Argentina officially the Argentine Republic is a federal republic located in southeastern South America.

Covering most of the Southern Cone, it is

bordered by Bolivia and Paraguay to the north; Brazil to the northeast; Uruguay and the South Atlantic Ocean to the east; Chile to the west and the Drake Passage to the south. With a mainland area of 2,780,400 km , Argentina is the eighth-largest country in the world, the second largest in Latin America and the largest Spanish-speaking nation. Argentina claims sovereignty over part of Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. A historical and current middle power and a prominent Latin American and Southern Cone regional power, Argentina is one of the G-15 and G-20 major economies and Latin America's third-largest. It is also a founding member of the United Nations, WBG, WTO, Mercosur UNASUR, CELAC and OEI. Because of its stability, market size and increasing share of the high-tech sector,[19] Argentina is classed by investors as a middle emerging economy with a "very high" rating on the Human Development Index. The basis of modern Argentina was established by the Generation of '80 a conservative and elitist movement that opposed Mitre, sought to industrialize the country, and promoted a massive wave of European immigration that led to the strengthening of the state, the development of modern agriculture and to a near-reinvention of Argentine society and economy. The country emerged as one of the ten richest countries in the world, benefiting from an agricultural export-led economy as well as British and French investment. Driven by immigration and decreasing mortality the Argentine population grew fivefold and the economy 15-fold.[45] However, they were slow to meet its original goals of industrialization, and the country stayed as a pre-industrial society.President Jurez Celman faced a financial crisis led by market speculation and excessive money printing, that generated popular discontent and the Revolution of the Park in 1890, led by theCivic Union. Although the revolution failed, Celman resigned from the presidency. In 1912 President Roque Senz Pea enacted universal male suffrage and the secret ballot. This allowed Hiplito Yrigoyen, of the Civic Union, to win the elections in 1916. He enacted social and economic reforms and extended assistance to family farmers and small businesses. Argentina stayed neutral during World War I.[48] The second administration of Yrigoyen faced a huge economic crisis, influenced by the international Great Depression. The military made a coup d'tat and ousted him from power. The following period is known as the Infamous Decade. GeneralJos Flix Uriburu led the military rule for two years. Agustn Pedro Justo was elected with fraud, and signed a controversial treaty with the United Kingdom. Presidents Roberto Mara Ortiz andRamn Castillo stayed neutral during World War II. Britain supported the Argentine neutrality, but after the attack on Pearl Harbor the United States requested all of South America to join theAllied Nations. Castillo was finally deposed by the Revolution of '43, a new military coup that wanted to end the electoral fraud of the last decade. Argentina declared war on the Axis Powers a month before the end of World War II in Europe. The minister of welfare of the military dictatorship, Juan Pern, became highly popular among workers. He was fired and jailed, but a massive demonstration forced his liberation. Pern ran for the presidency in 1946, and won by 53.1%.[49] Pern created a political movement known as Peronism. He nationalized strategic industries and services, improved wages and working conditions, paid the full external debt and achieved nearly full employment. The economy, however, began to decline in 1950 because of over-expenditure. His wife Eva Pern was highly popular and played a central political role, mostly through the Eva Pern Foundation, where she developed an unprecedented social assistance to the most vulnerable sectors of society in Argentina. Women's suffrage was granted in 1947.[50] However, her declining health did not allow her to run for the vice-presidency in 1951, and she died of cancer the following year. The navy began to plot against Pern in 1955, and bombed the Plaza de Mayo in an ill-fated attempt to kill him. A few months later, Pern resigned during an army coup, which established the Liberating Revolution. Pern left the country, and finally settled in Spain.[51] 60s and 70s The Revolution was led by catholic-nationalistic Eduardo Lonardi. He refused to outlaw Peronism, so his faction was overthrown twenty days later by Pedro Eugenio Aramburu, who proscribedPeronism and banned all manifestations of it. Peronism, however, did not disappear, as Peronists kept being organized in informal associations. Arturo Frondizi from the UCR became popular by opposing the military rule, and won the following elections.[52] The military, however, was reluctant to allow Peronism to influence the new government: they frequently interfered on behalf of conservative interests, with some success.[45] His policies encouraged investment to make the country self-sufficient in energy and industry, helping reverse a chronic trade deficit for Argentina. His efforts to stay on good terms with both Peronists and the military, without fully supporting either one, earned him the distrust and rejection of both. Frondizi lifted the Peronist proscription, leading to a Peronist victory in several provinces. A new coup ousted him from power, but a swift reaction by Jos Mara Guido (president of the Senate) applied the laws related to power vacuums and became president instead of the military. The elections were then repealed and Peronism proscribed again. Arturo Illia was elected in 1963 but, despite prosperity, his attempts to include Peronists in the political process resulted in the armed forces retaking power in a coup in 1966. The Argentine Revolution, the new military government, sought to rule in Argentina indefinitely.[53] The new military Junta appointed Juan Carlos Ongana as president. He closed the Congress, banned all political parties and dismantled all student unions and many worker unions. Popular discontent led to two massive protests in 1969, the Cordobazo in Crdoba and the Rosariazo in Rosario. In May 1970, the terrorist organization Montoneros kidnapped and executed the former de facto president, Aramburu. There was a public outcry against this crime. Ongana was replaced by Roberto M. Levingston in June 1970. In March 1971, Levingston was then replaced by Alejandro Agustn Lanusse, who began negotiations to return to democracy and end the proscription of Peronism. Initially, he sought to allow Peronism but not the return of Juan Pern himself (who was living in Spain) with an agreement stipulating presidential candidates reside in Argentina as of 25 August. Thus, the Peronist candidate was not Pern but Hctor Jos Cmpora, who won the elections by the 49.59%.[54] The return of Peronism to power saw violent disputes between its internal factions: right-wing union leaders and left-wing youth from Montoneros. The return of Pern to the country in June 1973 generated an violent conflict among peronists: the Ezeiza massacre. Overwhelmed by political violence,
2

