Facts about Argentina

The flag of Argentina

1. Tooth mouse: Just as many countries have a tooth fairy, Argentina has a ‘tooth mouse’ called ‘El Ratón Pérez’ who replaces children’s lost baby teeth with coins (under the pillow). This tradition originated in Madrid, Spain and is therefore also found in a number of other Spanish-speaking countries

2. Earlobes: When a child has a birthday, it is traditional to pull the birthday boy or girl by the earlobes; 1 time for each year the child is older

3. Welsh: The largest and most significant Welsh colony was established in the Chubut province of Argentina in 1865. For four generations, the settlers spoke Welsh, but today the language is dying out in the area. In addition, there are German colonies in Santa Fe, Corrientes, Misiones, Cordoba, Neuquén and Buenos Aires

4. Housing: 60% of Argentines own their own home and there is a general tendency to build extensions to expand the home rather than move to a larger home

5. Height differences: Argentines are proud of their country’s extreme altitude differences; the lowest point is -105 m (Laguna del Carbon) and the highest 6,960 m (Cerro Aconcagua)

Fact: Che Guevara was Argentinian and not Cuban
Attribution: Alberto Korda – Wikipedia.org

Fact: Che Guevara – who played a central role in the Cuban Revolution – was born in Rosario, Argentina and not in Cuba, as many believe

 

6. Buenos Aires: Buenos Aires is home to just under 3 million inhabitants – and around 14 million if you include the suburbs

7. Tango: Tango originated in Buenos Aires and has deep roots in Argentine culture. The origins of the dance are somewhat unclear, but it has always reflected the differences between the sexes and as such has always been a very sensual dance

8. Dia del Amigo: Friends’ Day (Dia del Amigo) is celebrated every year on July 20 and is a day that – as the name suggests – is dedicated to friends. The tradition was started by an Argentinian teacher in the early 1970s, who felt “connected” to everyone else on Earth when the Apollo 11 spacecraft landed on the moon

9. Fingerprints: The first time fingerprints were used to solve a crime was in 1892, when an Argentinian mother was found guilty of murdering her two children. After this, Argentina quickly became the first country in the world to use fingerprints as the primary form of identification in criminal cases. Prior to all this, Croatian fingerprinting pioneer Juan Vecutich had immigrated to Argentina

10. Che Guevara: Che Guevara was a pivotal figure in the Marxist revolution in Cuba in the 1950s and is today for many a symbol of rebellion and individuality. Although most people believe, with good reason, that he was Cuban, he was born in the city of Rosario, south of Buenos Aires, making him Argentinian

Fakta: Iguazú-vandfaldene ligger i Argentina
Attribution: SF Brit + Matt Gillman + João Paulo Corrêa de Carvalho – Flickr.com

The Iguazú Falls consist of more than 275 waterfalls and are located in the northern part of Argetina on the border with Brazil. The falls are a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Geographic facts

  • Location: The southern part of South America. Between Uruguay, Chile and the South Atlantic Ocean
  • Country borders: Bolivia (832 km), Brazil (1,261 km), Chile (5,308 km), Paraguay (1,880 km) and Uruguay (580 km)
  • Coastline: 4,989 km
  • Climate: Mostly temperate. Dry in the southeast and subantarctic in the southwest
  • Landscape: Fertile plains in the northern half (Pampas), flat and undulating high plains in the south (Patagonia) and mountainous regions along the western border (Andes)
  • Lowest point: -105 m (Laguna del Carbon)
  • Highest point: 6,690 m (Cerro Aconcagua)
  • Natural resources: Lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum and uranium
  • Largest city: Buenos Aires
  • Capital city: Buenos Aires
  • Total area (square kilometers): 2.780.400,00 (2021)
  • Land areas (km2): 2.735.389,70 (2015)
  • Urban areas (km2): 11.432,73 (2015)
  • Agricultural land (km2): 1.179.577,60 (2021)
  • Agricultural area (% of total area): 43,10 (2021)
  • Forest area (% of land area): 10,40 (2021)
  • Plant species (higher), endangered: 70,00 (2018)
  • CO2 emissions (metric tons per capita): 3,41 (2020)

Demographic facts

Population

  • Population density (people per km2 total area): 3,90 (2020)
  • Population of largest city: 16,74 (2021)
  • Population growth (annual %): 15.490.415,00 (2023)
  • Population, total: 0,90 (2023)
  • Population growth in urban areas (annual %): 72,39 (2022)
  • Population in urban areas (% of total population): n/a
  • Population in rural areas (% of total population): -0,62 (2023)
  • Population growth in rural areas (annual %): 110,16 (2021)
  • Etniske grupper: 97% white (mainly Spaniards and Italians), 3% mestizos (a mix between whites and indigenous Indians) and others
  • Sprog: Spanish (the official language), Italian, English, German, French and indigenous languages (Mapudungun, Quechua)
  • Religioner: 92% Roman Catholics (though less than 20% practicing), 2% Protestants, 2% Jews and 4% others
  • Net immigration: 8,40 (2022)

