north to liberate the Viceroyalty of Peru where he would encounter Simón Bolívar. As a consequence of San Martín's heroic efforts, the government of Argentina named its highest military award in his honor, the Order of the Liberator General San Martín. Manuel Belgrano and Benardino Rivadavia were both also active in the May revolution for Argentine independence (1810), and they went on diplomatic missions to Europe to seek support for the revolutionary government. When the provinces broke from Spain, Rivadavia became the leader of the ruling junta in an attempt to maintain the independent province’s territorial integrity. Rivadavia is also responsible for the design of the Argentinian cockade and flag.

In 1835, General Juan Manuel de Rosas was implored to become the supreme leader of the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata, as a response to a British blockade. The Rosas government is known for its law and order enforcement through tyranny and intense shows of patriotism modeled after the practices of the First French Empire. It ruled for 17 years until in 1852, when a rebellion removed Rosas from power. He is considered to be a problematic leader as he was the prototype of a caudillo dictator and deployed spies and established a secret police force, the Mazorca or Sociedad Popular Restauradora, which aimed, with terroristic and brutal methods, to intimidate the opposition and anyone who dared to oppose him.

In 1853, with the ratification of the Argentine Constitution, the country became a republic. Domingo Faustino Sarmiento was appointed President of Argentina (1868-1874). As he took power, Sarmiento was careful to remove all traces of the previous regime including stipulations on dress and military service.

Peronism and military dictatorship
In 1943, Juan Perón was part of a ruling military junta which overthrew the government. Perón's popularity as labor secretary allowed him to maneuver into complete control of the government in 1946. Juan Perón is considered by a majority of Argentinians as a political hero because he was the founder and leader of the well-known Peronist party. Throughout his presidency, he preached the virtues of Justicialismo or “social justice,” which is still honored in a large portion of modern Argentine society. At the time, Perón's first wife and First lady, Evita (as she became popularly called), rose from radio personality and female companion to popularity by taking up causes such as defending the rights of the poor and encouraging women’s suffrage. With her influence, Evita created her own foundation that dispersed cash and benefits in her name. The foundation established hospitals, schools, orphanages, and other institutions. In 1955, the military junta reasserted political control forcing Perón to exile in Europe. He returned to power in 1973 after two decades of turmoil but died shortly after regaining the presidency. His third wife, Isabel de Martinez Perón, succeeding him and lost power in 1976 after another military coup. In 1983, Raul Alfonsín became the first civilian president of Argentina after eight years of military dictatorship. He is widely regarded as the father of modern democracy in Argentina and remained committed to democratic principles throughout his presidency.

Kirchnerism
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner became president in 2007, and although polarizing, she is considered a national political hero by many of her supporters. She revived Peronist-style populism under the guise of Kirchnerism and has continued to advocate for an increase in state intervention in the economy. Kirchner has especially focused her attention to the plight of the poor, which won her popular support. She is currently the vice-president of Argentina, after serving as president from 2007 to 2015, and was the First Lady during the tenure of her husband, Néstor Kirchner (2003-2007). Internationally, she is part of what is known as the Pink tide, a group of left-wing populist presidents, such as Nicolas Maduro and Evo Morales, who in the 2000s ruled several Latin American countries. Even with her general popularity, Fernández de Kirchner is still involved in several open court cases involving accusations of bribery, money laundering, and widespread corruption.

Economy
For more information see the articles Economy of Argentina, Foreign trade of Argentina, and Economic history of Argentina

According to the World Bank, the Argentine GDP is $490 Billion USD, with an annual GDP per capita of $10,636.1 USD and "one of the largest [economies] in Latin America." The country has a Gini coefficient of 42.3, 0 being absolute economic equality. Its primary natural resources include livestock, natural gas, and lithium. Argentina has a strong growth forecast, due to a government program that started in 2017 and which invests in renewable energy. However, due to a slew of failed social programs, trade deficits, and fiscal irresponsibility, Argentina is under supervision of the World Bank. In 2022, the Argentine peso inflated at a rate of over 70%, owed over $40 million to the World Bank, and emptied their national reserves.

