The Argentine Republic, located in southern South America,
has an area of 1,073,518 sq. mi. (3,761,274 sq. km.) and an estimated
population of 37.03 million. Capital: Buenos Aires. Its varied
topography ranges from the subtropical lowlands of the north
to the towering Andean Mountains in the west and the windswept
Patagonian steppe in the south. The rolling, fertile pampas
of central Argentina are ideal for agriculture and grazing, and
support most of the republic´s population. Meatpacking, flour milling,
textiles, sugar refining and dairy products are the principal
industries. Oil is found in Patagonia, but most mineral requirements
must be imported.
Argentina was discovered in 1516 by the Spanish navigator
Juan de Solis. A permanent Spanish colony was established at
Buenos Aires in 1580, but the colony developed slowly. When
Napoleon conquered Spain, the Argentines set up their own government
on May 25, 1810. Independence was formally declared
on July 9, 1816. A strong tendency toward local autonomy, fostered
by difficult transportation, resulted in a federalized union
with much authority left to the states or provinces, which resulted
in the coinage of 1817-1867.
Internal conflict through the first half century of Argentine
independence resulted in a provisional national coinage, chiefly
of crown-sized silver. Provincial issues mainly of minor denominations
supplemented this.
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