ARGENTINA: AREA, HISTORY, GOVERNMENT, POPULATION, ETC.
Argentina, from the south the first country on the Atlantic coast, the
second largest in South America, has been called not only the most
progressive on that continent but the richest per capita on the globe.
AREA, POPULATION, BOUNDARY
=Area.= Occupying the greater part of the southern extremity of the
continent, Argentina is nearly 2300 miles long, with an extreme width
just south of Paraguay of 930 miles. Nearly as broad in the centre, the
country below the Province of Buenos Aires narrows rapidly towards the
south. Extending from 22° to 56° S. Lat., it has an area of 1,154,000
square miles, equal to about one-third of Europe and more than
one-third of the United States: approximately that of the part east of
the Mississippi River with Texas in addition.
=Population.= In 1919 the inhabitants were reckoned as over 8,000,000.
In 1921 there may be 9,000,000, at least 8,500,000; more than seven to
a square mile. Ninety per cent of the population is found in 40 per
cent of the territory, although the rest may be the richest.
=Boundary.= While boundary disputes have occurred with her neighbors as
in the case of the other South American countries, all of Argentina’s
have been amicably settled by arbitration or agreement. Bolivia and
Paraguay, a trifle of Brazil and of Uruguay are on her northern border,
the last three are on the east; a long stretch of the Atlantic Ocean
is at the southeast; at the south is a bit of Chile, which country
extends along the entire western boundary.
HISTORY
While a few settlements were made in Argentina (the country was
discovered in 1508) from a half to a whole century earlier than those
of our own coast cities, the country was so hampered by restrictions
of immigration and commerce, exceeding those placed on the West Coast,
that its growth was stifled. After proclaiming independence it suffered
for years from internal disorders, but during the last half century its
development has been phenomenal. In 1535, the same year that Pizarro
founded Lima, Pedro de Mendoza landed on the south shore of La Plata
River and made at Buenos Aires the first settlement on this part of
the continent. But the Indians of the East Coast were more savage than
most of those on the West, and a few years later, after many colonists
had been killed, the little town was abandoned. In 1580 it was
re-established by Juan de Garay, after a number of settlements had been
made in other districts, as at Mendoza, Santiago, Tucumán, and Córdoba.
Previously attached to the great dominion ruled from Peru, in 1776 a
Viceroyalty was established at Buenos Aires.
In 1806-07, during a European war, the city was attacked by British
forces which were ultimately obliged to retreat. By reason of this
success the colonists became more self reliant, and May 25th, 1810,
they formed a junta of citizens who took from the Viceroy the control
of the Government. While this was done in the name of Ferdinand VII,
the date is regarded as the birth of their independence. July 9th,
the date of the Proclamation of Independence by an Argentine Congress
in 1816, is alike celebrated. Not being at first obliged to fight a
Spanish army in Argentina, some of the colonists under General San
Martín kindly assisted in liberating Chile and later Peru from the
Spanish yoke. Meanwhile Congress having declared independence had made
Buenos Aires the seat of government. Yet during civil strife which
for many years continued, the Province of Buenos Aires was at one time
an independent State, separated from the Argentine Federation. In 1861
matters were finally settled and reunion was established. In the latter
part of that decade occurred the Paraguayan War, which was followed
by some internal difficulties; but with many able leaders, growth and
prosperity for the most part have since prevailed.
GOVERNMENT
The Government of Argentina is that of a Federal rather than
a Centralized Republic, although in fact the President has a
preponderating influence, with certain rights of intervention in the
affairs of any Province. The constitution following quite closely that
of the United States, there are the three usual branches. The President
of the Republic, elected for a term of six years, is not immediately
eligible for reëlection. Congress has a Senate of 30 members and a
Chamber of Deputies of 158.
The Provinces have each a Governor and a Legislative Assembly of
its own choosing. The Governors of Territories are appointed by the
President. A Territory has the privilege of becoming a Province when
it has 50,000 inhabitants, but for some reason this right has not been
exercised. The Federal District, the City of Buenos Aires, is governed
by a Mayor and a Council elected by tax paying residents.
Male citizens have the right of suffrage at the age of 18. The passage
of a law, at the initiative of President Dr. Roque Saenz Peña, made the
exercise of the franchise obligatory upon all native born citizens, and
on foreigners after two years of residence, thus inaugurating a great
change. At the first election under the new law in 1916, Dr. Hipolito
Irigoyen of the Radical Party was chosen President by the Electoral
College, the first person outside of the previously governing class to
be elected.
