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Paraguay
Background :
Paraguay achieved its independence from Spain in 1811. In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70) - between Paraguay and Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay - Paraguay lost two-thirds of all adult males and much of its territory. The country stagnated economically for the next half century. Following the Chaco War of 1932-35 with Bolivia, Paraguay gained a large part of the Chaco lowland region. The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo STROESSNER ended in 1989, and, despite a marked increase in political infighting in recent years, Paraguay has held relatively free and regular presidential elections since then.
Location :
Central South America, northeast of Argentina
Geographic Coordinates Center :
23 00 S, 58 00 W (Latitude, Longtitude)
Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :
| West | -62.65 |
| North | -19.29 |
| East | -54.26 |
| South | -27.61 |
Map references :
America
Area :
| total | 406 752 | square km |
| land | 397 302 | square km |
| water | 9 450 | square km |
Land boundaries :
| total | 3 995 | km |
| Argentina (ar) | 1 880 | km |
| Bolivia (bo) | 750 | km |
| Brazil (br) | 1 365 | km |
Coastline :
0.00 km
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 extremes :
| lowest point | 46 | metres |
| highest point | 842 | metres |
Natural resources :
| hydropower | iron ore |
| limestone | manganese |
| timber |
Land use :
| arable land | 7.47 | % |
| permanent crops | 0.24 | % |
| other | 92.29 | % |
Irrigated land :
670 square km
Total renewable water resources :
336 cubic km
Natural hazards :
| flooding |
current issues :
deforestation; water pollution; inadequate means for waste disposal pose health risks for many urban residents; loss of wetlands
international agreements :
| Biodiversity | Climate Change |
| Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol | Desertification |
| Endangered Species | Hazardous Wastes |
| Law of the Sea | Ozone Layer Protection |
| Wetlands |
Population :
6 995 655
Indicators :
| Growth rate | 2.36 | % |
| Birth rate | 28.17 | births/1,000 population |
| Total fertility rate | 3.75 | children born/woman |
| Death rate | 4.46 | deaths/1,000 population |
| Net migration rate | -0.07 | migrant(s)/1,000 population |
Age structure :
| 0-14 years | 36.70 | % |
| 15-64 years | 58.10 | % |
| 65 years and over | 5.20 | % |
Median age :
| total | 21.90 | years |
| male | 21.60 | years |
| female | 22.20 | years |
Sex ratio :
| at birth | 1.05 | male(s)/female |
| under 15 years | 1.03 | male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 1.01 | male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.86 | male(s)/female |
| total population | 1.01 | male(s)/female |
Health :
| Infant mortality rate | 24.68 | deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth - total population | 75.77 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - male | 73.19 | years |
| Life expectancy at birth - female | 78.49 | years |
| HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate | 0.60 | % |
| HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS | 21 000 | |
| HIV-AIDS deaths | 1 000 |
Religions :
| Roman Catholic | 89.60 | % |
| Protestant | 6.20 | % |
| other Christian | 1.10 | % |
| other | 1.90 | % |
| none | 1.10 | % |
Languages :
| Spanish | |
| Guarani |
Literacy :
| total population | 94.00 | % |
| male | 94.90 | % |
| female | 93.00 | % |
Country name :
| conventional long form | Republic of Paraguay |
| conventional short form | Paraguay |
| local long form | Republica del Paraguay |
| local short form | Paraguay |
Country Codes :
| ISO 3166 | PY |
| ISO Numeric | 600 |
| ISO3 | PRY |
| FIPS | PA |
| ccTLD | py |
| English | Paraguay |
Administrative divisions :
