About Argentina

Argentina is located in South America and is internationally renowned as one of the world's major tourist destinations. With stunning natural beauty, large cuts of beef, and an extremely friendly local populace, it is no wonder that people are traveling to Argentina in increasing numbers every year. Before you visit a country it is often helpful to have some background knowledge on the place, as such we have provided some General Information for Argentina.

Official Name: Argentine Republic, also simply known as Argentina.

Capital: The capital of Argentina is Buenos Aires, located roughly in the middle of the country across the delta of the Rio Parana from Uruguay.

Location : Argentina is situated in South America and shares borders with Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, and Uruguay. Argentina has a coastline on the South Atlantic Ocean and occupies Cape Horn, giving the country easy access to the Pacific Ocean.

Size: With a total area of 2,766,890 square kilometers Argentina is the 16 th largest country in the world behind India and ahead of Kazakhstan.

Climate: The climate in Argentina is best described as mostly temperate, however the southern parts of the country, due to their proximity to Antarctica, experience Sub Antarctic weather. The eastern parts of the country are typically arid.

Population: With a population of approximately 40,301,927 Argentina is the 32 nd most populated country in the world behind Spain.

Life expectancy at birth: The average life expectancy at Birth in Argentina is 76.23 years, this is the 63 rd highest in the world, and can primarily be attributed to the large number of Argentineans living below the poverty line.

Major illnesses: Yellow Fever, Dengue Fever, and Leptospirosis are all major health risks, anyone visiting the country should take all due precautions.

Ethnicities: 97% of the Argentinean population is of European ethnicity (primarily Spanish and Italian). The remaining 3% of the population consist of Amerindians and people of mixed ethnicity.

Languages: The official language of Argentina is Spanish; however English, Italian, German and French are also widely spoken throughout the country.

Religion: Although only 20% of the Argentinean population actually practices the religion, Roman Catholic is the predominant religion in the country with 92% of the population identifying it as their own. 2% of Argentineans are protestant, 2% Jewish and the remaining 4% practice a mixture of religions.

Government: Argentina is a republic and as such is a practicing democracy. Citizens vote for certain political parties, and the political party that wins an election usually chooses the president from within its own ranks.

Head of State: President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is the head of the Argentine State and Government.

Economy : Even though Argentina is extremely rich in natural resources the country has suffered some severe economic hardships mainly stemming from poor government controls and social instability, this resulted in the stock market crashing in 2001 � 2002, an event which the country is only just recovering from. Since then the nations economy has started to recover with GDP growth of about 9% annually, which is due, in part, to renewed overseas interests in the previously stagnant Argentinean industry sector.

GDP: With a purchasing power parity of US$ 523.7 billion and an actual GDP of US$ 245.6 billion, Argentina has the 25 th largest economy in the world.

For more information about Argentina, the international health insurance plans that we can offer there, or to receive a free quote, please contact one of our expert advisers today.