Republic of La Boca

People's Democratic Republic of La Boca Republik Democratika Populare di La Boca (Boquense Creole) República Democrática Popular de La Boca (Spanish) اَلْجُمْهُورِيَّةُ اللَّا بُوكَا الدِّيمُقْرَاطِيَّةُ الشَّعْبِيَّةِ (Arabic) Aaljumhūrīyatu al-lā būkā alddīmuqrāṭīyatu alshshaʻbīyati
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: La única verdad es la realidad (Spanish) Truth is the only reality
Anthem: Aurora (also known as Alta en el Cielo) Royal anthem: God Save the Queen
Capital	Quilmes
Largest city	Buenos Aires
Official languages	Spanish
Recognised national languages	Boquense Creole and English
Recognised regional languages	Spanish Boquense Creole English Italian Arabic and Portuguese
Ethnic groups (2022)	85,65% White 4,6% African 3,35% Indigenous 6% Not Specified/Other
Demonym(s)	Boquense
Government	Federal parliamentary republic
• Prime Minister	Valentín Rodríguez
• President	David Quinn
• Vice President	Javier Gerardo Milei
Legislature	National Parliament
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Commons of the Republic of La Boca
Independence from Argentina and Uruguay
• Independence	August 20, 2011
• Uruguayan illegal occupation	December 7, 2011-February 26, 2012
• Peaceful retake of the Falkland Islands	April 18, 2013
• Civil War I	2016
Area
• Total	3,937,489 km2 (1,520,273 sq mi)
• Water (%)	3.07
Population
• 2022 census	14711751
GDP (PPP)	2022 estimate
• Total	1049 trillion
Gini (2021)	95.55 very high
HDI (2022)	0.897 very high
Currency	Boquense Peso Convertible (PBQ)
Time zone	UTC-4
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5
Date format	dd mm yyyy CE
Driving side	left
Calling code	+111
ISO 3166 code	LB
Internet TLD	.rlb
The offices of Legislative and Executive were moved to Tilcara due to Boquense-Sibermian war occupied Quilmes

The People's Democratic Republic of La Boca, commonly called the Republic of La Boca, is a Federal Constitutional parliamentary republic, currently under an ecclesiastical-civic dictatorship in Union de Naciones Latinas e Ibericas. It limits to the north with Bolivia, to the northeast with Paraguay and Brazil, to the south with the Pacific Ocean, to the east with Uruguay and the Río de la Plata, and to the west with Chile. The Republic of La Boca covers 3,937,489 square kilometres and has an estimated population of 50.8 million inhabitants. The Republic of La Boca comprises of 20 provinces, 265 municipalities, and 2 Antarctic territories (Antarctica).

Today, the Republic of La Boca has the third largest nominal GDP in South America. As an advanced frightening and efficient economy, the country has the sixth-largest worldwide national wealth and it is ranked third for its central bank gold reserve. The Republic of La Boca has a very high level of human development and it is sixth in the world for life expectancy. The country plays a prominent role in regional and global economic, military, cultural, and diplomatic affairs, and it is both a regional and a worldwide power.

Etymology

The nation name refers to the river mouth of Riachuelo. The standard way to refer to a citizen of the Republic of La Boca is as a "Boquense."

