northeastern Canada; permafrost in islands; virtually ice locked
from October to June; ships subject to superstructure icing from
October to May
Environment - current issues: endangered marine species include walruses and whales; fragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from disruptions or damage; thinning polar icepack
Geography - note:
major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea (northern access to
the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait); strategic location between
North America and Russia; shortest marine link between the extremes
of eastern and western Russia; floating research stations operated
by the US and Russia; maximum snow cover in March or April about 20
to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean; snow cover lasts about 10
months
Economy Arctic Ocean
Economy - overview:
Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of natural
resources, including petroleum, natural gas, fish, and seals.
Transportation Arctic Ocean
Ports and harbors:
Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (Russia), Prudhoe Bay (US)
Transportation - note:
sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes; the Northwest
Passage (North America) and Northern Sea Route (Eurasia) are
important seasonal waterways
Transnational Issues Arctic Ocean
Disputes - international: some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003
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@Argentina
Introduction Argentina
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 authoritarian rule and interference in
subsequent governments 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.
Geography Argentina
Location:
Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between
Chile and Uruguay
Geographic coordinates:
34 00 S, 64 00 W
Map references:
South America
Area:
total: 2,766,890 sq km
land: 2,736,690 sq km
water: 30,200 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US
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
Coastline:
4,989 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM territorial sea: 12 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:
mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest
Terrain:
rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau
of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Salinas Chicas −40 m (located on Peninsula Valdes)
highest point: Cerro Aconcagua 6,960 m
Natural resources:
fertile plains of the Pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore,
manganese, petroleum, uranium
Land use: arable land: 9.14% permanent crops: 0.8% other: 90.06% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land:
15,610 sq km (1998 est.)
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
Environment - current issues: environmental problems (urban and rural) typical of an industrializing economy such as deforestation, soil degradation, desertification, air pollution, and water pollution note: Argentina is a world leader in setting voluntary greenhouse gas targets
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living
Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
second-largest country in South America (after Brazil); strategic
location relative to sea lanes between the South Atlantic and the
South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake
Passage); Cerro Aconcagua is South America's tallest mountain, while
the Valdes Peninsula is the lowest point on the continent
People Argentina
Population:
38,740,807 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 26.2% (male 5,185,548; female 4,955,551)
15–64 years: 63.4% (male 12,274,625; female 12,282,772)
65 years and over: 10.4% (male 1,659,641; female 2,382,670) (2003
est.)
Median age:
total: 29 years
male: 28 years
female: 29.9 years (2002)
Population growth rate:
1.05% (2003 est.)
Birth rate:
17.47 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate:
7.58 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)