es average about 0 C (32 F). In most coastal areas, however, the ocean exerts a moderating influence on temperatures.The traditional wealth of Argentina is in the vast Pampas, which are used for extensive grazing and grain production. "However, Argentine mineral resources, especially offshore deposits of petroleum and natural gas, have assumed increasing importance in recent decades."(Encarta Online)About 85 percent of the population is of European origin. Unlike most Latin American countries, "Argentina has relatively few mestizos (persons of mixed European and Native American ancestry)"(Encarta Online). Spanish and Italian immigrants have predominated. "According to the 1991 census, Argentina had a population of 32,663,983."(Encarta Online)Argentina has 23 provinces; the self-governing Distrito Federal which consists of the city of Buenos Aires and several suburbs; the Argentine-claimed sector of Antarctica; and several South Atlantic islands. "The provinces are grouped into five major areas: the Atlantic Coastal, or Littoral, provinces, comprising Buenos Aires (excluding the city of Buenos Aires), Chaco, Corrientes, Entre Ros, Formosa, Misiones, and Santa Fe; the Northern provinces, comprising Jujuy, Salta, Santiago del Estero, and Tucumn; the Central provinces, comprising Crdoba, La Pampa, and San Luis; the provinces of the Andes, or Andina, comprising San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, La Rioja, Mendoza, Neuqun, and San Juan; and the Patagonian provinces, comprising Chubut, Ro Negro, Santa Cruz, and Tierra del Fuego."(Encarta Online) Buenos Aires is Argentina's capital and largest city. Other important cities include Crdoba, the river port of Rosario, La Plata, the capital of Buenos Aires Province Mar del Plata, a resort city at the mouth of the Ro de la Plata San Miguel de Tucumn, a diversified manufacturing center Salta, famous for its colonial architecture and Mendoza, hub of an important agricultural and wine-growing re...
