Economy of Argentina GDP levels in the world, at par with Canada and Australia and surpassing both France and Italy. Argentina today (2018) is plagued by currency crisis which involved a potential bailout from International Monetary Fund. The currency declined by 18% over a period of 12 days in May 2018 to more than 25 Argentine pesos per U.S. Dollar. Argentina is considered an emerging market by the FTSE Global Equity Index (2018), and is one of the G-20 major economies. Prior to the 1880s, Argentina was a relatively isolated backwater, dependent on the salted meat, wool, leather, and hide industries for both
Ethnic groups of Argentina largest Jewish urban centers in the world (see also History of the Jews in Argentina). There are 1,300,000–3,500,000 Argentines whose ancestry traces back to any of various waves of immigrants, largely of levantine cultural and linguistic heritage and/or identity. Most Levantine Argentines are from either Lebanese or Syrian background, originating mainly from what is now Lebanon and Syria. There are people from other Arabic speaking countries in lesser numbers. Most are Christians of the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic (Maronite) Churches. The first Levantines settled in Argentina in the 19th century, and most who came during this time period were