Cmpora and his vice-president resigned. In the following elections Pern was elected, with his wife Isabel as vice-president. Before Peron took office the Montoneros murdered the union leader Jos Ignacio Rucci, with close ties to Pern. Pern expelled them from the party, and they became once again a clandestine organization. Jos Lpez Rega organized the Argentine Anticommunist Alliance (AAA) to fight against them and the People's Revolutionary Army (ERP). In July 1974 Pern died and was succeeded by his wife. The Operation Independence stopped a guerrilla attempt to capture and secede the territories of Tucumn from Argentina. A presidential decree ordered the military to "annihilate the subversion". Chaos reigned through the country and the military made a last coup d'tat on 24 March 1976, under the direction of Jorge Videla.
[55]

The National Reorganization Process closed the Congress, removed the members of the Supreme Court, and banned political parties, unions, student unions, etc. It also intensified measures against the ERP and Montoneros, who had kidnapped and murdered people almost weekly since 1970.
[56]

The

military resorted to the forced disappearance of suspected members of the guerrillas, and began to prevail in the war. The losses of Montoneros by the end of 1976 were near 2000. The Junta tried to increase its popularity with the Beagle conflict and the 1978 FIFA World Cup. As of 1977, the ERP was completely defeated. Montoneros was severely weakened, but launched a massive counterattack in 1979. It was defeated, ending the guerrilla threat, but the military Junta stayed in government. Leopoldo Galtieri launched the Falklands War (Spanish: Guerra de Malvinas), attempting to annex the islands, but within two months Argentina was defeated by the United Kingdom. Galtieri left the government because of the military defeat, and Reynaldo Bignone began to organize the transition to democratic rule, with the free elections in 1983. Contemporary era In the 1983 electoral campaign Alfonsn called to national unity, restoration of democratic rule and prosecution of those responsible for the dirty war. He established the National Commission on the Disappearance of Persons (CONADEP) to investigate the forced disappearances. The CONADEP generated a report detailing 340 centers of illegal detentions and 8961 forced disappearances. The 1985 Trial of the Juntas sentenced all the heads of government of those years. An economic crisis that led to an hyperinflation reduced his popular support. The Peronist Carlos Menem won the 1989 elections, but riots caused by the economic crisis forced Alfonsn to resign early, handing government to Menem.[58] Carlos Menem led a change in Peronism, which declined its usual politics and embraced neoliberalism instead. A fixed exchange rate established in 1991, the dismantling ofprotectionist barriers, business regulations and several privatizations normalized the economy for a time. His victories at the 1991 and 1993 elections led to the 1994 amendment of the Argentine Constitution, which allowed him to run for a second term. He was reelected, but the economy began to decline in 1996, with higher unemployment and recession. He lost the 1997 elections, and the UCR returned to the presidency in the 1999 elections.[59] President Fernando de la Ra sought to change the political style of Menem, but kept his economic plan regardless of the growing recession. He appointed Domingo Cavallo, who had already been minister of economy during the presidency of Menem. The social discontent led to the appearance of piqueteros and huge blank votes in the 2001 legislative elections. A huge capital flight was responded to with a freezing of bank accounts, generating further discontent. Several riots in the country led the president to establish a state of emergency, received with more popular protests. The huge riots in December finally forced De la Ra to resign.