ARGENTINE
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thoroughly defeated, some of the English
battle flags which were captured still being
exhibited in Buenos Aires.
The government of the Argentine Nation
is patterned after that of the United States
of America, and has a constitution similar in
its important features. There are three
branches of government, executive, legislative
and judicial; the legislative power being
vested in a Congress composed of a Senate
and a House of Deputies. The executive
power is vested in a President and Vice-Presi
dent elected as those of the United States, each
holding office for the period of six years. Of
late the Government has been very stable and
there have been less tendencies to overthrow
the authorized power than in most Latin
American countries. By a treaty with Chile
in 1881, the great territory of Patagonia, to
the south of the Argentine, was divided be
tween these two nations.
Argentine covers an area of 1,153,418 square
miles, or about one-third as large as the
United States. To be more specific it is as