I.

Introduction

Argentina or Argentine Republic, officially Argentine Republic, federal republic in southern South America, bordered on the north by Bolivia and Paraguay; on the east by Brazil, Uruguay, and the Atlantic Ocean; on the south by the Atlantic Ocean and Chile; and on the west by Chile. The country occupies most of the southern portion of the continent of South America and is somewhat triangular in shape, with the base in the north and the apex at Punta Dungeness, the south-eastern extremity of the continental mainland. The length of Argentina from north to south is about 3,330 km (2,070 mi); its maximum width is about 1,384 km (860 mi). The country includes the Tierra del Fuego territory, which comprises the eastern half of the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego and a number of adjacent islands to the east, including Isla de los Estados. The area of Argentina is 2,780,400 sq km (1,073,518 sq mi); it is the second-largest South American country, after Brazil. Argentina, however, claims a total of 2,808,602 sq km (1,084,120 sq mi), including the Falkland Islands, and other sparsely settled southern Atlantic islands as well as part of Antarctica. The Argentine coastline measures 2,665 km (1,656 mi) in length. The capital and largest city is Buenos Aires.