[60] Eduardo Duhalde was appointed president by the Legislative Assembly, and derogated the fixed exchange rate established by Menem. The economic crisis began to diminish by the late 2002. The death of two piqueteros caused a political scandal that forced Duhalde to call to elections earlier. Carlos Menem got the majority of the votes, followed by Nstor Kirchner, who was largely unknown by the people, but would maintain Lavagna as minister. However, Menem declined to run for the required ballotage, which made Kirchner the new president.[61] Following the economic policies laid by Duhalde and Lavagna, Kirchner ended the economic crisis, getting fiscal and trade surpluses. During his administration, Argentina restructured its defaulted debt with a steep discount (about 66%) on most bonds, paid off debts with the International Monetary Fund and nationalized some previously privatized enterprises. He did not run for a reelection, promoting instead the candidacy of his wife Cristina Fernndez de Kirchner.[62][63] The presidency of Cristina Kirchner began with a conflict with the agricultural sector, caused by an attempt to increase the taxes over exports. The conflict was taken to the Congress, and vice-president Julio Cobos gave an unexpected tie-breaking vote against the bill. The government waged several controversies with the press, limiting the freedom of speech.[64][65][66] Nstor Kirchner died in 2010, and Cristina Fernndez was reelected in 2011. With a mainland surface area of 2,780,400 km2 (1,073,518 sq mi),[B] Argentina is located in southern South America, sharing land borders with Chile across the Andes to the west;[69] Bolivia and Paraguay to the north; Brazil to the northeast, Uruguay and the South Atlantic Ocean to the east;[70] and the Drake Passage to the south;[71][72] for an overall land border length of 9,376 km (5,826 mi). Its coastal border over Rio de la Plata and South Atlantic Ocean is 5,117 km (3,180 mi) long.[70] Argentina's highest point is Mount Aconcagua in the Mendoza province (6,959 m (22,831 ft) above sea level),[73] also the highest point in the Southern and Western Hemispheres.[74] The lowest point is Laguna del Carbn in Santa Cruz Province (105 m (344 ft) below sea level,[73] also the lowest point in the Southern and Western Hemispheres, and the seventh lowest point on Earth)[75] The northernmost point is at the confluence of the Grande de San Juan and Mojinete rivers in Jujuy province; the southernmost is Cape San Po in Tierra del Fuego Province; the easternmost is northeast of Bernardo de Irigoyen, Misiones and the westernmost is in Los Glaciares National Park in Santa Cruz province.[70] The maximum northsouth distance is 3,694 km (2,295 mi), while the maximum eastwest one is 1,423 km (884 mi).[70] Some of the major rivers are the Paran, Uruguay (which join to form the Ro de la Plata), Paraguay, Salado, Negro, Santa Cruz, Pilcomayo, Bermejo and Colorado.[76] The Argentine Sea is the shallow area of the Atlantic Ocean over the Argentine Shelf, an unusually wide continental platform.[77] Its waters are influenced by two major ocean currents: the warm Brazil Current and the cold Falklands Current.[78] The generally temperate climate ranges from subtropical in the north to subpolar in the far south. The north is characterized by very hot, humid summers with mild drier winters, and is subject to periodic droughts.[79] Central Argentina has a temperate climate, with hot summers with
[57]

thunderstorms, and cool winters; and higher moisture at the east. especially in mountainous zones.
[81]

[80]

The southern regions have warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall,

Major wind currents include the cool Pampero Winds blowing on the flat plains of Patagonia and the Pampas; following the cold front, warm currents blow from the north in middle and late winter, creating mild conditions.
[80]

The Zonda, a hot dry wind, affects west-central Argentina. Squeezed of all

moisture during the 6,000 m (19,685 ft) descent from the Andes, Zonda winds can blow for hours with gusts up to 120 km/h (75 mph), fueling wildfires and causing damage; when the Zonda blows (JuneNovember), snowstorms and blizzard (viento blanco) conditions usually affect higher elevations.
[82]

