Argentina Environment - 2022

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Environment - current issues

environmental problems (urban and rural) typical of an industrializing economy such as deforestation, soil degradation (erosion, salinization), desertification, air pollution, and water pollution

Environment - international agreements

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation

Air pollutants

particulate matter emissions: 11.83 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions: 201.35 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions: 120.66 megatons (2020 est.)

Climate

mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest

Land use

agricultural land: 53.9% (2018 est.)

arable land: 13.9% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.4% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 39.6% (2018 est.)

forest: 10.7% (2018 est.)

other: 35.4% (2018 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 92.5% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 0.97% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030

Revenue from forest resources

forest revenues: 0.09% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from coal

coal revenues: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Major infectious diseases

note: widespread ongoing transmission of a respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is occurring throughout Argentina; as of 9 December 2022, Argentina has reported a total of 9,739,856 cases of COVID-19 or 21,550.36 cumulative cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 population with a total of 130,034 cumulative deaths or 287.7 cumulative deaths per 100,000 population; as of 8 December 2022, 91% of the population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually: 17,910,550 tons (2014 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually: 1,074,633 tons (2010 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 6% (2010 est.)

Major lakes (area sq km)

fresh water lake(s): Lago Buenos Aires (shared with Chile) - 2,240 sq km; Lago Argentino - 1,410 sq km; Lago Viedma - 1,090 sq km; Lago San Martin (shared with Chile) - 1,010 sq km; Lago Colhue Huapi - 800 sq km; Lago Fagnano (shared with Chile) - 590 sq km; Lago Nahuel Huapi - 550 sq km

salt water lake(s): Laguna Mar Chiquita - 1,850 sq km;

Major rivers (by length in km)

Rio de la Plata/Parana river mouth (shared with Brazil [s], Paraguay, and Uruguay) - 4,880 km; Paraguay (shared with Brazil [s], and Paraguay [m]) - 2,549 km; Uruguay (shared with Brazil [s] and Uruguay [m]) - 1,610 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Atlantic Ocean drainage: Paraná (2,582,704 sq km)

Major aquifers

Guarani Aquifer System

Total water withdrawal

municipal: 5.85 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial: 4 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural: 27.93 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total renewable water resources

876.24 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Argentina on this page is re-published from the 2022 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Argentina 2022 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Argentina 2022 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.