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Compare Argentina (2001) - Afghanistan (2001)

Compare Argentina (2001) z Afghanistan (2001)

 Argentina (2001)Afghanistan (2001)
 ArgentinaAfghanistan
Administrative divisions 23 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), and 1 autonomous city* (distrito federal); Buenos Aires; Buenos Aires Capital Federal*; Catamarca; Chaco; Chubut; Cordoba; Corrientes; Entre Rios; Formosa; Jujuy; La Pampa; La Rioja; Mendoza; Misiones; Neuquen; Rio Negro; Salta; San Juan; San Luis; Santa Cruz; Santa Fe; Santiago del Estero; Tierra del Fuego, Antartica e Islas del Atlantico Sur; Tucuman

note:
the US does not recognize any claims to Antarctica
30 provinces (velayat, singular - velayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamian, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghowr, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabol, Kandahar, Kapisa, Konar, Kondoz, Laghman, Lowgar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Oruzgan, Paktia, Paktika, Parvan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar, Vardak, Zabol; note - there may be two new provinces of Nurestan (Nuristan) and Khowst
Age structure 0-14 years:
26.54% (male 5,077,593; female 4,842,811)

15-64 years:
63.04% (male 11,795,282; female 11,773,855)

65 years and over:
10.42% (male 1,609,672; female 2,285,603) (2001 est.)
0-14 years:
42.2% (male 5,775,921; female 5,538,836)

15-64 years:
55.01% (male 7,644,242; female 7,106,568)

65 years and over:
2.79% (male 394,444; female 353,046) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products sunflower seeds, lemons, soybeans, grapes, corn, tobacco, peanuts, tea, wheat; livestock opium poppies, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, karakul pelts
Airports 1,359 (2000 est.) 45 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total:
143

over 3,047 m:
4

2,438 to 3,047 m:
25

1,524 to 2,437 m:
57

914 to 1,523 m:
48

under 914 m:
9 (2000 est.)
total:
10

over 3,047 m:
3

2,438 to 3,047 m:
4

1,524 to 2,437 m:
2

under 914 m:
1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
1,216

over 3,047 m:
2

2,438 to 3,047 m:
2

1,524 to 2,437 m:
56

914 to 1,523 m:
601

under 914 m:
555 (2000 est.)
total:
35

2,438 to 3,047 m:
4

1,524 to 2,437 m:
15

914 to 1,523 m:
4

under 914 m:
12 (2000 est.)
Area total:
2,766,890 sq km

land:
2,736,690 sq km

water:
30,200 sq km
total:
647,500 sq km

land:
647,500 sq km

water:
0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US slightly smaller than Texas
Background Following independence from Spain in 1816, Argentina experienced periods of internal political conflict between conservatives and liberals and between civilian and military factions. After World War II, a long period of Peronist dictatorship was followed by a military junta that took power in 1976. Democracy returned in 1983, and numerous elections since then have underscored Argentina's progress in democratic consolidation. Afghanistan was invaded and occupied by the Soviet Union in 1979. The USSR was forced to withdraw 10 years later by anti-communist mujahidin forces supplied and trained by the US, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and others. Fighting subsequently continued among the various mujahidin factions, but the fundamentalist Islamic Taliban movement has been able to seize most of the country. In addition to the continuing civil strife, the country suffers from enormous poverty, a crumbling infrastructure, and widespread land mines.
Birth rate 18.41 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 41.42 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues:
$44 billion

expenditures:
$48 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
revenues:
$NA

expenditures:
$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Capital Buenos Aires Kabul
Climate mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Coastline 4,989 km 0 km (landlocked)
Constitution 1 May 1853; revised August 1994 none
Country name conventional long form:
Argentine Republic

conventional short form:
Argentina

local long form:
Republica Argentina

local short form:
Argentina
conventional long form:
Islamic State of Afghanistan; note - the self-proclaimed Taliban government refers to the country as Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

conventional short form:
Afghanistan

local long form:
Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan

local short form:
Afghanestan

former:
Republic of Afghanistan
Currency Argentine peso (ARS) afghani (AFA)
Death rate 7.58 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 17.72 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $154 billion (2000 est.) $5.5 billion (1996 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador James D. WALSH

embassy:
Avenida Colombia 4300, 1425 Buenos Aires

mailing address:
international mail: use street address; APO address: Unit 4334, APO AA 34034

telephone:
[54] (11) 4777-4533/4534

FAX:
[54] (11) 4511-4997
the US embassy in Kabul has been closed since January 1989 due to security concerns
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Guillermo Enrique GONZALEZ

chancery:
1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone:
[1] (202) 238-6400