The Sudestada usually moderates cold temperatures but brings very heavy rains, rough seas and coastal flooding. It is most common in

late autumn and winter along the central coast and in the Ro de la Plata estuary. In the North, subtropical plants dominate the Gran Chaco. Savannah-like areas exist in the drier regions nearer the Andes, as well as many species of cactus. In central Argentina the humid pampas are a true tallgrass prairie ecosystem. The original pampa had virtually no trees; only a tree-like bush called Omb. The pampa is one of the most agriculturally productive zones on Earth, this caused the destruction of much of the original ecosystem, to make way for commercial agriculture.
[83]

Most of Patagonia lies within the rain shadow of the Andes, so the flora, shrubby bushes and plants, is suited to dry conditions. Coniferous forests in far western Patagonia and on the island of Tierra del Fuego, include alerce and pehun. Among Patagonian broadleaf trees are several species ofNothofagus such as coihue. In Cuyo semiarid thorny bushes and other xerophile plants abound. The area presents optimal conditions for the largescale growth of grape vines. Prominent animals from the subtropical north include big cats like jaguars, pumas, howler monkeys, crocodiles, and the Tegu. There are a wide variety of birds, notably hummingbirds, flamingos, toucans, and swallows. The central grasslands are populated by the giant anteater, armadillo,pampas cat, and the rhea (and), a large flightless bird. Hawks, falcons, and tinamous (perdiz, Argentine "false partridges") inhabit the region. There are also pampas deer and pampas foxes. The western mountains are home to different animals like the llama. Also in that region live viscachas, Andean Mountain Cats, and the largest flying bird in the Americas, the Andean Condor. Southern Argentina is home to the puma, huemul, and pud the world's smallest deer. The coast of Patagonia is rich in animal life: elephant seals, fur seals, sea lions and species of penguin. Argentina is a federal constitutional republic and representative democracy.[84] The government is regulated by a system of checks and balances defined by the Constitution of Argentina, the country's supreme legal document. The seat of government is the city of Buenos Aires, as designated by Congress.[85] Suffrage is universal, equal, secret and mandatory.[86][E] The federal government is composed of three branches:

Legislative: The bicameral Congress, made up of the Senate and Deputy chambers, makes federal law, declares war, approves treaties and has the power of the purse and of impeachment, by which it can remove sitting members of the government.[88]

The Chamber of Deputies represents the people and has 257 voting members elected to a four-year term. Seats are apportioned among the provinces by population every tenth year.[89] As of 2013, ten provinces have just five deputies, while the Buenos Aires Province, the most populous one, has 70.

The Chamber of Senators represents the provinces, has 72 members with each province having three seats, elected at-large to six-year terms; one third of Senate seats are up for election every other year.[90] At least one-third of the candidates presented by the parties must be women.

Executive: The president is the commander-in-chief of the military, can veto legislative bills before they become law subject to Congressional override and appoints the members of the Cabinet and other officers, who administer and enforce federal laws and policies.[91] The president is elected directly by the vote of the people, serves a four-year term and may be elected to office no more than twice in a row.[92] Judicial: The Supreme Court and lower federal courts interpret laws and overturn those they find unconstitutional.[93] The Judicial is independent of the Executive and the Legislative. The Supreme Court has seven members appointed by the President subject to Senate approval who serve for life. The lower courts' judges are proposed by the Council of Magistrates (a secretariat composed of representatives of judges, lawyers, researchers, the Executive and the Legislative), and appointed by the President on Senate approval

Argentina is a federation of twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city, Buenos Aires. The administrative divisions of the provinces are the departments, and themunicipalities, except for Buenos Aires Province, which is divided into partidos. The City of Buenos Aires is divided into communes. The provinces hold all the power that is not specifically delegated to the national government.[95] Provinces must be representative republics and must not contradict the Constitution and federal laws. Beyond this they are fully autonomous: they enact their own constitutions,[96] freely organize their local governments and own and manage their resources.[97] Some provinces have bicameral provincial legislatures, while others haveunicameral ones.[F] During the Argentine War of Independence the main cities and their surrounding countrysides became provinces, though the intervention of their cabildos. The anarchy of the year XX[when?] completed this process, shaping the original thirteen provinces. Jujuy seceded from Salta in 1834, to become the fourteenth province. In 1860, after secedingfor a decade, Buenos Aires accepted the Constitution of 1853. The city of Buenos Aires became a federal territory in 1880.[96] An 1862 law determined that the territories under control of Argentina but outside the frontiers of the provinces would be called national territories. In 1884 this resulted in the establishment of the national territories of Misiones, Formosa, Chaco, La Pampa, Neuqun, Ro Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz

and Tierra del Fuego. The agreement about a frontier dispute with Chile in 1900 created the national territory of Los Andes, whose territories were incorporated into Jujuy, Salta and Catamarca in 1943.
[96]

La Pampa andChaco became provinces in 1951. Misiones did so in 1953,

and Formosa, Neuqun, Ro Negro, Chubut and Santa Cruz in 1955. The last national territory, Tierra del Fuego, became a province in 1990. Foreign policy is officially handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, which answers to the President. An historical and current middle power,
[8][9]

Argentina bases its foreign policies on the guiding principles of non-intervention,

[100]

[99]

human rights, self-

determination, international cooperation,disarmament and peaceful settlement of conflicts.

