Argentina, 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 nation 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.

Population
	34,995,000
	(1996 estimate)
Population Density
	12.6 people/sq km
	(32.8 people/sq mi)
	(1996 estimate)
Urban/Rural Breakdown
	87% Urban
	13% Rural
Largest Cities
	Buenos Aires2,965,403
	Córdoba1,208,713
	Rosario894,645
	(1991 census)
Largest Metropolitan Areas
	Buenos Aires12,594,974
	Córdoba1,179,420
	Rosario1,157,372
	(1992 provisional estimates)
Ethnic Groups
	85% White 
	15% Other
	including Mestizo and Native American
Languages
Official Language
	Spanish
Other Languages
	Italian, Native American languages
Religions
	91% Roman Catholicism
	9%  Other
	including Protestantism and Judaism