Birth and death rates

  • Fertility rate, total (births per woman): 1,88 (2022)
  • Birth rate, gross (per 1,000 inhabitants): 13,79 (2022)
  • Teenage mothers (% of women aged 15-19 who have had children or are pregnant): 17,89 (2023)
  • Death rate, gross (per 1,000 people): 8,59 (2022)
  • Life expectancy at birth, women (years): 79,28 (2022)
  • Life expectancy at birth, men (years): 72,85 (2022)
  • Life expectancy at birth, all (years): 76,06 (2022)
  • Mortality caused by traffic accidents (per 100,000 inhabitants): 132,36 (2022)
  • Mortality, women (per 1,000 adult women): 14,10 (2019)
  • Mortality, male (per 1,000 adult males): 84,79 (2022)
  • Suicide rate, women (per 100,000 women): 142,42 (2022)
  • Mortality, infant (per 1,000 live births): 13,70 (2019)

Work, income and education

  • Wage earners, total (% of total labor force): n/a
  • Income share of the highest 10%: 29,80 (2022)
  • Income share of the lowest 10%: 2,00 (2022)
  • Unemployment, total (% of total labor force): 24,50 (2020)
  • Labor force, total: 21.906.419,00 (2023)
  • Workforce with basic education (% of the workforce): 50,23 (2023)
  • Labor force with medium education (% of labor force): 67,80 (2023)
  • Number of poor cf. national poverty limits (% of the population): 46.654.581,00 (2023)
  • Proportion of the population with moderate or severe food insecurity (%): 17.866,00 (2019)
  • School enrolments, primary school (gross %): 15,03 (2023)
  • Youth unemployment, all young people (% of total labor force aged 15 - 24): 1,03 (2023)
  • Young people not in education, employment or training, total (% of all young people): 6,14 (2023)
  • Literacy/literacy, total adults (% of population over 15): 1.695.508,48 (2022)

    Spending

  • Household (and NPIS) consumption expenditure (US$): 679.136.553.936,78 (2021)
  • Electricity consumption (kWh per inhabitant): 3.074,70 (2014)
  • Inhabitants using the Internet (% of the population): 89,23 (2023)
  • Mobile subscriptions (per 100 people): 38,00 (2018)
  • Number of smokers, total (over 15 years): 8,05 (2020)
  • Alcohol consumption per capita (litres of pure alcohol, expected estimates, +15 years): 92,46 (2023)

Business and tourism

  • Employers, total (% of total labor force): 3,51 (2022)
  • New companies (number of registrations): 0,20 (2018)
  • New businesses (new registrations per 1,000 inhabitants aged 15 - 64): 3.718,00 (2023)
  • Listed companies, total: 85,00 (2021)
  • Business conditions (0 = lowest grade to 100 = highest grade): 8.360,78 (2017)
  • International tourism, number of arrivals: 7.399.000,00 (2019)
  • International tourism, number of departures: 15.352.000,00 (2019)
  • Railway lines (total route kilometers): 8.360,78 (2017)
  • Railways, number of passengers transported (million passenger-kilometres): 7,54 (2023)

Health

  • Hospital beds (per 1,000 inhabitants): 3,34 (2021)
  • Suicide rate, men (per 100,000 men): 3,30 (2019)
  • Nurses and midwives (per 1,000 inhabitants): 5.667,00 (2018)
  • Doctors (per 1,000 inhabitants): 5,45 (2020)
  • Prevalence of HIV, total (% of population aged 15 - 49): 36,90 (2021)

Facts Argentina's economy

GDP and GNI

  • BNP (US$): 58,96 (2019)
  • GDP growth (annual %): 640.591.410.663,88 (2023)
  • GDP per capita (US$): -1,55 (2023)
  • GDP, KPP (US$): 13.730,51 (2023)
  • BNI (US$): 1.369.904.111.827,83 (2023)
  • GNI growth (annual %): 626.338.098.711,41 (2023)
  • Gross savings (% of GDP): -1,87 (2023)

Inflation, interest rates and consumer prices

  • Deposit rate (%): 9,71 (2021)
  • Lending rate (%): 95,89 (2023)
  • Inflation, consumer prices (annual %): 160.573.125.827,59 (2023)
  • Consumer Price Index (2010 = 100): 16,22 (2021)

Trade and production

  • Trade (% of GDP): 26,97 (2023)
  • Vareeksport (US$): 66.787.000.000,00 (2023)
  • Vareimport (US$): 73.715.000.000,00 (2023)
  • Food exports (% of merchandise exports): 52,73 (2023)
  • Food imports (% of goods imports): 10,67 (2023)
  • Food Production Index (2004 - 2006 = 100): 109,39 (2022)
  • Index of animal production (2004 - 2006 = 100): 113,91 (2022)

Industry

  • Industry (including construction), value added (% of GDP): 15,12 (2023)
  • Industry (including construction), value added (US$): 25,07 (2023)
  • Industry, value added (% of GDP): 16,30 (2023)
  • Industry, value added (US$): 104.385.880.648,94 (2023)

Military

  • Armed forces, total: 103.000,00 (2020)
  • Military expenditure (% of GDP): 0,41 (2022)
  • Military Expenditure (US$): 2.577.581.833,23 (2022)

Others

  • Current health expenditure (% of GDP): 9,71 (2021)
  • Labor tax and contribution (% of company profit): 29,90 (2019)
  • Development Assistance (ODA) received per capita (US$): 8,31 (2022)
  • Social contributions (% of income): 6,51 (2022)