Colonial economy through the Great Depression
Historically, the country's development potential was on par with that of the economy of the United States. In its late colonial and early independence periods, Argentina primarily exported cattle and cattle by products, but its reach was not far due to the inadequate methods of meat preservation. As production increased, due to a series of bad trade deals with Britain, Argentina sold its means of production to the British in the late 1800s and early 1900s to get out of debt. However, the economy stalled, and the debt was eventually paid by ceding control of the railways to the British. With widespread economic inequality surrounding the Great Depression, Marxist and socialist ideas about the economy led to the rise of labor unions and of Peronism.

World War II to the present
Since World War II, agricultural products such as wheat, soy, and cattle have become integral parts of the country's exports. Despite its massive potential for economic growth, the Argentine economy soured due to a series of military dictatorships and stark changes between capitalist and socialist economic models. This phenomenon was later named the Argentine paradox. According to one social-scientist, if there had not been such significant government instability, Argentina could have had an economy similar to New Zealand.

2000 to the present
Most recently, the country has leaned into soy production. In the 2000s, soy made up over 20% of the country's exports and has been exploited by the Kirchner regime. Inflation, year after year, has stayed incredibly high, and the government has been accused of falsifying inflation rates and punishing economists who publish alternative measures. By silencing economists and refusing to use alternative measures, the government's decisions have caused significant turmoil and several economic collapses including in 2007, 2018, 2019, and currently since 2022.

Democracy
Argentina’s relationship with democracy has oscillated since its independence in 1816 due to the expansive powers of presidents that created authoritarian regimes throughout its history. However, its first experimentation with democracy came into place between 1912-1930, and it is important to note that the country had a stable oligarchic democracy from the fall of Rosas until the rise of Saenz-Pena. Yet, by the 1930s, the rise of socialism in Argentina led to considerable shifts in presidential power. The expansion of presidential powers by the executive branch led to tension between the branches of government, leaving space for a military coup and subsequent repression.

In 1983, Argentina began its return to democracy when Raul Alfonsin won the election. This iteration of rule by a military junta ended because of a public loss of confidence stemming from the secrecy and mismanagement surrounding the Malvinas War. Argentina's experience with democracy, while shaky throughout its history, has endured through the later part of the 20th century.

Argentina is now one of the more stable democracies in Latin America. Today, Argentina scores fairly high on the freedom house report with a score of 84 out of 100. The government does not generally change hands with alarming frequency, but corruption is high, and public trust is low. Political protests have only led to the resignation of two democratically elected presidents in recent history, in 1989 and 2001. Similar to the United States, Argentina faces significant political polarization that has come to be known as la grieta, or the grift. La grieta is a term that has come to symbolize the social and political divide between those who support Kirchnerism and those who do not. In recent elections, this has focused on the political split of Cristina Fernandez.

Corruption
Argentina has long suffered from endemic corruption. Transparency International’s 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index scores Argentina with a 38 on a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is highly clean. The country’s score is calculated from the perceived level of public sector corruption (such as bribery, diversion of public funds, officials using their public office for private gain, etc.). According to the 2021 Global Corruption Barometer, 49% of people in Argentina thought that corruption had increased in the previous 12 months. This is not unfounded. In 1996, the New York Times published an article classifying “payoffs, kickbacks, and government corruption [as] part of everyday life in Argentina.” The police are considered among the most corrupt institutions in Argentina because officers' actions were politicized and arbitrary, and they could not rely on the police to enforce the law.

Corruption in the judicial system takes the form of political interference and bribery to obtain favorable judicial decisions. High court judges are especially at risk of undue political influence because of the poor separation of power between the judiciary and executive branches, and the ability of the president to handpick judges.

During Cristina Kirchner’s presidency (2007-2015), corruption was especially evident. Several charges of corruption were brought against her, including the Santa Cruz property case in 2011 and the Zannini case in 2013, where the administration's legal counsel was accused of embezzling public funds and of money laundering. These accusations are still at play, and prosecutors accuse Fernandez de Kirchner of working to skim “nearly $1 billion from fake contracts and bogus construction of 51 public works projects”. The prosecutors asked to sentence Fernandez de Kirchner to twelve years in prison and to ban her from ever holding political office again. In response, Fernandez de Kirchner claims political immunity asserting her status by attempting to impeach one of the top members of the Supreme Court on grounds that the court is too politicized.

Government Structure
Argentina is a federal state composed of 23 federated states and 1 autonomous city, Buenos Aires. Argentina's executive power is led by a president. The Congress of the Argentine Nation holds the legislative power and is composed of two chambers. The Supreme Court and the 24 federal courts rule over the judicial power.

