Map of Paraguay | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70) Paraguay lost two-thirds of all adult males and much of its territory. It stagnated economically for the next half century. In the Chaco War of 1932-35 large economically important areas were won from Bolivia. The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo STROESSNER was overthrown in 1989 and relatively free and regular presidential elections have been held since then.


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Location: Central South America northeast of Argentina

Geographic coordinates: 23 00 S 58 00 W

Map reference: South America

Area
Comparative: slightly smaller than California

Land boundaries

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions becoming semiarid in the far west

Terrain: grassy plains and wooded hills east of Rio Paraguay; Gran Chaco region west of Rio Paraguay mostly low marshy plain near the river and dry forest and thorny scrub elsewhere

Elevation

Natural resources: hydropower timber iron ore manganese limestone

Land use

Irrigated land: 670 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: local flooding in southeast (early September to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June)

Geography
Note: landlocked; lies between Argentina Bolivia and Brazil


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Population: 5,585,828 (July 2000 est.)
Growth rate: 2.64% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: 36% (2000 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%

Languages: Spanish (official) Guarani (spoken by most of rural population)

Religions: Roman Catholic 90% Mennonite and other Protestant

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 2.64% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 31.27 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 4.81 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.09 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: deforestation (an estimated 2 million hectares of forest land were lost from 1958-85); water pollution; inadequate means for waste disposal present health risks for many urban residents

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 30.81 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total fertility rate: 4.16 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name

Government type: constitutional republic

Capital: Asuncion

Administrative divisions: 17 departments (departamentos singular - departamento) and one capital city; Alto Paraguay Alto Parana Amambay Asuncion (city) Boqueron Caaguazu Caazapa Canindeyu Central Concepcion Cordillera Guaira Itapua Misiones Neembucu Paraguari Presidente Hayes San Pedro

Dependent areas

Independence: 14 May 1811 (from Spain)

National holiday: Independence Days 14-15 May (1811)

Constitution: promulgated 20 June 1992

Legal system: based on Argentine codes Roman law and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 75

Executive branch

Legislative branch: bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (45 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (80 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia judges appointed on the proposal of the Counsel of Magistrates or Consejo de la Magistratura

Political parties and leaders: Authentic Radical Liberal Party or PLRA [Julio Cesar 'Yolito' FRANCO]; Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Miguel MONTANER]; Febrerista Revolutionary Party or PRF [Carlos Maria LJUBETIC]; National Encounter or PEN [Mario PAZ Castaing]; National Republican Association - Colorado Party [acting president Bader RACHID LICHI]

International organization participation: CCC ECLAC FAO G-77 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICFTU ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Intelsat Interpol IOC IOM ISO (correspondent) ITU LAES LAIA Mercosur NAM (observer) OAS OPANAL OPCW PCA RG UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCL WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top) white and blue with an emblem centered in the white band; unusual flag in that the emblem is different on each side; the obverse (hoist side at the left) bears the national coat of arms (a yellow five-pointed star within a green wreath capped by the words REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY all within two circles); the reverse (hoist side at the right) bears the seal of the treasury (a yellow lion below a red Cap of Liberty and the words Paz y Justicia (Peace and Justice) capped by the words REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY all within two circles)

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Paraguay has a market economy marked by a large informal sector. The informal sector features both reexport of imported consumer goods to neighboring countries as well as the activities of thousands of microenterprises and urban street vendors. Because of the importance of the informal sector accurate economic measures are difficult to obtain. A large percentage of the population derive their living from agricultural activity often on a subsistence basis. The formal economy grew by an average of about 3% annually in 1995-97 but GDP declined slightly in 1998 and 1999. On a per capita basis real income has stagnated at 1980 levels. Most observers attribute Paraguay's poor economic performance to political uncertainty corruption lack of progress on structural reform and deficient infrastructure. Growth should recover in 2000 perhaps to 2%.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 1% (2000 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,750 (2000 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 28%
Industry: 21%
Services: 51% (1999 est.)

Agriculture products: cotton sugarcane soybeans corn wheat tobacco cassava (yucca) fruits vegetables; beef pork eggs milk; timber

Industries: sugar cement textiles beverages wood products

Industrial production growth rate: 0% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 2 million (2000 est.)
By occupation: agriculture 45%

Unemployment rate: 16% (2000 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 36% (2000 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 0.7%
Highest 10: 46.6% (1995)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $1.3 billion
Expenditures: $2 billion, including capital expenditures of $700 million (1999 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 8% (2000 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $3.5 billion (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: electricity soybeans feed cotton meat edible oils
Partners: Brazil Argentina EU

Imports: $3.3 billion (f.o.b. 2000 est.)
Commodities: road vehicles consumer goods tobacco petroleum products electrical machinery
Partners: Brazil US Argentina Uruguay EU Hong Kong

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $3 billion (2000 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: guarani per US dollar - 3,570 (January 2000) 3,486 (2000) 3,119 (1999) 2,727 (1998) 2,178 (1997) 2,057 (1996); note - since early 1998 the exchange rate has operated as a managed float; prior to that the exchange rate was determined freely in the market


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Electricity
Production: 51.554 billion kWh (1999)
Production by source fossil fuel: 0.07%
Production by source hydro: 99.79%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0.15% (1999)
Consumption: 1.915 billion kWh (1999)
Exports: 46.03 billion kWh (1999)
Imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 290,475 (2000)
Mobile cellular: 510,000 (2000)

Telephone system
General assessment: meager telephone service; principal switching center is Asuncion
Domestic: fair microwave radio relay network
International: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .py
Service providers isps: 4 (2000)
Users: 20,000 (2000)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $125 million (FY98)
Percent of gdp: 1.4% (FY98)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 915 (2000 est.)
With paved runways total: 11
With paved runways over 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4 (2000 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 904
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 29
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 340
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 535 (2000 est.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 971 km
Standard gauge: 441 km 1.435-m gauge
Narrow gauge: 60 km 1.000-m gauge
Note: there are 470 km of various gauges that are privately owned

Roadways

Waterways: 3,100 km

Merchant marine
Total: 20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 31,066 GRT/35,441 DWT
Ships by type: cargo 14, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 2 (2000 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs