Local time--:--:--Buenos Aires ·

South America · Card 001

Argentina

Argentina is a country in South America. Its capital is Buenos Aires.

Find Argentina

● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers. The Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) are administered by the UK and claimed by Argentina. They have a separate card; this map does not resolve the sovereignty dispute.

At a glance

Capital: Buenos Aires
Language guide: Languages spoken & official status
Currency: Argentine peso (ARS)
Population: 45.9 million2025 · World Bank
Area: 2,780,400 km²1,073,518.00 square miles
Independence: 1816from Spain

Argentina in context

South America and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Buenos Aires; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.

Natural Earth · locator map

Geography & environment

Landscape

Argentina extends from subtropical northern lowlands to the cold south of South America. The Andes form its western mountain boundary, while the centre and east include extensive plains. Patagonia combines plateaus, mountains, lakes and a long Atlantic coast.

Iguazú Falls in the humid northeast contrasts strongly with the drier Patagonian interior and glaciated southern Andes. The Pampas are broad agricultural grassland country farther north. Latitude and mountain barriers create very different environments across the country.

Climate & seasons

Argentina spans warm northern regions, temperate central plains and much colder southern areas. The Andes and dry Patagonian landscapes add major regional contrasts.

Rainfall & mountains

Moisture varies greatly from east to west and north to south. The Andes influence both river systems and rain shadows. Forest, grassland, desert and high mountain habitats occupy separate regions rather than one continuous landscape type.

Flag

Three equal horizontal bands of sky blue (top), white, and sky blue; centered in the white band is a radiant yellow sun with a human face that is known as the Sun of May

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Landscapes & nature

Languages

Public and official use

Spanish is the main language of national public life. Rioplatense Spanish is especially associated with Buenos Aires and the Río de la Plata region, while other regional varieties are also spoken.

Community and regional languages

Indigenous languages include Guaraní, Quechua varieties, Mapudungun, Wichí and others. Immigration has also brought Italian, German, Welsh and additional language traditions. These communities are not evenly distributed across the country.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

History & independence

Indigenous peoples inhabited the region long before Spanish colonisation. The May Revolution of 1810 established a local governing junta in Buenos Aires, and the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata declared independence in 1816. Independence campaigns and conflicts over the structure of the new state followed. Twentieth-century politics alternated between civilian and military rule; democratic government returned in 1983 after the 1976–1983 dictatorship.

1810
The May Revolution establishes a local governing junta
1816
Independence from Spain is declared
1853
A national constitution is adopted
1983
Democratic civilian government returns

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Economy

Main activities

Argentina has a diversified economy combining services, agriculture, manufacturing and energy. Soybeans and other grains, beef and food processing are important, while vehicles, chemicals and industrial goods contribute to manufacturing. Oil, natural gas and lithium are significant resources. Inflation, debt and exchange-rate instability have repeatedly affected households and businesses.

Industry and production

Food processing, motor vehicles, chemicals, machinery, petroleum, natural gas and mining.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Population & economic trends

Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.

Population, 1970–2025

Millions of people

45.92025 · millions of people

Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.

Sources: World Bank · Population

View data table

Population: source values and plotted units
Year	People	Millions of people
1970	23,878,327	23.878
1980	28,011,596	28.012
1990	32,755,901	32.756
2000	37,213,984	37.214
2010	41,288,694	41.289
2020	45,191,965	45.192
2025	45,851,378	45.851

Real GDP, 1990–2025

Billions of constant 2015 US dollars

609.22025 · billions of constant 2015 US dollars

Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.

Sources: World Bank · Real GDP

View data table

Real GDP: source values and plotted units
Year	Constant 2015 US$	Billions of constant 2015 US dollars
1990	265,817,211,205	265.817
1991	290,094,591,012	290.095
1992	313,120,244,490	313.120
1993	338,817,957,426	338.818
1994	358,592,053,442	358.592
1995	348,389,357,874	348.389
1996	367,643,757,075	367.644
1997	397,463,514,161	397.464
1998	412,766,570,326	412.767
1999	398,792,535,409	398.793
2000	395,646,066,536	395.646
2001	378,202,665,752	378.203
2002	336,999,433,710	336.999
2003	366,780,211,149	366.780
2004	399,898,899,167	399.899
2005	435,296,589,745	435.297
2006	470,325,565,798	470.326
2007	512,690,850,742	512.691
2008	533,491,913,656	533.492
2009	501,917,060,966	501.917
2010	552,738,161,802	552.738
2011	585,924,294,025	585.924
2012	579,910,247,223	579.910
2013	593,858,966,307	593.859
2014	578,937,574,936	578.938
2015	594,749,285,413	594.749
2016	582,376,550,428	582.377
2017	598,790,850,844	598.791
2018	583,118,120,294	583.118
2019	571,450,737,224	571.451
2020	514,874,343,768	514.874
2021	568,636,554,720	568.637
2022	602,872,713,791	602.873
2023	591,684,674,129	591.685
2024	583,738,758,866	583.739
2025	609,232,576,079	609.233

Human development

The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.

HDI · 20230.865Very High human developmentRank 47 of 193 · 2025 report

Human Development Index over time

19900.733

20000.789

20100.844

20200.851

20230.865

77.4 yearsLife expectancy at birth

11.2 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+

The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.

Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025

Government

A federal presidential republic. An elected President heads the executive, and the National Congress has a Chamber of Deputies and Senate. Provinces and the autonomous city of Buenos Aires have their own institutions.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Knowledge check

Three questions about Argentina.

QUESTION 1 OF 3

How is Argentina’s national government organized?

Sources & notes

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.

Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.