Executive Branch
In Argentina, the president is both the Head of state and the Head of government. The presidential term lasts 4 years, and the elected official can run a second consecutive term. If reelected for a second term, the president has to sit one election out before running again. The president and the vice-president are elected in the same ballot by direct popular vote, with the two-round system. The second round is only held is if no candidate receives at least 45 percent of the vote, or 40 percent with a lead of 10 percent.

Legislative Branch
The two chambers of the National Congress of Argentina are the Senate (Upper House) and the Chamber of Deputies (Lower House).

The Senate is composed of 72 senators with two seats allocated per province. The length of the term for senators is six years long, and they have no term limits. A third of the Senate's seats are renewed every two years by a closed list, proportional representation election. The Chamber of Deputies is composed of 257 deputies and the number of deputies allotted to each province of deputies is proportional to the size of its population. The length of the term for senators is four years long, and they can serve a number of unlimited terms. Half of the Chamber of Deputies' seats are renewed every two years by a closed list, proportional representation election.

Elections are partially concurrent with presidential elections since a third of the Senate's seats and half of the Chamber of Deputies' seats are renewed every two years.

Judicial Branch
The Supreme Court is composed of nine judges, appointed by the president with approval of the Senate. The 24 federal judges of the lower courts are nominated by the Council of Magistrates of the Nation and chosen by the president. The Council of Magistrates meets periodically when judges need to be appointed and affairs directed in the lower judiciary.

Political Parties
Today, there are two main popular parties, with several smaller parties. The Justicialist Party (also known as the Peronist Party) and the Radical Civic Union (UCR) hold majority of the electorate. Party lines are drawn by socioeconomic and religious factors.

The Peronist Party
The Justicialist Party is the center-left party—formerly known as the Peronist Party. This party was formed in 1945 by Juan Domingo Peron. Today, the party is part of a broader coalition called Frente de Todos (Front for All). The coalition formed in 2019 to support the presidential campaign of Alberto Fernandez. The Peronist Party was the largest party for nearly forty years until it lost its congressional majority in 2021; however, it still continues to draw support primarily from the working and lower classes. The party has many factions, and while its populist ideology has evolved over the decades, it continues to generally favor greater economic interventionism and social welfare spending. (For a brief history of Peronism, watch this video.)

The Radical Civic Union
The UCR has long been the main opposition of the Peronist Party and various military-led regimes. It was founded in 1891 by radical liberals as opposition to the Conservative party then in power. Its leaders have won the presidency close to ten times over the past century, most recently in 1999. Today, it is a centrist, progressive party that draws its support largely from the urban middle class and comprises half of the "Juntos por el Cambio" (Together for Change) alliance. This alliance now holds a congressional majority. The party has fractured at times, and while its agenda has shifted over the years, it has generally favored limiting spending to reduce the national debt, reforming the judicial system, promoting human rights, and now implementing a vocational training system.

Others
Additional notable parties include those in the growing Workers’ Left Front - Unity, an alliance of Trotskyist parties; the parties that form the left-leaning Civic Coalition, of which former Minister of Finance Alfonso Prat-Gay is a member; and the center-right Republican Proposal party (PRO). The latter two mainly draw support from the country’s urban centers and are considered emerging political forces. In 2015, PRO leader Mauricio Macri was elected president and introduced a slate of pro-market policies and controversial austerity measures to revitalize the economy and resolve the country’s long-running debt dispute with foreign creditors.

Labor unions
For more detailed explanation see Trade unions in Argentina.

The labor unions in Argentina stem from the Infamous Decade and were later integral parts of Peronism and have had significant political power since, allowing for robust workers rights. Some of these rights include, paid vacation, fair pay, and Collective bargaining which some see as the reason behind Argentina's significant economic decline.

Currently there are several influential unions in the country including the Confederación General del Trabajo (CGT) and the Argentine Industrial Union, both of which have roots in the country's initial industrialization. The CGT has several factions that each have different leaders that vie for influence. Union demonstrations in the recent past have turned violent and are no longer seen as a bastion of popular opinion.

