World Factbook
Argentina
República Argentina
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
2,736,690 sq km
water
43,710 sq km
total
2,780,400 sq km
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
Land use
other
40.4% (2023 est.)
forest
17.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
42.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 14.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 27.3% (2023 est.)
Location
Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay
Coastline
4,989 km
Elevation
lowest point
Laguna del Carbón (located between Puerto San Julián and Comandante Luis Piedra Buena in the province of Santa Cruz) -105 m
highest point
Cerro Aconcagua (located in the northwestern corner of the province of Mendoza; highest point in South America) 6,962 m
mean elevation
595 m
Irrigated land
13,910 sq km (2018)
Major aquifers
Guaraní Aquifer System
Map references
South America
Land boundaries
total
11,968 km
border countries
Bolivia 942 km; Brazil 1,263 km; Chile 6,691 km; Paraguay 2,531 km; Uruguay 541 km
Maritime claims
contiguous zone
24 nm
territorial sea
12 nm
continental shelf
200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Natural hazards
San Miguel de Tucumán and Mendoza areas in the Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike the pampas and northeast; heavy flooding in some areas volcanism: volcanic activity in the Andes Mountains along the Chilean border; Copahue (2,997 m) last erupted in 2000; other historically active volcanoes include Llullaillaco, Maipo, Planchón-Peteroa, San José, Tromen, Tupungatito, and Viedma
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); diverse geophysical landscapes range from tropical climates in the north to tundra in the far south; Cerro Aconcagua is the Western Hemisphere's tallest mountain, while Laguna del Carbón is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere; shares Iguazú Falls, the world's largest waterfalls system, with Brazil
Natural resources
fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium, arable land
Area - comparative
slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US
Geographic coordinates
34 00 S, 64 00 W
Population distribution
one third of the population lives in Buenos Aires; pockets of agglomeration occur throughout the northern and central parts of the country; Patagonia to the south remains sparsely populated
Major lakes (area sq km)
salt water lake(s)
Laguna Mar Chiquita - 1,850 sq km;
fresh water lake(s)
Lago Buenos Aires (shared with Chile) - 2,240 sq km; Lago Argentino - 1,410 sq km; Lago Viedma - 1,090 sq km; Lago San Martín (shared with Chile) - 1,010 sq km; Lago Colhué Huapi - 800 sq km; Lago Fagnano (shared with Chile) - 590 sq km; Lago Nahuel Huapi - 550 sq km
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage
Paraná (2,582,704 sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Río de la Plata/Paraná river mouth (shared with Brazil [s], Paraguay, and Uruguay) - 4,880 km; Paraguay (shared with Brazil [s], and Paraguay [m]) - 2,549 km; Uruguay (shared with Brazil [s] and Uruguay [m]) - 1,610 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth