Because of longitudinal and elevation amplitudes, Argentina is subject to a variety of climates. As a rule, the climate is predominantly temperate with extremes ranging from subtropical in the north to subpolar in the far south. The north of the country is characterized by very hot, humid summers with mild drier winters, and is subject to periodic droughts. Central Argentina has hot summers with thunderstorms (in western Argentina producing some of the world's largest hail), and cool winters. The southern regions have warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall, especially in mountainous zones. Higher elevations at all latitudes experience cooler conditionsThe hottest and coldest temperature extremes recorded in South America have occurred in Argentina. A record high temperature of 49.1 °C (120.4 °F), was recorded at Villa de María, Córdoba on January 2, 1920. The lowest temperature recorded was −39 °C (−38.2 °F) at Valle de los Patos Superior, San Juan, July 17, 1972.Major winds in Argentina include the cool Pampero blowing on the flat plains of Patagonia and the Pampas after a cold front; the Viento Norte, a warm wind that can blow from the north in mid and late winter creating mild conditions; and the Zonda, a hot and dry wind (see also foehn wind), affecting west-central Argentina. Squeezed of all moisture during the 6,000 meter descent from the Andes, Zonda winds can blow for hours with gusts up to 120 km/h, fueling wildfires and causing damage. When the Zonda blows (June-November), snowstorms and blizzard (viento blanco) conditions usually affect the higher elevations.The Sudestada (literally “southeastern”) could be considered similar to the Noreaster, though snowfall is rarely involved (but is not unprecedented). Both are associated with a deep winter low pressure system. 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 coasts of central Argentina and in the Río de la Plata estuary.The southern regions, particularly the far south, experience long periods of daylight from November to February (up to nineteen hours), and extended nights from May to August. All of Argentina uses UTC-3 time zone. The country does observe daylight saving time occasionally, the last summertime being started at 0:00 December 30, 2007 and being finished at 0:00 March 16, 2008.
The peso (originally established as the nuevo peso argentino or peso convertible) is the currency of Argentina. Its ISO 4217 code is ARS, and the symbol used locally for it is $ (to avoid confusion, Argentines frequently use US$, U$, U$S, or U$A to indicate U.S. dollars). It is divided into 100 centavos. The peso was also the name of several earlier currencies of Argentina
The total surface area of Argentina (not including the Antarctic claim) is as follows:
Argentina is about 3,330 km (about 2,070 mi) long from north to south, and 1,400 km (about 870 mi) from east to west (maximum values). It can roughly be divided into four parts: the fertile plains of the Pampas in the center of the country, the source of Argentina's agricultural wealth; the flat to rolling, oil-rich plateau of Patagonia in the southern half down to Tierra del Fuego; the subtropical flats of the Gran Chaco in the north, and the rugged Andes mountain range along the western border with Chile.
The highest point above sea level in Argentina is located in Mendoza. Cerro Aconcagua, at 6,962 meters (22,834 feet), is the highest mountain in the Americas, the Southern,[19] and Western Hemisphere.[20] The lowest point is Laguna del Carbón in Santa Cruz, −105 meters (−344 ft) below sea level.[21] This is also the lowest point on the South American continent. The geographic center of the country is located in south-central La Pampa province.
The country has a territorial claim over a portion of Antarctica (unrecognized by any other country), where, from 1904, it has maintained a constant presence.
Europeans first occupied Argentina in 1516. In 1580, the Spanish established a permanent colony on the site of Buenos Aires. Formal declaration of independence from Spain was made on July 9, 1816. Argentina established national unity and adopted a constitution in 1853. Foreign investment, primarily British, was used to construct railroads and ports, aided by an influx of European workers. Conservative elements dominated politics until 1916, when their traditional rivals, the Radicals, won control of the government through a democratic election. The Radicals attempted to open opportunities for the expanding middle class until 1930, when a military coup returned the Conservatives to power.
In the mid-1930s, new social and political groups competed for political power, including the modern, professional military and the labor movement that had emerged from the growing urban working class.
In 1943, the constitutional government was overthrown in a military coup led by Colonel Juan Domingo Peron.
In 1946, Peron was elected president. He pursued a dynamic program aimed at giving an economic and political voice to the working class. Significant increases in union membership consolidated the power of the General Confederation of Labor (CGT). In 1947, Peron announced his first five-year plan, which relied on nationalization and industrialization. His energetic wife, Eva Duarte Peron, enhanced his appeal to labor and women's groups and helped women obtain the right to vote in 1947. Peron won re-election in 1952, but he was ousted by the military in 1955.
In the 1950s and 1960s, power alternated between military and civilian administrations as each struggled to address declining economic growth and persistent labor and social demands. Peron returned as president in October 1973 with his third wife, Isabel de Peron, as vice president. During this period, extremists of both the left and the right engaged in terrorism. The government relied on emergency decrees, including special executive authority, to contain violence by allowing the state to imprison people indefinitely without charging them.
When Peron died in 1974, his wife succeeded him, becoming the first woman president in the Americas. Economic deterioration, intraparty struggles, and continuing terrorism undermined her administration, however, leading to her ouster in a military coup in 1976.
The military put down armed opposition and restored order, although at a high cost in human lives and human rights. Accounting for those who disappeared during the late 1970s and punishing those responsible are still controversial political issues.
Serious economic problems, defeat by the British in June 1982 when Argentina attempted to establish its sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), human rights abuses, and charges of corruption discredited and discouraged the military, causing a gradual transition toward democratic rule. The post-military, democratic regime of President Raul Alfonsin, who was elected in October 1983, lifted the ban on political parties and restored other basic political liberties. In 1989, Carlos Saul Menem, a Peronist, was elected president. Constitutional reforms enacted in 1994 allowed Menem's re-election in 1995 and reduced the presidential term from six years to four.
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