| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long form: Republic of Paraguay
conventional short form: Paraguay
local long form: Republica del Paraguay
local short form: Paraguay |
| Capital: |
Asuncion |
| Location: |
Central South America, northeast of Argentina |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
23 00 S, 58 00 W |
| Area: |
total: 406,750 sq km
land: 397,300 sq km
water: 9,450 sq km |
| Area
Comparative: |
slightly smaller than California |
| Land
Boundaries: |
total: 3,920 km
border countries: Argentina 1,880 km, Bolivia 750 km, Brazil 1,290 km |
| 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 |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: junction of Rio Paraguay and Rio Parana 46 m
highest point: Cerro Pero (Cerro Tres Kandu) 842 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
constitutional republic |
| Administratives
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 |
| Independence |
14 May 1811 (from Spain) |
| National
Holiday: |
Independence Day, 14 May 1811 (observed 15 May annually) |
| 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 |
| Suffrage |
18 years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 75 |
| Executive
Branch: |
chief of state: President Nicanor DUARTE Frutos (since 15 August 2003); Vice President Luis CASTIGLIONI Joria (since 15 August 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Nicanor DUARTE Frutos (since 15 August 2003); Vice President Luis CASTIGLIONI Joria (since 15 August 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 27 April 2003 (next to be held April 2008)
election results: Nicanor DUARTE Frutos elected president; percent of vote - Nicanor DUARTE Frutos 37.1%, Julio Cesar Ramon FRANCO Gomez 23.9%, Pedro Nicolas Maraa FADUL Niella 21.3%, Guillermo SANCHEZ Guffanti 13.5%, other 4.2% |
| 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)
elections: Chamber of Senators - last held 27 April 2003 (next to be held April 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 27 April 2003 (next to be held April 2008)
election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ANR 16, PLRA 12, UNACE 7, PQ 7, PPS 2, PEN 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ANR 37, PLRA 21, UNACE 10, PQ 10, PPS 2 |
| Judicial
Branch: |
Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges appointed on the proposal of the Council of Magistrates or Consejo de la Magistratura) |
| Political
parties and Leaders: |
Asociacion Nacional Republicana - Colorado Party or ANR [Herminio CACERES, interim president]; Movimiento Union Nacional de Ciudadanos Eticos or UNACE [Enrique GONZALEZ Quintana, acting chairman]; Patria Querida (Beloved Fatherland Party) or PQ [Pedro Nicolas Maraa FADUL Niella]; Partido Encuentro Nacional or PEN [Luis TORALES Kenney]; Partido Liberal Radical Autentico or PLRA [Julio Cesar FRANCO]; Partido Pais Solidario or PPS [Carlos Alberto FILIZZOLA Pallares]
note: Nicanor DUARTE Frutos on leave as party leader of the Colorado Party or ANR while serving as President of Paraguay; Lino Cesar OVIEDO Silva, leader of UNACE, is currently serving a ten-year prison term |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
6,347,884 (July 2005 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 37.9% (male 1,223,479/female 1,184,134)
15-64 years: 57.3% (male 1,825,473/female 1,809,810)
65 years and over: 4.8% (male 140,935/female 164,053) (2005 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 21.2 years
male: 20.94 years
female: 21.46 years (2005 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Paraguayan(s)
adjective: Paraguayan |
| Ethnic groups: |
mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%, other 5% |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite and other Protestant 10% |
| Languages: |
Spanish (official), Guarani (official) |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
273,200 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
1,770,300 (2003) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: meager telephone service; principal switching center is Asuncion
domestic: fair microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 595; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 46, FM 27, shortwave 6 (three inactive) (1998) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
5 (2003) |
| Internet country
code: |
.py |
| Internet hosts: |
9,243 (2003) |
| Internet users: |
120,000 (2003) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
total: 441 km
standard gauge: 441 km 1.435-m gauge (2003) |
| Highways: |
total: 29,500 km
paved: 14,986 km
unpaved: 14,514 km (1999 est) |
| Waterways: |
3,100 km (2004) |
| Pipelines: |
|
| Ports and harbors: |
Asuncion, Villeta, San Antonio, Encarnacion |
| Merchant marine: |
total: 21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 31,667 GRT/30,826 DWT
by type: cargo 15, livestock carrier 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 2 (Argentina 2)
registered in other countries: 1 (2005) |
| Airports: |
878 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 12
over 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 866
1,524 to 2,437 m: 26
914 to 1,523 m: 323
under 914 m: 517 (2004 est.) |
| Heliports: |
|