One of the G-15 and G-20 major economies of the world,

[101]

it is also a founding member of the UN, WBG, WTO and OAS. In 2012Argentina was elected again to a two-year non-permanent position on the United Nations Security Council and is participating in major peacekeeping operations in Haiti, Cyprus, Western Sahara and the Middle East.

As a prominent Latin American[10][11][12][13][14][15] and Southern Cone[16][17][18] regional power, Argentina co-founded OEI, CELAC and UNASUR, of which the former president Nstor Kirchner was first Secretary General. Argentina is also a founding member of the Mercosur block, having Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela as partners. Since 2002 the country has emphasized its key role in Latin American integration, and the blockwhich has some supranational legislative functionsis its first international priority. Argentina claims 965,597 km (372,819 sq mi) in Antarctica, Treaty Secretariat being based in Buenos Aires.[104] Argentina disputes sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas), and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands,[105] which are administered by the United Kingdom as Overseas Territories. The Armed Forces are controlled by the President and a civilian Minister of Defense. In addition to the army, navy and air force, there are also two forces controlled by the Interior Ministry: theNational Gendarmerie, which guards borders and places of strategic importance; and the Naval Prefecture, a coast guard which protects major rivers and maritime territory. The armed forces of Argentina number about 70,000 active duty personnel, one third fewer than before the return to democracy in 1983.[106] The age for enlistment in the volunteer military is from 16 to 23 years old.[107] Historically, Argentina's military has been one of the best equipped in the region (for example, developing its own jet fighters as early as the 1950s);[108] but recently it has faced sharper expenditure cutbacks than most other Latin American armed forces. Real military expenditures declined steadily after 1981 and though there have been recent increases, the defense budget is now around US$3 billion.[109] Traditionally, Argentina maintains close defense cooperation and military-supply relationships with the United States, and to a lesser extent, with Israel, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy. Benefiting from rich natural resources, a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector and a diversified industrial base, the economy of Argentina is Latin America's third-largest.[110] It has a "very high" rating on theHuman Development Index[7] and a relatively high GDP per capita,[5][111] with a considerable internal market size and a growing share of the high-tech sector.[19] A middle emerging economy and one of the world's top developing nations,[111][H] Argentina is a member of the G-20 major economies. Historically, however, its economic performance has been very uneven, with high economic growth alternating with severe recessions, income maldistribution andin the recent decadesincreasing poverty. Early in the 20th century Argentina achieved development,[26] rose to the seventh place among the world's richest countries[25]and became the wealthiest in the Southern Hemisphere.[25] Although managing to keep a place among the top fifteen economies until mid-century,[25] it suffered a long and steady decline and now it's just an upper middle-income country.[112] High inflationa weakness of the Argentine economy for decades has become a trouble once again, with 2013 rates between the official 10.2% and the privately estimated 25%, causing heated public debate.[113] The government has manipulated inflation statistics.[114] Income distribution, having improved since 2002, is classified as "medium", still considerably unequal.[6] Argentina ranks 102nd out of 178 countries in the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index for 2012 Manufacturing is the largest single sector in the nation's economy (19% of GDP), and is well-integrated into Argentine agriculture, with half the nation's industrial exports being agricultural in nature.[117] Based on food processing and textiles during its early development in the first half of the 20th century, industrial production has become highly diversified in Argentina.[118] Leading sectors by production value are: Food processing and beverages; motor vehicles and auto parts; refinery products, and biodiesel; chemicals and pharmaceuticals; steel and aluminum; andindustrial and farm machinery; electronics and home appliances. These latter include over three million big ticket items, as well as an array of electronics, kitchen appliances and cellular phones, among others.[119] The country's auto industry produced 829,000 motor vehicles in 2011, and exported 507,000 (mainly to Brazil, which in turn exported a somewhat larger number to Argentina).[120] Beverages are another significant sector, and Argentina has long been among the top five wine producing countries in the world; beer overtook wine production in 2000, and today leads by nearly two billion liters a year to one.[119] Other manufactured goods include: glass and cement; plastics and tires; lumber products; textiles; tobacco products; recording and print media; furniture; apparel and leather.[119] Most manufacturing is organized around 280 industrial parks, with another 190 slated to open during 2012.[121] Nearly half the industries are based in the Greater Buenos Aires area, althoughCrdoba, Rosario, and Ushuaia are also significant industrial centers; the latter city became the nation's leading center of electronics production during the 1980s.[122] The production ofcomputers, laptops, and servers grew by 160% in 2011, to nearly 3.4 million units, and covered two-thirds of local demand.[123] Another important rubric historically dominated by imports farm machinery will likewise mainly be manufactured domestically by 2014.[124]
2 [G] [102]