There are 14 Provinces corresponding to our States, and 10 Territories,
besides the Federal District, Buenos Aires. The best obtainable
figures of the area and population of the Provinces and Territories
with those of the population and altitude of their capitals follow. The
Provinces are named in order from the north across from west to east in
four rows, thus beginning at the northwest:
-------------------+--------+----------+---------------+----------+----------+-------------
PROVINCES | AREA, |POPULATION| CAPITALS |POPULATION|ALTITUDES,|DISTANCE FROM
| in | | | | in feet | BUENOS
| square | | | | | AIRES,
| miles | | | | | in miles
-------------------+--------+----------+---------------+----------+----------+-------------
Jujuy | 15,800| 78,000|Jujuy | 25,000 | 3,675 | 937
Salta | 62,160| 160,000|Salta | 40,000 | 5,200 | 925
Catamarca | 37,000| 110,000|Catamarca | 15,000 | 1,663 | 833
Tucumán | 10,400| 350,000|Tucumán | 100,000 | 1,522 | 718
Santiago del Estero| 75,000| 265,000|Santiago | 35,000 | 593 | 630
San Juan | 38,000| 130,000|San Juan | 20,000 | 2,077 | 750
La Rioja | 38,000| 85,000|La Rioja | 13,000 | 1,650 | 506
Córdoba | 67,000| 750,000|Córdoba | 135,000 | 1,428 | 432
Santa Fé | 50,000| 1,000,000|Santa Fé | 80,000 | 52 | 298
Corrientes | 33,000| 400,000|Corrientes | 40,000 | .... | 838
Entre Rios | 30,000| 450,000|Paraná | 80,000 | .... | 356
Mendoza | 55,370| 300,000|Mendoza | 65,000 | 2,470 | 651
San Luis | 30,000| 127,000|San Luis | 25,000 | 2,513 | 488
Buenos Aires | 117,800| 2,200,000|La Plata | 135,000 | 34 |
Federal District | 72| 1,800,000|Buenos Aires |1,800,000 | |
| | | | | |
TERRITORIES | | | | | |
Los Andes | 35,000| 2,600|San Antonio | 1,000 | 11,000 | 1,056
Formosa | 44,000| 52,000|Formosa | 4,200 | 208 |
Chaco | 386,000| 65,000|Resistencia | 12,000 | 144 | 840
Misiones | 11,880| 52,000|Posadas | 10,000 | 407 | 700
Pampa Central | 58,000| 110,000|Sta. Rosa de | | |
| | | Toay | 5,400 | .... | 376
Neuquen | 42,470| 31,500|Neuquen | 4,500 | 870 | 740
Rio Negro | 77,220| 42,000|Viedma | 7,500 | .... | 577
Chubut | 946,000| 23,000|Rawson | 8,000 | |
Santa Cruz | 111,000| 10,000|Puerto Gallegos| 3,000 | |
Tierra del Fuego | 8,300| 2,500|Ushuaiá | 1,600 | .... | 1,600
-------------------+--------+----------+---------------+----------+----------+-------------
The Territories are four at the extreme north, and the remaining six
south of a line from Mendoza to the City of Buenos Aires.
POPULATION
With an estimated population of at least 8,600,000, Argentina suffered
a large decrease in its previously great immigration, as well as a
considerable emigration, during the Great War, which in other ways at
first gravely interrupted its prosperity. In the 50 years preceding
1912, over 4,000,000 immigrants had entered the country, more than
3,000,000 remaining. Of those entering, the Italians numbered over
2,000,000, Spanish over 1,000,000; those of any other nationality
except 200,000 French were each fewer than 100,000. The Negroes and the
Indians of earlier days, except perhaps 100,000 of the latter in remote
sections, have become assimilated or killed. The Chaco Indians, it is
said, are not difficult to domesticate, especially the Tobas living
near the Bermejo River. The people are generally considered the most
homogeneous of any of the South American countries except Uruguay, as
nearly all are of European descent. Here as in Chile we observe the
effect of location in the temperate zone, all of the country being so
situated except a small section at the north.
A great preponderance of population is in the cities, one fifth of the
whole in the city of Buenos Aires. While the people are proud of its
greatness they have begun to realize that this concentration is not
for the general welfare. Forty-three per cent of the urban and 25 per
cent of the entire population is said to be foreign born. Aside from
the Capital of the Republic, there are in the Province of Buenos Aires
five cities with a population above 50,000 and a dozen more with over
30,000. In Buenos Aires there is a large social circle of wealth and
culture, as well as a laboring class with strong radical elements.
EDUCATION
Education receives much attention and $25,000,000 are annually devoted
to this purpose. Primary education is free and called compulsory.
There are primary and secondary schools, Universities, Normal Schools,
Technical Colleges, Schools Agrarian and Veterinary, of Viticulture,
Mines, Arts, and Music. The Universities are at Buenos Aires, La Plata,
Córdoba, Tucumán, and Santa Fé; there are three Schools of Commerce at
Buenos Aires, and one each at Rosario and Concordia. In various towns
are private schools, some English and American. The schools generally
are of high grade, and it was said by a former Argentine Ambassador,
corroborated by other persons familiar with Buenos Aires, that their
school children knew more about the United States than most of our
business men and Members of Congress knew about Argentina. Many of
their school buildings, though usually smaller than ours, are superior
in architectural beauty.
PRESS, RELIGION, ETC.
=Press.= As to the Press, Buenos Aires can boast of two of the
wealthiest and best newspapers in the world, the _Prensa_ and the
_Nación_. Not many years ago, the _Prensa_ contained as many pages of
telegraphic and cable dispatches as any New York paper had columns,
and articles superior in literary and intellectual ability. It was
pronounced by some Europeans the best newspaper in the world. Buenos
Aires has other papers of almost equal merit, besides several in
English and in other foreign languages.
=Religion.= In Religion there is entire freedom, but the President must
be of the Roman Catholic Church. One in Buenos Aires no longer sees
women with _manta_ or lace veil over their heads for church going as on
the West Coast.
=Telegraph.= Argentina has about 45,000 miles of telegraph lines,
ample cable connections, and a dozen or more wireless stations.
Telephones are in general use in all the large cities and in many
smaller places.
=Money= current in Argentina is paper, with coins for small change. A
paper peso is equal to .44 of a gold peso, which is a little less than
an American dollar, 96.48 cents; but for practical purposes except in
large transactions a paper peso may be reckoned as 44 cents.