FAX:
[1] (202) 332-3171

consulate(s) general:
Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York
none; note - embassy operations suspended 21 August 1997

consulate(s) general:
New York
Disputes - international claims UK-administered Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); claims UK-administered South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica partially overlaps British and Chilean claims support to Islamic militants worldwide by some factions; question over which group should hold Afghanistan's seat at the UN
Economic aid - recipient IMF offer of $13.7 billion (January 2001) US provided about $70 million in humanitarian assistance in 1997; US continues to contribute to multilateral assistance through the UN programs of food aid, immunization, land mine removal, and a wide range of aid to refugees and displaced persons
Economy - overview Argentina benefits from rich natural resources, a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. However, when President Carlos MENEM took office in 1989, the country had piled up huge external debts, inflation had reached 200% per month, and output was plummeting. To combat the economic crisis, the government embarked on a path of trade liberalization, deregulation, and privatization. In 1991, it implemented radical monetary reforms which pegged the peso to the US dollar and limited the growth in the monetary base by law to the growth in reserves. Inflation fell sharply in subsequent years. In 1995, the Mexican peso crisis produced capital flight, the loss of banking system deposits, and a severe, but short-lived, recession; a series of reforms to bolster the domestic banking system followed. Real GDP growth recovered strongly, reaching 8% in 1997. In 1998, international financial turmoil caused by Russia's problems and increasing investor anxiety over Brazil produced the highest domestic interest rates in more than three years, halving the growth rate of the economy. Conditions worsened in 1999 with GDP falling by 3%. President Fernando DE LA RUA, who took office in December 1999, sponsored tax increases and spending cuts to reduce the deficit, which had ballooned to 2.5% of GDP in 1999. Growth in 2000 was a disappointing 0.8%, as both domestic and foreign investors remained skeptical of the government's ability to pay debts and maintain its fixed exchange rate with the US dollar. One bright spot at the start of 2001 was the IMF's offer of $13.7 billion in support. Afghanistan is an extremely poor, landlocked country, highly dependent on farming and livestock raising (sheep and goats). Economic considerations have played second fiddle to political and military upheavals during two decades of war, including the nearly 10-year Soviet military occupation (which ended 15 February 1989). During that conflict one-third of the population fled the country, with Pakistan and Iran sheltering a combined peak of more than 6 million refugees. In early 2000, 2 million Afghan refugees remained in Pakistan and about 1.4 million in Iran. Gross domestic product has fallen substantially over the past 20 years because of the loss of labor and capital and the disruption of trade and transport; severe drought added to the nation's difficulties in 1998-2000. The majority of the population continues to suffer from insufficient food, clothing, housing, and medical care. Inflation remains a serious problem throughout the country. International aid can deal with only a fraction of the humanitarian problem, let alone promote economic development. In 1999-2000, internal civil strife continued, hampering both domestic economic policies and international aid efforts. Numerical data are likely to be either unavailable or unreliable. Afghanistan was by far the largest producer of opium poppies in 2000, and narcotics trafficking is a major source of revenue.
Electricity - consumption 77.111 billion kWh (1999) 480.6 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 1.08 billion kWh (1999) 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 6.5 billion kWh (1999) 90 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 77.087 billion kWh (1999) 420 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
60.3%

hydro:
30.7%

nuclear:
8.75%

other:
0.25% (1999)
fossil fuel:
35.71%

hydro:
64.29%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Salinas Chicas -40 m (located on Peninsula Valdes)

highest point:
Cerro Aconcagua 6,960 m
lowest point:
Amu Darya 258 m

highest point:
Nowshak 7,485 m
Environment - current issues environmental problems (urban and rural) typical of an industrializing economy such as soil degradation, desertification, air pollution, and water pollution

note:
Argentina is a world leader in setting voluntary greenhouse gas targets
soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (much of the remaining forests are being cut down for fuel and building materials); desertification
Environment - international agreements party to:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation
party to:
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban

signed, but not ratified:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Ethnic groups white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo, Amerindian, or other nonwhite groups 3% Pashtun 38%, Tajik 25%, Hazara 19%, minor ethnic groups (Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and others) 12%, Uzbek 6%
Exchange rates Argentine pesos per US dollar - 1.000 (fixed rate pegged to the US dollar) afghanis per US dollar - 4,700 (January 2000), 4,750 (February 1999), 17,000 (December 1996), 7,000 (January 1995), 1,900 (January 1994), 1,019 (March 1993), 850 (1991); note - these rates reflect the free market exchange rates rather than the official exchange rate, which was fixed at 50.600 afghanis to the dollar until 1996, when it rose to 2,262.65 per dollar, and finally became fixed again at 3,000.00 per dollar in April 1996
Executive branch chief of state:
President Fernando DE LA RUA (since 10 December 1999); Vice President Carlos "Chacho" ALVAREZ resigned 6 October 2000 and a replacement has not yet been named; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:
President Fernando DE LA RUA (since 10 December 1999); Vice President Carlos "Chacho" ALVAREZ resigned 6 October 2000 and a replacement has not yet been named; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the president

elections:
president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 24 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2003)

election results:
Fernando DE LA RUA elected president; percent of vote - 48.5%
on 27 September 1996, the ruling members of the Afghan Government were displaced by members of the Islamic Taliban movement; the Islamic State of Afghanistan has no functioning government at this time, and the country remains divided among fighting factions

note:
the Taliban have declared themselves the legitimate government of Afghanistan; however, the UN still recognizes the government of Burhanuddin RABBANI; the Organization of the Islamic Conference has left the Afghan seat vacant until the question of legitimacy can be resolved through negotiations among the warring factions; the country is essentially divided along ethnic lines; the Taliban controls the capital of Kabul and approximately two-thirds of the country including the predominately ethnic Pashtun areas in southern Afghanistan; opposing factions have their stronghold in the ethnically diverse north
Exports $26.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) $80 million (does not include opium) (1996 est.)
Exports - commodities edible oils, fuels and energy, cereals, feed, motor vehicles opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems
Exports - partners Brazil 24%, EU 21%, US 11% (1999 est.) FSU, Pakistan, Iran, Germany, India, UK, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czech Republic
Fiscal year calendar year 21 March - 20 March
Flag description three equal horizontal bands of light blue (top), white, and light blue; centered in the white band is a radiant yellow sun with a human face known as the Sun of May three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a gold emblem centered on the three bands; the emblem features a temple-like structure with Islamic inscriptions above and below, encircled by a wreath on the left and right and by a bolder Islamic inscription above, all of which are encircled by two crossed scimitars

note:
the Taliban uses a plain white flag
GDP purchasing power parity - $476 billion (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $21 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
6%

industry:
32%

services:
62% (2000 est.)
agriculture:
53%

industry:
28.5%

services:
18.5% (1990)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $12,900 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $800 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 0.8% (2000 est.) NA%
Geographic coordinates 34 00 S, 64 00 W 33 00 N, 65 00 E
Geography - note second-largest country in South America (after Brazil); strategic location relative to sea lanes between South Atlantic and South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage) landlocked
Heliports - 3 (2000 est.)
Highways total:
215,434 km

paved:
63,553 km (including 734 km of expressways)

unpaved:
151,881 km (1998 est.)
total:
21,000 km

paved:
2,793 km

unpaved:
18,207 km (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
Illicit drugs use as a transshipment country for cocaine headed for Europe and the US; increasing use as a money-laundering center; domestic consumption of drugs in urban centers is increasing world's largest illicit opium producer, surpassing Burma (potential production in 1999 - 1,670 metric tons; cultivation in 1999 - 51,500 hectares, a 23% increase over 1998); a major source of hashish; increasing number of heroin-processing laboratories being set up in the country; major political factions in the country profit from drug trade
Imports $25.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) $150 million (1996 est.)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal manufactures, plastics capital goods, food and petroleum products; most consumer goods
Imports - partners EU 28%, US 22%, Brazil 21% (1999 est.) FSU, Pakistan, Iran, Japan, Singapore, India, South Korea, Germany
Independence 9 July 1816 (from Spain) 19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)
Industrial production growth rate 1% (2000 est.) -
Industries food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, and cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, oil, coal, copper
Infant mortality rate 17.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) 147.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) -0.9% (2000 est.) NA%
International organization participation AfDB, Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-6, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MINURSO, MIPONUH, MTCR, NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC AsDB, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 33 (2000) 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 17,000 sq km (1993 est.) 30,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (the nine Supreme Court judges are appointed by the president with approval by the Senate) upper courts were non-functioning as of March 1995 (local Shari'a or Islamic law courts are functioning throughout the country)
Labor force 15 million (1999) 10 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% agriculture 70%, industry 15%, services 15% (1990 est.)
Land boundaries total:
9,665 km

