Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tourism is flourishing and is the third-
largest source of the country's income.
However, poverty has risen since the
1980s, and crime and security worry
most Argentinians, as does the “brain
drain.” After the 2001 banking disaster,
many of Argentina's talented young
people left the country, and many have
stayed away despite the gradual
improvement in affairs back home.
Politics
For the majority of Argentinians, the
political arena has been the source
of more drama and damage than the
worst trials and tribulations of the
economy. While there have always
been
caudillos
(political-military
dictators) in Argentina, almost all
Argentinians view the generals who
ran the country during the 1976-83
period as tyrants. However, national
politics since the military dictatorship
has been relatively stable and peaceful,
and, while democracy has brought its
own set of problems for Argentinians,
few would exchange today's elected
leaders for the dictators of the past.
Today, the country's government is a
representative-democratic, federal, and
presidential one where-
in the president is both
the head of state and
head of government,
complemented by a
multiparty system. The
country is divided into
a federal capital and 23
provinces; the federal
government is headed
by the president and
the bicameral national
congress, and the
provinces by governors.
After winning the
popular vote in the
October 2007 elections,
Argentina's First Lady,
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, became
the president of Argentina.
Gaucho on an estancia near El Calafate, Patagonia
Economy
The Argentinian economy has
experienced several booms and melt-
downs in the past, and Argentinians have
always kept a close watch on economic
fluctuations. In the late 1980s, only a few
years after the return of democracy, infla-
tion soared to 1,000 percent. During the
presidency of Carlos Menem in the
1990s, Argentinians thought a new era
had been ushered in: the peso was
pegged to the dollar, credit was available,
and people were able
to afford all kinds of
luxuries. No one was
prepared for what hap-
pened in December
2001, when a run on the
banks caused the gov-
ernment to sequester
private savings, and
eventually led to the
collapse of the peso.
Today, as the country
experi ences a mod erate
economic revival, confi-
dence is gradually
returning. The country is
one of the biggest and
most prestigious beef
exporters in the world, and the fifth-
largest wine-producer in the world.
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner during the
presidential elections