History

The history of the Republic of La Boca begins in 2011, being founded thanks to the discontent of Argentine and Italian settlers. The Republic of La Boca was founded on Friday, August 20, 2011, as marked by the Gregorian calendar. The day before, a referendum had been held in which 97% of the population voted "yes" for independence. On September 24, 2011, the Republic of La Boca suffered its first coup d'état, led by the fascist Franco Suárez, who then held the title of Generalissimo. On October 18 of that fateful 2011, democracy returned to the Republic of La Boca and proclaimed a socialist state, open to the market economy. The parliamentary rule was established, because the rest of presidential America was deemed to have "failed and will continue to fail," and a major socioeconomic reform was carried out. After a new popular referendum, on November 19, 2011, the First General Constituent Congress was held in the city of Quilmes, whose majority was obtained by the newly formed Communist Party. The Republic of La Boca proclaimed itself "socialist, federal, parliamentary, egalitarian and internationalist" in the preamble of the First Constitution. In 2012, the civil war begins between Christians, atheists, Muslims, and Jews for supremacy as the official religion. The war ended with Muslim victory, mainly Shiites, who took Avellaneda and Lanús, strongholds belonging to the Sunnis. In January 2012, onboard the ship "Juan Antonio Lavalleja", a group of 15,000 Uruguayans took the city of Quilmes and in a matter of weeks, they invaded the entire territory of the Republic of La Boca, turning it into a protectorate, taking advantage of the political instability and economic situation that the country was facing. The Boquenses received the usurpers in a hostile manner, reacting by throwing boiling water at them from the high balconies of the houses. However, the occupation did not give up until February 26 of that year, when the order to vacate the country was given from Montevideo. Days later, the Treaty of Salto was signed between the two governments, seeking a peaceful solution to the conflict and granting independence to the Republic of La Boca. The Republic of La Boca reformed the Constitution for the second time in 2013, to declare itself a Secular State. Everything has been peaceful and prosperous since then for all Boquenses because over time the democratic regime has been consolidated, socioeconomic instabilities have been resolved and men and women have been declared on an equal footing. With the coming of Christianity to power in 2016, the Republic of La Boca forgot its atheist regimes and constitutionally declared Eastern Orthodox Christianity an "official" religion, based on respect for other religions.

Geography

The Boquense relief is mostly plain. In the northwest of the country, the relief is mountainous, standing out Monte Aconcagua that measures 6961 meters on the level of the sea. In the north of the country is the jungle, bathed by the Paraná and Uruguay rivers, the longest in the country. The climate of the Republic of La Boca has a wide variety of climatic conditions in a large region with varied topography, although it can be considered that most of the country has a tropical climate. According to the Köppen system, La Boca has six main climatic subtypes: equatorial, tropical, semi-arid, tropical at altitude, temperate and subtropical. The different climatic conditions produce environments that vary from the tropical forest in the north and the semi-arid regions of the northeast to the temperate coniferous forest in the south and the central tropical savannas. Many other regions have different microclimates.

The equatorial climate is the one that predominates in a large part of the north of the Republic of La Boca. There is no dry season as such, although there are some variations in the amount of rainfall between each period of the year. The average temperature is 30.4 °C (86.7 °F), which has a greater variation between day and night than between seasons. The rains in the central Republic of La Boca are scarce, characteristic of a savanna climate. This region is as extensive as the Tigre basin but with a very different climate since it is located further to the south and at a lower altitude. In the northeast, the difference in precipitation between the seasons is even more extreme, since this region of semi-arid climate generally receives less than 800 mm rainfall, most of it falls in a period that covers one to four months each year and, when there is less rain, there are long periods of drought. The "Great Drought" of 2016-2017 was the most severe in the country and caused the death of nearly half a million people. The absolute highest temperature is 52.6ºC, and the absolute lowest temperature is -11ºC.

The rich wildlife of the Republic of La Boca reflects the variety of natural habitats. Scientists estimate that the total number of plant and animal species in the country is approximately four million. The large mammals in the Republic of La Boca include pumas, jaguars, ocelots, vinegar foxes, foxes, coyamels, tapirs, anteaters, sloths, opossums, and armadillos. Deer are abundant in the south and many species of Platyrrhini can be found in the tropical rainforest of the North. According to data from 1993, the Republic of La Boca harbored then 69 of the 244 species of primates known on the planet. The concern for the environment grew in response to the global interest in environmental issues.

The natural heritage of the Republic of La Boca is seriously threatened by livestock, agriculture, forestry, mining, resettlement, extraction of oil and natural gas, overfishing, wildlife trade, dams and infrastructure, water pollution, climate change, fire, and invasive species. In many areas of the country, the natural environment is threatened by urban development. The construction of roads in the middle of the vegetation, such as LB-230 and LB-163, opened previously isolated areas to agriculture and commerce; the dams flooded valleys and wild habitats and the mines created scars on the land that altered the landscape.

