ARGENTINE REPUBLIC

[s. 66] : One of the most important of the South American republics. It occupies that portion of the continent south of. 49 latitude 22° S., with the exception of the western slope of the Andes which forms Chile. It is bounded on the north by Bolivia and Paraguay and on the east by Brazil and Uruguay. Its southern boundary has long been a matter of dispute with Chile, but was settled by treaty in 1881, according to the terms of which Pata.gonia was ceded to the Republic as far south as the Straits of Magellan, along with the eastern portion of Tierra del Fuego. At the same time a line running along the crest of the Andes was defined as the western boundary. At present the country is divided into 14 provinces and 9 territories, with a combined area of 1,319,247.square miles and an estimated population, in The provinces are: Buenos 1900, of 4,659,067. Aires, Santa F^, Entre Rios, Corrientes, Rioja, San Juan, Mendoza, Cordova, Cat a marc a, San Luiz, Santiago, Tucaman, Salta, Jujuy. With such an extent of latitude the climate is most varied, tho in general healthful. All gradations between a temperate cool climate and a moist, tropical one may be found in this In Northern Patagonia the climate Republic. resembles that of the British Isles, while Buenos Aires rivals in salubrity the south of France. dry cool temperature prevails along the mountain slopes, but along the coast at the north a thoroughly tropical climate is found. The most remarkable feature of the country is its great plains or pampas, which occupy about three-fourths of the surface, stretching On 2,000 miles in length and 500 in width. these plains great herds of cattle are raised, and within late years wheat has been grown. The population has a large percentage of foreigners ^Italians, French, Spanish, Germans, English), and the remainder consists of descendants of the Spaniards and Guarani and Quichua Indians. Negro descendants are scarce, as few slaves were brought to this section. Spanish is the prevailing language, tho in Corrientes the Ouarani language is spoken, and Quichua in Santiago. The government encourages immigration from the south of Europe. Altho it has an area twenty times as large as that of the New England States, the Argentine Republic contains a population of le than three per square mile. The broadest religious liberty is recognized; and the agricultural settlement founded by the late Baron Hirsch for Jewish refugees is most flourishing. The Argentine Republic was occupied as a Mi ion field in 1836 by the ME, which now has 5 stations there; and in stations and outstations about 2,000 communicants connected with its churches. The SAMS, the Seventh Day Advent ist Mi ionary Society, the International Medical and Benevolent Society, the South American Evangelical Mi ionary Society, and the Mi ionary Pence A ociation have establishments at Buenos Aires. The BFBS and the also have agents in that city. The Christian and Mi ionary Alliance and the Plymouth Brethren carry on mi ionary operations in two or three places, but no published statistics give information as to its extent. A YMCA ARIVONIMAMO: Town situated west of An tan an a rivo, Madagascar; station of the Friends’ Foreign Mi ion A ociation (1888) with 2 unmarried mi ionary women and 234 native workers, men and women; 60 outstations and preaching places and 550 profe ing Christians. Arabian Armenian Clinrcli ARKONA: A small town in the Transvaal Colony, South Africa, situated on the Lepalule River, northeast of Pretor i a. Mi ion station of the Berlin Evangelical Luther an M. S. (1877), with 1 mi ionary and 18 native workers, men and women, and 2 outstations. 67