17 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1 capital city*; Alto Paraguay, Alto Parana, Amambay, Asuncion*, Boqueron, Caaguazu, Caazapa, Canindeyu, Central, Concepcion, Cordillera, Guaira, Itapua, Misiones, Neembucu, Paraguari, Presidente Hayes, San Pedro
Capital :
| name | Asuncion |
| geographic coordinates | 25 16 S, 57 40 W |
| time difference | -4.00 |
International organization participation :
| CAN (associate) | FAO |
| G-77 | IADB |
| IAEA | IBRD |
| ICAO | ICCt |
| ICRM | IDA |
| IFAD | IFC |
| IFRCS | ILO |
| IMF | IMO |
| IOC | IOM |
| IPU | ISO (correspondent) |
| ITSO | ITU |
| ITUC | Interpol |
| LAES | LAIA |
| MIGA | MINURSO |
| MINUSTAH | MONUC |
| Mercosur | NAM (observer) |
| OAS | OPANAL |
| OPCW | PCA |
| RG | UN |
| UNASUR | UNCTAD |
| UNESCO | UNIDO |
| UNMIL | UNMIS |
| UNOCI | UNWTO |
| UPU | Union Latina |
| WCO | WFTU |
| WHO | WIPO |
| WMO | WTO |
Independence :
1811-05-14
National holiday :
Independence Day
1811-05-15
Executive branch :
| President Fernando Armindo LUGO Mendez |
GDP - Gross Domestic product :
| PPP - Purchasing Power Parity | 28 280 000 000 | $ |
| Official Exchange Rate | 13 610 000 000 | |
| RGR - Real Growth rate | -3.50 | % |
| PPP - per capita | 4 100 | $ |
GDP Composition by sector :
| agriculture | 22.30 | % |
| industry | 18.10 | % |
| services | 59.60 | % |
Labor force - by occupation :
| agriculture | 31.00 | % |
| industry | 17.00 | % |
| services | 52.00 | % |
Other Indicators :
| Labor force | 2 983 000 | people |
| Unemployment rate | 7.90 | % |
| Population below poverty line | 32.00 | % |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 56.80 | |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.50 | % |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 17.10 | % of GDP |
| Current account balance | - 289 000 000 | $ |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 3 431 000 000 | $ |
| Debt external | 3 310 000 000 | $ |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | 2 057 000 | $ |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 409 100 000 | $ |
| Military expenditures | 1.00 | % of GDP |
| Public debt | 22.10 | % of GDP |
Household income or consumption by percentage share :
| lowest 10% | 1.10 | % |
| highest 10% | 42.30 | % |
Budget :
| revenues | 2 323 000 000 | $ |
| expenditures | 2 444 000 000 | $ |
Agriculture - products :
| beef | cassava |
| corn | cotton |
| eggs | fruits |
| milk | pork |
| soya | sugarcane |
| timber | tobacco |
| vegetables | wheat |
Industries :
| beverages | cement |
| electric power | metallurgic |
| steel | sugar |
| textiles | wood products |
Energy :
| Electricity Production | 53 190 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Consumption | 5 337 000 000 | kWh |
| Electricity Exports | 45 140 000 000 | kWh |
| Oil Production | 27 | bbl/day |
| Oil Consumption | 28 000 | bbl/day |
| Oil Imports | 25 100 | bbl/day |
Value :
6 196 000 000 $
Partners :
| Argentina (ar) | 31.60 | % |
| Brazil (br) | 15.80 | % |
| Uruguay (uy) | 11.60 | % |
| Chile (cl) | 6.40 | % |
| Russia (ru) | 6.30 | % |
Commodities :
| cotton | edible oils |
| electricity | feed |
| leather | meat |
| soybeans | wood |
Value :
6 756 000 000 $
Partners :
| Brazil (br) | 32.00 | % |
| United States (us) | 20.70 | % |
| Argentina (ar) | 13.90 | % |
| China (cn) | 9.70 | % |
Commodities :
| chemicals | consumer products |
| electrical machinery | petroleum products |
| road vehicles | tobacco |
| tractors | vehicles and parts |
Currency-code :
PYG
Currency-name :
guarani
Communications :
| Telephons Main lines in use | 363 000 | |
| Telephons Mobile, Cellular | 5 791 000 | |
| FM Radio broadcast stations | 121 | |
| Television broadcast stations | 5 | |
| Internet Country code (ccTLD) | py | |
| Internet Hosts | 71 487 | |
| Internet Users | 894 200 |
Transportation :
| Airports with paved runways | 14 | |
| Roadways - total | 29 500 | km |
| Roadways - paved | 14 986 | km |
| Roadways - unpaved | 14 514 | km |
| Railways | 36 | km |
| Waterways | 3 100 | km |
Flag
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