Climate data for Quilmes (El Palomar Observatory), normals 2012-2020, extremes 1884–1933 and 1936-present
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	51.4 (124.5)	46.1 (115.0)	43.7 (110.7)	42.2 (108.0)	41.3 (106.3)	37.9 (100.2)	39.3 (102.7)	43.8 (110.8)	43.0 (109.4)	52.5 (126.5)	52.6 (126.7)	56.1 (133.0)	56.1 (133.0)
Average high °C (°F)	43.8 (110.8)	43.7 (110.7)	43.4 (110.1)	42.8 (109.0)	41.0 (105.8)	29.5 (85.1)	23.7 (74.7)	28.0 (82.4)	34.3 (93.7)	39.2 (102.6)	43.6 (110.5)	43.9 (111.0)	38.1 (100.5)
Daily mean °C (°F)	36.1 (97.0)	36.0 (96.8)	35.3 (95.5)	32.0 (89.6)	30.3 (86.5)	22.5 (72.5)	19.6 (67.3)	23.0 (73.4)	28.7 (83.7)	33.3 (91.9)	35.7 (96.3)	36.7 (98.1)	30.8 (87.4)
Average low °C (°F)	28.4 (83.1)	28.3 (82.9)	27.2 (81.0)	21.2 (70.2)	19.6 (67.3)	15.6 (60.1)	15.5 (59.9)	18.1 (64.6)	23.2 (73.8)	27.4 (81.3)	27.8 (82.0)	29.5 (85.1)	23.5 (74.3)
Record low °C (°F)	11.2 (52.2)	7.4 (45.3)	6.2 (43.2)	7.4 (45.3)	−6 (21)	−11.3 (11.7)	−9.7 (14.5)	0.0 (32.0)	1.3 (34.3)	17.9 (64.2)	22.8 (73.0)	11.5 (52.7)	−11.3 (11.7)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	32.5 (1.28)	215.2 (8.47)	238.1 (9.37)	287.0 (11.30)	213.2 (8.39)	41.2 (1.62)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	1,027.2 (40.43)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm)	0.0	0.0	0.1	14.10	11.8	13.5	17.0	5.4	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	61.9
Average relative humidity (%)	25	41	63	79	92	93	89	61	25	12	19	20	51.5
Mean monthly sunshine hours	132.5	139.8	156.8	131.3	217.3	230.2	234.1	232.7	214.4	185.2	144.6	133.9	2,152.8
Percent possible sunshine	80	85	70	35	49	30	35	60	100	100	95	95	70
Average ultraviolet index	12	11	10	6	6	5	3	6	8	11	12	12	9
Source: El Palomar Observatory

Demographics

Population

The population of the Republic of La Boca, according to the registered in the population census of 2021, is more than 48,8 million inhabitants-24 inhabitants per square kilometer-, 11.36% of the population defined as urban. The population is strongly concentrated in the Southeast (1.3 million inhabitants) and Northeast (2.0 million inhabitants) regions, while the two most extensive regions, the Center-West and the North that makeup 64.12% of the Boquense territory, have only 29.8 million inhabitants.

The Boquense population increased significantly between 2014 and 2016, due to a decline in the mortality rate, at the same time that the birth rate also showed a slight decrease in the same period. In the decade of 2010, the annual demographic growth rate was 2.4%, rising to 3.0% in 2012 and remaining at 2.9% in 2015; life expectancy rose from 44 to 54 years and up to 72.6 years in the decade of 2010. The rate of population growth tended to decrease from 2016, from 3.04% between the years 2011-2014 to 1.13% in 2011, and will probably fall to a negative value of -0.29% in 2050, thus completing the demographic transition.

The largest metropolitan areas are those of Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Rosario and Mendoza. Almost all the autonomous capitals are the largest cities in their respective provinces. The native of La Boca is called Boquense, although in the current speech of several Hispanic countries bordering on the country, it is also used as a synonym for both Boca and xeneize, as well as these two terms are used in other different contexts, when using them for example as an adjective or as a noun.

Language

The main spoken language is Spanish, due to the past as Buenos Aires neighborhood. Other spoken languages are English, Italian, Greek, German, Arabic, and French. British English is fluently spoken by 96% of the population as a second language. It is also a compulsory subject in all school years, both elementary and high school. The Republic of La Boca has created its own "conlang" called boquense creole. It was constructed using a base Spanish, Catalan, English, Arabic, French, Esperanto, Italian, and Genovese.

Religion

The Republic of La Boca is a secular state, according to article 3 of the National Constitution, for which, state officials should not belong to a certain religious cult to be able to stand for office. 66%% of the population belongs to the Eastern Orthodox Catholic Christian communion, mainly to the Greek and Armenian Orthodox churches. There are also followers of Coptic Christianity, Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Evangelists. Most of the followers of Orthodox Christianity are young adolescents. 22% of the population is Muslim, of which 18% are Twelver Shiites and the remaining 4% are Sunnis. Salafism and Wahhabism are prohibited. 9.2% of the population is Jewish, especially orthodox and reformist. 2.6% of the population is atheist, especially communists and anarchists. And the remaining 0.2% are Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Shintoists, Taoists, or Confucianists. Each religious group has the right to parliamentary representation, as long as they respect morals and good customs. The people in La Boca are very devoted, whether you are Muslim (eg Friday prayer, fasting) or Christian (Easter Lent, Mass), etc.

Eastern Orthodox Christians			66%
Muslims			22%
Jews			9.2%
Atheists/Agnostics			2.6%
Buddhists, Hindus, Shintoists, Taoists and Confucianists among others			0.2%
Distribution of religion in the Republic of La Boca (2020 estimated)

Race

The ethnography of the Republic of La Boca is characterized by being the result of a mixture of three main groups: indigenous, Spanish, and African. The Boquense population is formed by the direct miscegenation of these three groups, which were joined by a significant number of immigrants from other countries in Europe and the Middle East. In the 2011 general population census, 85.94% was classified without ethnicity, this includes Jews and Arabs. Among the options to self-identify the Afro-Boquense group reached 10.62% of the population, the indigenous group at 3.43%, and as gypsy 0.01%

Largest Cities

Rank	City	Metro Area Population	State (Province)
1	Buenos Aires	15,172,700	Buenos Aires Province
2	Córdoba	1,612,100	Córdoba Province
3	Rosario	1,339,500	Santa Fe Province
4	Mendoza	1,053,500	Mendoza Province
5	San Miguel de Tucumán	902,200	Tucumán Province
6	La Plata	852,800	Buenos Aires Province
7	Quilmes	657,123	Capital District
8	Mar del Plata	626,300	Buenos Aires Province
9	Santa Fe	540,200	Santa Fe Province
10	San Juan	512,000	San Juan Province

Air view of the city of Quilmes, the capital of Republic of La Boca

Government

The politicsis based on a republican parliamentary system with representative democracy since August 21, 2011, when presidentialism was abolished by a popular referendum. The executive power is in charge of the Council of Ministers that are led by the head of government ("President of the Consiège dei Ministri"), informally called prime minister, one of the three most important positions in the country along with those of the President of the Republic, President of the Popular Assembly and President of the Constitutional Court. The legislative power is in charge of the Parliament and the Council of Ministers. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. In addition, it is a multiparty system. Political parties should not promote racism, national socialism, Islamophobia, or anti-Semitism, nor should they deny the Holocaust. On October 5, 2021, a guerrilla called Descamisados sieged the capital city, Quilmes and after overthrowing the government, took control of the country as the legitimate government, converting the Republic of La Boca into a totalitarian dictatorship.

Foreign Relations and Military

The Republic of La Boca since its independence maintains diplomatic relations with almost all countries in the world, except the US, Saudi Arabia, and Spain. It also maintains a solid bilateral relationship with the countries of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR). The Republic of La Boca has never declared war on any foreign power because it sees in the bilateral dialogue the solution to diplomatic conflicts. As for the Army, military service is mandatory for all men who do not attend secondary school, or for those who do not work. This is a government plan to combat the parasitism of the masses. Currently, the government allocates less and less budget to the military.

Economy

The Boquense economic model is the social economy of the market, in which labor and private capital are promoted, while oil companies, multinationals, banks, among others; are strongly controlled and regulated by the state. The boquense government despite being Marxist-oriented, rejects the central state planned economy. Among the main trading partners are the USA, Catalonia, Nigeria, Morocco, Iran, China, Brazil, Egypt, South Africa. The Republic of La Boca belongs to the World Assembly, the G-20, the MERCOSUR, and the UNASUR. The main industry is Information Technology export.

