The Argentine Republic is a huge country taking up most of the southern part of the continent of South America, below latitude 23.5º South (Tropic of Capricorn).
With Chile, its westerly neighbour, it stretches down to the southern tip of the continent (Cape Horn, Tierra del Fuego).
The whole of its coastline is on the southern Atlantic, to the east.
The massive mountain chain of the Andes, through which the border with Chile flows, lie to the west.
There are many volcanoes in the Andes within the borders of Argentina (a list can be found here).
Argentina contains great fertile plains, the Pampas.
Here huge livestock ranches and arable farms still produce great quantities of meat, wool and grain.
These are not as great an economic export income generator as in times gone by.
There are forests to the north, where Argentina borders Paraguay and Brazil.
To the south there are deserted wastelands, known as Patagonia.
Manufacturing industries, established in the 20th century, have now superseded the economic importance of the farming industry.
A series of military regimes resulted in an unstable economy in the late 20th century, when living standards dropped dramatically.
Roman Catholicism is the main religion of the population.
Capital of Argentina = Buenos Aires.
Currency of Argentina = Peso (formerly the Austral).
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