border countries:
Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224 km, Chile 5,150 km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km
total:
5,529 km

border countries:
China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2,430 km, Tajikistan 1,206 km, Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan 137 km
Land use arable land:
9%

permanent crops:
1%

permanent pastures:
52%

forests and woodland:
19%

other:
19% (1993 est.)
arable land:
12%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
46%

forests and woodland:
3%

other:
39% (1993 est.)
Languages Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French Pashtu 35%, Afghan Persian (Dari) 50%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism
Legal system mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction a new legal system has not been adopted but all factions tacitly agree they will follow Shari'a (Islamic law)
Legislative branch bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate (72 seats; formerly, three members appointed by each of the provincial legislatures; presently transitioning to one-third of the members being elected every two years to six-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies (257 seats; one-half of the members elected every two years to four-year terms)

elections:
Senate - transition phase will begin in the 2001 elections when all seats will be fully contested; winners will randomly draw to determine whether they will serve a two-year, four-year, or full six-year term, beginning a rotating cycle renovating one-third of the body every two years; Chamber of Deputies - last held 24 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2001)

election results:
Senate - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA%; seats by bloc or party - Peronist 40, UCR 20, Frepaso 1, other 11; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA%; seats by bloc or party - Alliance 124 (UCR 85, Frepaso 36, others 3), Peronist 101, AR 12, other 20
non-functioning as of June 1993
Life expectancy at birth total population:
75.26 years

male:
71.88 years

female:
78.82 years (2001 est.)
total population:
46.24 years

male:
46.97 years

female:
45.47 years (2001 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
96.2%

male:
96.2%

female:
96.2% (1995 est.)
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
31.5%

male:
47.2%

female:
15% (1999 est.)
Location Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
Map references South America Asia
Maritime claims contiguous zone:
24 NM

continental shelf:
200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
none (landlocked)
Merchant marine total:
26 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 185,355 GRT/281,475 DWT

ships by type:
cargo 9, petroleum tanker 11, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea passenger 2 (2000 est.)
-
Military branches Argentine Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic (includes Naval Aviation, Marines, and Coast Guard), Argentine Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Aeronautical Police Force NA; note - the military does not exist on a national basis; some elements of the former Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, National Guard, Border Guard Forces, National Police Force (Sarandoi), and tribal militias still exist but are factionalized among the various groups
Military expenditures - dollar figure $4.3 billion (FY99) $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.3% (FY99) NA%
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
9,404,434 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49:
6,645,023 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
7,625,425 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49:
3,561,957 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age 20 years of age 22 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
335,085 (2001 est.)
males:
252,869 (2001 est.)
National holiday Revolution Day, 25 May (1810) Independence Day, 19 August (1919)
Nationality noun:
Argentine(s)

adjective:
Argentine
noun:
Afghan(s)

adjective:
Afghan
Natural hazards San Miguel de Tucuman and Mendoza areas in the Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike the Pampas and northeast; heavy flooding damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts
Natural resources fertile plains of the Pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones
Net migration rate 0.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 11.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 4,090 km; petroleum products 2,900 km; natural gas 9,918 km petroleum products - Uzbekistan to Bagram and Turkmenistan to Shindand; natural gas 180 km
Political parties and leaders Action for the Republic or AR [Domingo CAVALLO]; Front for a Country in Solidarity or Frepaso (a four-party coalition) [Carlos ALVAREZ]; Justicialist Party or PJ [Carlos Saul MENEM] (Peronist umbrella political organization); Radical Civic Union or UCR [Raul ALFONSIN]; several provincial parties Taliban (Religious Students Movement) [Mullah Mohammad OMAR]; United National Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan or UNIFSA [Burhanuddin RABBANI, chairman; Gen. Abdul Rashid DOSTAM, vice chairman; Ahmad Shah MASOOD, military commander; Mohammed Yunis QANUNI, spokesman]; note - made up of 13 parties opposed to the Taliban including Harakat-i-Islami Afghanistan (Islamic Movement of Afghanistan), Hizb-i-Islami (Islamic Party), Hizb-i-Wahdat-i-Islami (Islamic Unity Party), Jumaat-i-Islami Afghanistan (Islamic Afghan Society), Jumbish-i-Milli (National Front), Mahaz-i-Milli-i-Islami (National Islamic Front)
Political pressure groups and leaders Argentine Association of Pharmaceutical Labs (CILFA); Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers' association); Argentine Rural Society (large landowners' association); business organizations; General Confederation of Labor or CGT (Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization); Peronist-dominated labor movement; Roman Catholic Church; students Afghan refugees in Pakistan, Australia, US, and elsewhere have organized politically; Mellat (Social Democratic Party) [leader NA]; Peshawar, Pakistan-based groups such as the Coordination Council for National Unity and Understanding in Afghanistan or CUNUA [Ishaq GAILANI]; tribal elders represent traditional Pashtun leadership; Writers Union of Free Afghanistan or WUFA [A. Rasul AMIN]
Population 37,384,816 (July 2001 est.) 26,813,057 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line 37% (1999 est.) NA%
Population growth rate 1.15% (2001 est.) 3.48% (2001 est.)