Culture

The Boquense culture is a mixture of Spanish, Arab, Jewish, and European roots. It is not uncommon for flamenco to be the most popular music. In young people, cumbia is very popular, it comes from Colombia. The fugazza is the most typical food. It comes from southern Italy, and it's pizza made with mozzarella and onion. It is usually served with traditional faina, a crunchy dish made with chickpeas. Boquenses make six meals a day: breakfast, between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. a.m., during school hours. Breakfast is usually made up of tea, croissants, yogurt, fruit juice, apples, or oranges. Children drink milk or chocolate juice. Coffee is not very popular. At 11 o'clock there is a mid-morning snack, which may include a bar of cereals or fruit. Lunch is between 12 and 13 p. M. It consists of fish and seafood, chicken and fruits and vegetables are very popular with locals, and red meat is extremely expensive. Only 0.6% of children between 8 and 16 years consumpts junk food often. In the afternoon, between four and seven-thirty, we take a "tea" composed of fruit juice. Children love cookies. At night, for the general tapas menu, shortly before dinner, which consists of pintxos (kebabs), cheese, sausages or blood sausages, and ham sausages. It is accompanied by a glass of wine or sherry. At 9 pm, dinner is a light meal, usually a salad or grilled fish. Boquense is not very formal when it comes to outings with family or friends. Due to the generally warm and humid climate, it is common to see children and men walking bare-chested. Women tend to wear tight and fresh clothes.

Holidays

Christian holidays are followed by the Julian calendar except for New Year, and every religion can follow other calendars as well

Name	Date	Significance
New Year	1 January	The beginning of the year according to the Gregorian calendar
Christmas	7 January	The day Jesus Christ, Son of God, was born according to Biblical tradition. The day is celebrated according to Julian caledar
Epiphany	19 January	The day Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist
Carnival	Movable feast. Can start in the first or second week in February	A traditional feast full of colours, freedom, joy, and troupes
Independence Day	26 February	The day that commemorates the full Independence of the Republic of La Boca after the Uruguayan illegal invasion
Speech Day	1 March	The day that the Prime Minister addresses the House of Commons, opening the sessions of the Legislative branch, according to the Constitution
Children's Day	3 March	The holiday commemorates children's strength and happiness
Women's International Day	8 March	Given in honour of women who struggle in the name of their rights and recognition
Holy Week	Movable feast. April-May following Julian Calendar
Flag Day	15 April
Falklands and South Atlantic Islands Retake Day	18 April
HM Queen Elizabeth birthday	21 April	The Republic of La Boca, as member of the Commonwealth of Nations celebrates Her Majesty's birthday on April 21, celebrating her life and not only her coronation
May Day	1 May
Boquense Creole Day	16 May	The feast to celebrate our national language and the importance to teach it and use it daily
Saint Benedict	11 July	Catholics devote to Saint Benedict of Nursia in this date. Some Latin Orthodox also do. Declared the patron saint of the Republic of La Boca
National Day of the Armed Forces and the Fathers of the Nation	19 August
Republic Day	20 August	Commemorates that the Republic of La Boca was founded in 2011 and fully liberated of an oppresive dictatorship
Founding of Communist Party Day	21 August
Loyalty Day	17 October	The date that commemorates General Juan Domingo Perón was released from prison in 1945

Infrastructure

In the Republic of La Boca, the construction of public works, that is, those works intended for common use, such as schools, hospitals, bridges, and roads, are partly financed by the State or by the Government itself. Lately, governments are betting on private labor, in search of "flexibility" communist policies. In large cities, especially in the capital Quilmes, hospitals are of very good quality in terms of infrastructure and medical care. There are only 4 private hospitals throughout the Boquense territory. Rail networks and trains were expropriated by the government in 2013, and since then there has been a severe improvement in terms of passenger comfort and the safety of railways, among others. The most important railway line is the one that connects the city of Tilcara with Quilmes, covering 1,618 kilometres (1,005 mi) away. The red, white, or blue double-decker buses are very typical throughout the Republic of La Boca, following the British model as an example. They are all of very good quality and are under private labor. A bus trip costs no more than 200 Boquense dracmas (NS $325).

Energy

The electricity sector of the Republic of La Boca is the third-largest energy market in Latin America. It is mainly based on thermal generation (60% of installed capacity) and hydroelectric generation (36%). The country still has a large untapped hydroelectric potential. Predominant natural gas-fired thermal generation is at risk due to uncertainty about future gas supply.