Crime
According to the Global Organized Crime Index, Argentina’s criminality score is 4.38 out of 10. Even though Argentina does not appear to have any homegrown crime groups with international reach such as Mexico, Colombia, and Honduras, many transnational criminal organizations conduct illicit activities in Argentina including the Mexican and Colombian drug cartels. For example, the well-known Argentine crime families, the Loza and Castedo families, were shown to have ties to international criminal organizations like the cartel in Colombia. Overall, the drug trade and trafficking is becoming a serious problem, especially in big cities such as Rosario, Buenos Aires, and Córdoba, as drug traffickers are the most prominent criminal actors in the country.

Person-to-person violent crime is also a recurring reality in the lives of many Argentines. According to a survey by the Latin America Public Opinion Project (Latinobarómetro), a majority of respondents mention crime in Argentina is one of their greatest concerns. Most of Argentina’s crime rates come from property crimes such as burglary or theft, which is among the highest in Latin America for this kind of crimes. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Argentina’s homicide rate is 5.5 per 100,000, one of the lowest in Latin America.

Press and the media
Argentines get their news from two major newspapers La Nación (conservative), Clarín (liberal), and Infobae, an online news source started in Argentina that became popular in the rest of the Spanish-speaking world. La Nación was founded by Bartolomé Mitre and is run by his posterity. Clarín has close ties with Kirchnerism and was implicated in a corruptuion scandal in October of 2022. Infobae was founded in Buenos Aires, but is now run out of Miami. Argentina has a Press Freedom Index score of 77.28 out of 100 (completely free press).

Cultural
Jorge Luis Borges was an Argentine poet and short-story writer, who held a prominent position in Spanish-language literature. His works are considered to be among the classics of the 20th century. For most of his adolescence, he lived between Switzerland and Spain, but in 1921, when he moved back to Buenos Aires, he rediscovered his native city and began to write poems encapsulating its past and present beauty. His first published book was Fervor de Buenos Aires, poemas (1923). Apart from focusing on literature themes from Argentine and Folklore history, Borges also focused on many international themes. Some of his best-known books include, Ficciones and El Aleph (1940s). He came to international attention when he received the first Formentor Prize. Carlos Gardel was an Argentine singer and actor and a key figure in the history of Tango. He is considered the most famous popular tango singer of all time and is recognized globally as the father of the Tango. Some of his most famous songs include “Mi noche triste,” “Maldita de la Suerte,” and “Mi Buenos Aires Querido.” José Hernández was an Argentine poet who lived most of his life in the Pampas region of Argentina and is best-known for his depiction of the gaucho life. His most famous work and epic poem is known as The Gaucho Martin Fierro, which depicts a life of a persecuted gaucho during the revolt of 1870. Pope Francis (Papa Francisco or Jorge Mario Bergoglio) is the Argentine bishop of Rome and the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Given that 77% of the population in Argentina belongs to the Catholic Church, Bergoglio has become a prominent figure in Argentina. He is also the first Jesuit pope and the first one from Latin America.

Sports
Diego Armando Maradona was an Argentine professional soccer player widely viewed as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. He was given the nickname of “el pibe de oro” (“the golden boy”). He was a midfielder and played for Boca Juniors, FC Barcelona, Napoli, and others. Maradona won the World Cup in 1986 as captain of the Argentine soccer team. In 2008, he was named head coach of the Argentine national soccer team.

Juan Manuel Fangio was an Argentine racing car driver who began his Grand Prix career in 1948 and dominated the first decade of automobile Formula One racing. Fangio won the World Drivers’ Championship five times, and other world titles driving for Ferrari, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, and others. In Argentina, there is a motorsports circuit named after him.

Lionel Messi is an Argentine professional soccer player and captain of the Argentina national team. He was born and raised in central Argentina (Rosario), but he relocated to Spain at the age of 13 to join the FC Barcelona, where he played for most of his life. He has won a record of seven Ballon d’Or awards, a record of six European Golden Shoes and is his country’s all-time leading goal scorer. He currently plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. He also holds the records for most goals in La Liga, and the UEFA Champions League. Messi is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and his career is now complete with the Argentine victory of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Most Argentinians have often drew a comparison between him and Diego Maradona, and described Messi as Maradona's successor.

The Argentina Women's National Field Hockey Team (Las Leonas) is one of the world’s most successful teams having appeared in six Women's FIH Hockey World Cup finals and winning two. The team has also won four Olympic medals, and seven Champions Trophies. The most recognized female player in the history of the team is Luciana Aymar, who received the FIH international player of the year award eight times.