which overlaps claims by Chile and the United Kingdom, though all such claims fall

under the provisions of the 1961Antarctic Treaty, of which Argentina is a founding signatory and permanent consulting member, with the Antarctic

Construction permits nationwide covered nearly 19 million m (205 million ft) in 2008. The construction sector accounts for over 5% of GDP, and twothirds of the construction was for residential buildings.
[117]

Argentine electric output totaled over 122 billion Kwh in 2009.

[125]

This was generated in large part through well developed natural gas
[126]

and hydroelectric resources. Nuclear energy is also of high importance,

and the country is one of the largest producers and exporters, alongside

Canada and Russia of cobalt-60, a radioactive isotope widely used in cancer therapy Transport in Argentina is mainly based on a complex network of routes, crossed by relatively inexpensive long-distance buses and by cargo trucks. The country also has a number of national and international airports. The importance of the long-distance train is minor today, though in the past it was widely used. Fluvial transport is mostly used for cargo. Within the urban areas, the main transportation system is by bus or colectivo; bus lines transport millions of people daily in the larger cities and their metropolitan areas. Buenos Aires additionally has an underground, the only one in the country, and Greater Buenos Aires is serviced by a system of suburban trains. A majority of people employ public transport rather than personal cars to move around in the cities, especially in common business hours, since parking can be both difficult and expensive. Cycling is not very common in big cities, as there are few bicycle-paths, making it difficult to move with them other than in recreational areas. Since Argentina is almost 4,000 kilometres long and more than 1,000 km wide, long distance transportation is of great importance. Several toll expressways spread out from Buenos Aires, serving nearly half the nation's population. The majority of Argentine roads, however, are two-lane national and provincial routes and, though they are spread throughout the country, less than a third of Argentina's 230,000 km (145,000 mi)[127] of roads are currently paved. Argentina is home to around 9.2 million registered cars, trucks and buses;[128] on a per capita basis, it has long had Latin America's widest accessibility to motor vehicles.[129] Left-lane drivers until 1945, Argentine motorists have since been driving on the right-hand side. The Vehicle registration plates of Argentina are based on a three letters-three numbers per car (with the exception of some trucks) system. Expressways have been recently doubled in length[130] and now link most important cities. The most important of these is the Panamerican National Route 9 Buenos AiresRosarioCrdobafreeway. Argentine long distance buses are fast, affordable and comfortable; they have become the primary means of long-distance travel since railway privatizations in the early 1990s greatly downsized Argentina's formerly ubiquitous passenger rail service. Competing providers differ little on their time-honoured formula, offering three different services regarding the number of stops and type of seats: the Regular, Semi-cama(semi-bed), and Cama (bed), with Cama being similar to an airline's business class. Some services have also on-board dining, while others stop at restaurants by the road. Long and middle-distance buses cover almost all paved-accessible cities, towns and villages. Tourism in Argentina is characterized by its cultural offerings and its ample and varied natural assets. The country had 5.28 million visitors in 2010, ranking in terms of the international tourist arrivals as the top destination in South America, and second in Latin America after Mexico. Revenues from international tourists reached US$4.93 billion in 2010, up from US$3.96 billion in 2009.[141] The country's capital city, Buenos Aires, is the most visited city in South America.[142] Tourist destinations:

Buenos Aires, the capital of the Nation. Iguaz National Park, waterfalls and jungle. Bariloche, the largest ski centre in Latin America, and La Angostura. Los Alerces National Park in central Patagonia. Los Glaciares National Park, everlasting glaciers. Inca and colonial sites in Humahuaca, the Calchaqu Valleys, Iruya, Tilcara, and other cities of the North.