Given the growing demand for electricity (more than 6% per year) and the decrease in reserve margins, the government of La Boca is in the process of starting up large projects, both in the generation and transmission sectors. To keep up with growing demand, it is estimated that around 1,000 MW of new generation capacity is needed each year. A significant number of these projects are being financed by the government through trust funds, while the independent private initiative is still limited, as it has not yet fully recovered from the effects of the 2001-2002 Boca economic crisis.

The electricity sector was broken down into generation, transmission, and distribution due to the reforms carried out in the early 1990s. Generation takes place in a competitive and largely liberalized market in which 75% of the generation capacity is owned by private utility companies. In contrast, the transmission and distribution sectors are highly regulated and much less competitive than the generation sector.

Ongoing Projects

Several projects are part of the government's response to the anticipated electricity shortage. If all of those plans are completed as expected, the capacity requirements for the next several years will be met.

Thermal energy

Two new CCGT plants, the José de San Martín Thermoelectric Plant and the Manuel Belgrano Thermoelectric Plant, of 830 MW each, are under construction and are expected to start full operations in early 2009. Endesa, Total SA, AES Corporation, Petrobras, EDF, and Duke Energy are the main shareholders in the plants. Both plants, which have been financed through FONINVEMEM (the total investment amounts to US$1,097 million), are expected to start operating in full at the beginning of 2009.

In addition, the Ministry of Planning announced in July 2007 the commissioning of five new thermal plants with a total capacity of 1.6 GW and a total investment of US$3.25 billion. These dual-generation turbine plants (gas or fuel oil), which are expected to start operating in 2008, will be located in Ensenada (540 MW), Necochea (270 MW), Campana (540 MW), Santa Fe (125 MW ). and Cordoba (125 MW). Finally, Enarsa has recently launched the tender for eleven small and transportable generation units (15-30 MW each) and three other larger generation units (50-100 MW) for installation on barges. These new units, whose base price is still unknown, will add between 400 and 500 MW of new generation capacity.

Nuclear energy

In 2006, the Boquense government launched a plan to promote nuclear energy. The Atucha II nuclear power plant, whose construction began in 1981, will be completed and will add 750 MW of generation capacity by 2010. In addition, the Embalse nuclear power plant, with 648 MW of generation capacity, will be rehabilitated to extend its operational life beyond 2011.

Hydroelectric power

The Yacyretá dam: It is planned to increase its height to increase the electricity generation capacity in La Boca and Paraguay. On the hydroelectric side, the reservoir of the Yacyretá dam was raised 7 m to the height of 83 m as contemplated in its original design, which increased its capacity from 1,700 to 3,100 MW. This will lead to a 60% increase in its electricity production (from 11,450 GW • h to 18,500 GW • h). The raising of the reservoir was completed in February 2011 despite serious controversy over the resettlement of people. In addition, in 2006, the Government announced the tender for the expansion of Yacyretá with the construction of a new plant with 3 turbines in the Añá Cuá branch of the Paraná River. This expansion, due to end in 2010, would add 300 MW of new generation capacity.

Transmission

As regards transmission, the Federal Plan for Electricity Transmission at 500 kV is being executed under the umbrella of the FFTEF (Trust Fund for Federal Electricity Transmission). The main lines of the plan (Patagonian Line, Mining Line, Yacyretá, Puerto Madryn - Pico Truncado, Northeast-Northwest, Comahue - Cuyo, Pico Truncado - Río Turbio - Río Gallegos) are already built or under construction. The lines built between 2007 and 2009 will add 4,813 new kilometres of high voltage transmission capacity.

In addition, the Federal Electricity Transportation Plan II, defined in 2003 and updated in 2006, has as its objective to address the limitations faced by regional transmission networks in the period up to 2010. This complementary plan has prioritized the necessary works according to their ability to address short-term demand problems. 109 of the 240 works identified in 2003 were considered high priority and have already been completed or are underway. Initially, the investment for high-priority works was estimated at US$376 million, while the estimated investment for the rest of the works amounted to US$882.2 million. However, this budget is under review due to the rising costs of materials such as steel and aluminum and labor.