note:
this rate reflects the continued return of refugees from Iran
Ports and harbors Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Comodoro Rivadavia, Concepcion del Uruguay, La Plata, Mar del Plata, Necochea, Rio Gallegos, Rosario, Santa Fe, Ushuaia Kheyrabad, Shir Khan
Radio broadcast stations AM 260 (including 10 inactive stations), FM NA (probably more than 1,000, mostly unlicensed), shortwave 6 (1998) AM 7 (6 are inactive; the active station is in Kabul), FM 1, shortwave 1 (broadcasts in Pushtu, Dari, Urdu, and English) (1999)
Radios 24.3 million (1997) 167,000 (1999)
Railways total:
33,744 km (167 km electrified)

broad gauge:
20,594 km 1.676-m gauge (141 km electrified)

standard gauge:
2,739 km 1.435-m gauge (26 km electrified)

narrow gauge:
10,154 km 1.000-m gauge; 257 km 0.750-m gauge (2000)
total:
24.6 km

broad gauge:
9.6 km 1.524-m gauge from Gushgy (Turkmenistan) to Towraghondi; 15 km 1.524-m gauge from Termiz (Uzbekistan) to Kheyrabad transshipment point on south bank of Amu Darya
Religions nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4% Sunni Muslim 84%, Shi'a Muslim 15%, other 1%
Sex ratio at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:
1 male(s)/female

65 years and over:
0.7 male(s)/female

total population:
0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years:
1.08 male(s)/female

65 years and over:
1.12 male(s)/female

total population:
1.06 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal and mandatory NA; previously males 15-50 years of age
Telephone system general assessment:
by opening the telecommunications market to competition and foreign investment with the "Telecommunications Liberalization Plan of 1998", Argentina encouraged the growth of modern telecommunication technology; fiber-optic cable trunk lines are being installed between all major cities; the major networks are entirely digital and the availability of telephone service is being improved; however, telephone density is presently minimal, and making telephone service universally available will take some time

domestic:
microwave radio relay, fiber-optic cable, and a domestic satellite system with 40 earth stations serve the trunk network; more than 110,000 pay telephones are installed and mobile telephone use is rapidly expanding

international:
satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); Atlantis II and Unisur submarine cables; two international gateways near Buenos Aires (1999)
general assessment:
very limited telephone and telegraph service

domestic:
in 1997, telecommunications links were established between Mazar-e Sharif, Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad, and Kabul through satellite and microwave systems

international:
satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) linked only to Iran and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); commercial satellite telephone center in Ghazni
Telephones - main lines in use 7.5 million (1998) 29,000 (1996)

note:
there were 21,000 main lines in service in Kabul in 1998
Telephones - mobile cellular 3 million (December 1999) NA
Television broadcast stations 42 (plus 444 repeaters) (1997) at least 10 (one government run central television station in Kabul and regional stations in nine of the 30 provinces; the regional stations operate on a reduced schedule; also, in 1997, there was a station in Mazar-e Sharif reaching four northern Afghanistan provinces) (1998)
Terrain rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Total fertility rate 2.44 children born/woman (2001 est.) 5.79 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate 15% (December 2000) NA%
Waterways 10,950 km 1,200 km

note:
chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels with DWT up to about 500 (2001)
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