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Religion
Religious practises : Catholics 89.9%
Protestants 2.1%
Jews 1.9%
Others 6.1%.

Argentina is a federal Republic based on parliamentary democracy. The President of the country enjoys immense constitutional powers and is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The official name of Argentina is Republic of Argentina.
President is both the chief of the state and head of the government. President holds the executive powers. Both President and Vice-President are elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms and can be re-elected for two consecutive terms. The president appoints the Cabinet. Argentina has 23 provinces and 1 autonomous federal district, which retain those powers not vested in the federal government and elect their own provincial legislators, governors and local officials.
The legislature in Argentina is bicameral. The parliament called National Congress consists of: Chamber of Deputies (lower house), its members are directly elected for a four-year term and the Senate (upper house), its members are directly elected for a six-year term.The people enjoy considerable political rights with free & fair elections.
The judiciary is largely independent. The constitution of 1853 (revised in 1994) is the primary source of law in Argentina. The legal system in the country is a mixture of US and West European legal systems. Each province also has its own constitution, roughly mirroring the structure of the federal constitution. The country has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction. Argentina belongs to MERCOSUR which has some legislative supranational functions. The judicial language in the country is Spanish; having an interpreter is always possible.
The country is generally ruled by law, though there is some degree of lawlessness in certain provinces. Foreign nationals in Argentina can enjoy treatment at par with the natives from the judiciary which includes even the commercial disputes. The level of corruption in the country is quite high. Though government claims that corruption in the country has been restricted, but there have been instances of private companies bribing officials to get government contracts.

The country has two large political parties: the PJ (Justicialist Party also called Peronist Party) and the UCR (Radical Civic Union). Traditionally, the UCR has had more urban middle-class support and the PJ more labour support, but both parties have become broader based now. Smaller parties, such as the centre-right PRO (Republican Initiative Alliance) and the more-leftist-leaning ARI (Argentina for a Republic of Equals) occupy various positions on the political spectrum, and some are active only in certain provinces.

President: Nestor KIRCHNER (since May 2003).
His wife, Cristina KIRCHNER will succeed him as she was elected on october 28th 2007. She will take her new functions as President of Argentina on december the 10th 2007.
Vice President: Daniel SCIOLI (since May 2003).

Presidential (and Vice-Presidential): Year 2007
Chamber of Deputies & the Senate: Year 2007

For more information about tourism in Argentina , check out the following web site(s) :
Secretary of Tourism of Argentina

Food

Traditional dishes
Beef is the meat that is sampled under all its forms and throughout Argentina:
-Bife de lomo (very thick and soft filet)
-Bife de chorizo (very popular in Argentina, sirloin steak cooked with its own fat)...
Beef is also eaten in the Gauchoes style with Parilladas or Asados where the filets, ribs, sausages, chorizo, calf sweetbread are cooked on charcoal. And naturally, as usuals in Argentina, portions are huge. The Chimichuri, a kind of Argentinian mustard elaborated with 22 different spices, is ideal to eat along with this tasty meat.
-Rabbit in red wine
-Lamb cooked in live charcoal
-Ewe Cheeses
-Macaroons of Cordoba: Double biscuits filled up with milk cream with chocolate or vanilla... on the top.
-Carbonada en Zapallo: Filled Gourd. All products of the Argentinian ground can be found in this dish. One can put in some beef pieces but in certain coastal regions, they are replaced with fish.
-Dulce of leche - Milk Jam: This milk jam crossed, for some years, the South American borders. It is served with bread as regular jam, with chocolate and can be coated in between a pile of pancakes.
-Matambre - Stuffed rolled meat of beef with hard-boiled eggs: It is a traditional dish which is either served warm or cold and is literally translated by "kill hunger".
-Parilla: roasted rib steak. In Argentina, offals are used as a garnish. The rib steak is served on a wooden board.
-Rogel of Dulce of leche: Cream slice with milk jam.

Food-related taboos
Culinary taboos vary with the religion.

Last modified on December 2006