GEOGRAPHY
The Argentine Republic is located in the extreme south of the South American continent. It is the eighth largest country in the world and second largest country in South America, after Brazil. The country stretches over 3700 kms. implying a wide variety of climates from the sub-tropical north to the icy lands of Patagonia. One-third of the country is made up of humid lands, of which 30% are sub-tropical woods and forests in the northeast and the rest is the Pampas plain covering an area of 600,000 sq.kms. The Pampas include the main agricultural and industrial region of the country and accounts for 70% of the population, 80% of the value of agricultural production and 85% of the industrial activity. The remaining two-thirds of the territory consist of arid or semi-arid regions or areas with prolonged dry periods. Argentina borders with Bolivia in the north, with Paraguay in the northeast,with Brazil, Uruguay and the Atlantic Ocean in the east, and with Chile to the west. The country has a lengthy ocean coastline extending from the River Plate estuary to Tierra del Fuego (about 4725 kms).
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HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The Argentine coast was first sighted by a Spaniard in 1560 but it…
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The Argentine coast was first sighted by a Spaniard in 1560 but it was not until 1580 that Juan de Garay successfully founded a settlement in Buenos Aires. On May 25, 1810, the Municipality of Buenos Aires deposed the Spanish Viceroy. In 1816, Argentina proclaimed independence which was made possible by General José de San Martin, the Liberator. In 1817, Buenos Aires became the seat of the Federal Government. In 1852, a Constituent Assembly was held and decision was taken to organize the Argentine Republic on the basis of a federal system. The Constitution was framed in 1853.
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The modern political history of Argentina dates back to 1909 when Saenz Peña won the…
The modern political history of Argentina dates back to 1909 when Saenz Peña won the elections and was nominated for the Presidency by a conservative coalition. Politically, Argentina was a Republic with a very restricted suffrage up to 1912 when universal suffrage was introduced. From 1916, till a military uprising in 1930, Radical Civic Union (founded in 1890) held power. In the post-World War II period, Argentina was ruled by General Juan Peron and later by his wife, Isabel Peron. In 1976, Isabel Peron was ousted by a military junta. In January 1982, General Galtieri took over as President. During his tenure, the Malvinas (Falklands) conflict took place from April 2 - June 15, 1982, which ended with a surrender of the Argentine forces to the British forces.
General Galtieri was removed from the office after the Malvinas conflict, and was succeeded by General Bignone. The country remained under military rule until October 1983 when the military junta handed over power to an elected civilian government headed by President Dr. Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín of the Radical Civic Union party. In December 1983, Dr. Alfonsín was sworn in as the first non-Peronist civilian President in 50 years.
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In the Presidential elections held in May 1989, the Peronist party candidate, Carlos Saúl Menem,…
In the Presidential elections held in May 1989, the Peronist party candidate, Carlos Saúl Menem, was elected as the President. As per constitutional provision, the transfer of power should have taken place on December 10, 1989. However, President Alfonsín resigned earlier due to the worsening economic situation caused by hyperinflation, and President-elect, Carlos Saúl Menem, was sworn-in on July 28, 1989. President Menem was re-elected in May 1995 after the constitution was amended to enable the re-election, for a further period of four years. In the presidential elections held on October 24, 1999, the opposition Radical-Frepaso Alliance candidate and sitting Mayor of Buenos Aires City, Dr. Fernando de la Rúa defeated his Peronist rival and Buenos Aires Governor Eduardo Duhalde. Fernando de la Rua took office as President from Carlos Menem on December 10, 1999.
Fernando de la Rúa lasted just over 2 years in office as he resigned on December 20, 2001 after nation-wide protests and food riots that claimed nearly 30 lives. Rodriguez Saá, a long-serving Peronist Governor of the province of San Luis, formed a short-lived government but he also resigned after about a week in office as he lacked the support of the political parties, including his own Peronist Party. Eduardo Duhalde, a former Vice President under Carlos Menem and the losing Peronist presidential candidate in the 1999 elections, was sworn-in as President on January 1, 2002 with all major political parties committing their support to him. He formed a federal government that included representatives of different political parties as cabinet members. He was originally appointed by the Congress to complete the remainder of the term of Rua ending in December, 2003. But because of the continued violence abetted by the banking restrictions, he declared to quit on 25th May 2003.
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The presidential election which was held on 27th April,2003 culminated in a runoff scheduled for…
The presidential election which was held on 27th April,2003 culminated in a runoff scheduled for 18th May . As the former president Carlos Menem, one of the two candidates backed out of the contest on 14th May, the other Peronist Candidate Nestor Kirchner declared President-elect. He was sworn in as President on 25th May, 2003. President Kirchner , presently, enjoys a high rate of popularity (over 70% as per latest opinion polls). In February 2005 his administration successfully managed to swap US$ 81 billion in bad debt on its own terms clinching an acceptance rate of 76%.