Living in Argentina

Goverment & Constitution

• Names
Conventional Long Form: Argentine Republic
Conventional Short Form: Argentina
Local Long Form: Republica Argentina
Local Short Form: Argentina

• Digraph
AR

• Type
Republic

• Capital
Buenos Aires

• Administrative Divisions
23 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Buenos Aires; Catamarca; Chaco; Chubut; Cordoba; Corrientes; Distrito Federal*; 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, Antartida e Islas del Atlantico Sur; Tucuman

• Independence
9 July 1816 (from Spain)

• National Holiday
Revolution Day, 25 May (1810)

• Constitution
1 May 1853; revised August 1994

• Legal System
Mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.

• Sufrage
18 years of age; universal

• Executive Branch
Chief of state and head of government:
President: Nestor Kirchner.
Vice President: Daniel Scioli

• Cabinet:
Cabinet; appointed by the president

• Legislative Branch
Bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional)

Senate: elections last held May 1989, but provincial elections in late 1991 set the stage for indirect elections by provincial senators for one-third of 48 seats in the national senate in May 1992; seats (48 total) - PJ 29, UCR 11, others 7, vacant 1

Chamber of Deputies: elections are held every two years and half of the total membership is elected each time for four year terms; seats - (257 total)

• Judicial Branch
Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)

• Other Political or Pressure Groups
Peronist-dominated labor movement; General Confederation of Labor (CGT; Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization); Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers association); Argentine Rural Society (large landowners association); business organizations; students; the Roman Catholic Church; the Armed Forces

• Member Of
AfDB, AG (observer), Australia Group, BCIE, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G- 6, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, MERCOSUR, MINURSO, MTCR, NSG (observer), OAS, ONUSAL, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIH, UNOMOZ, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

• Diplomatic Representation in US
Chief of Mission: Ambassador Raul Enrique GRANILLO OCAMPO
Chancery: 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
Telephone: [1] (202) 939-6400 through 6403
Consulate(s) General: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)

• US Diplomatic Representation
Chief of Mission: Ambassador James R. CHEEK
Embassy: 4300 Colombia, 1425 Buenos Aires
Mailing Address: Unit 4334; APO AA 34034
Telephone: [54] (1) 777-4533, 4534
FAX: [54] (1) 777-0197

• Flag
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