rs of grain
and beef; principal crops - wheat, corn, sorghum, soybeans, sugar beets
Illicit drugs:
increasing use as a transshipment country for cocaine headed for the US and
Europe
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.0 billion; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $4.4 billion;
Communist countries (1970-89), $718 million
Currency:
peso (plural - pesos); 1 pesos = 100 centavos

:Argentina Economy

Exchange rates:
pesos per US$1 - 0.99076 (Feburary 1992), 0.95355 (1991), 0.48759 (1990),
0.04233 (1989), 0.00088 (1988), 0.00021 (1987)
Fiscal year:
calendar year

:Argentina Communications

Railroads:
34,172 km total (includes 209 km electrified); includes a mixture of
1.435-meter standard gauge, 1.676-meter broad gauge, 1.000-meter narrow
gauge, and 0.750-meter narrow gauge
Highways:
208,350 km total; 47,550 km paved, 39,500 km gravel, 101,000 km improved
earth, 20,300 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways:
11,000 km navigable
Pipelines:
crude oil 4,090 km; petroleum products 2,900 km; natural gas 9,918 km
Ports:
Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Necochea, Rio Gallegos, Rosario, Santa Fe
Merchant marine:
98 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,235,385 GRT/1,952,307 DWT; includes
35 cargo, 6 refrigerated cargo, 6 container, 1 railcar carrier, 33 oil
tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 3 liquefied gas, 10 bulk; in addition, 2 naval
tankers and 1 military transport are sometimes used commercially
Civil air:
56 major transport aircraft
Airports:
1,702 total, 1,473 usable; 137 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with
runways over 3,659 m; 31 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 326 with runways
1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
extensive modern system; 2,650,000 telephones (12,000 public telephones);
microwave widely used; broadcast stations - 171 AM, no FM, 231 TV, 13
shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations; domestic satellite
network has 40 earth stations

:Argentina Defense Forces

Branches:
Argentine Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic, Argentine Air Force,
National Gendarmerie, Argentine Naval Prefecture (Coast Guard only),
National Aeronautical Police Force
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 8,101,856; 6,568,885 fit for military service; 276,457 reach
military age (20) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange ra