PARAGUAY
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PARAGUAY
@Paraguay:Geography
Location: Central South America, northeast of Argentina
Map references: South America
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PARAGUAY - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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ASUNCION 729,000 25.15S, 57.40W 595-21 GMT-4
Puerto Stroessner 110,000 25.32S, 54.34W 595-61 GMT-4
Pedro Juan Caballero 80,000 22.30S, 55.44W 595-36 GMT-4
San Lorenzo 80,000 25.20S, 57.32W 595-22 GMT-4
Fernando de la Mora 72,000 25.19S, 57.36W 595- GMT-4
Encarnacion 31,000 27.20S, 55.50W 595-71 GMT-4
Pilar 26,000 26.52S, 58.23W 595-86 GMT-4
Concepci˘n 26,000 23.22S, 57.26W 595-31 GMT-4
Coronel Oviedo 22,000 25.24S, 56.30W 595-521 GMT-4
Villarrica 22,000 25.45S, 56.28W 595-541 GMT-4
Caaguazu 20,000 25.25S, 56.02W 595-522 GMT-4
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Area:
total area: 406,750 sq km
land area: 397,300 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than California
Land boundaries: total 3,920 km, Argentina 1,880 km, Bolivia 750 km,
Brazil 1,290 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none; landlocked
International disputes: short section of the boundary with Brazil,
just west of Salto del Guaira (Guaira Falls) on the Rio Parana, has
not been determined
Climate: varies from temperate in east to semiarid in 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
Natural resources: hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone
Land use:
arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 39%
forest and woodland: 35%
other: 5%
Irrigated land: 670 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: deforestation (an estimated 2 million hectares of
forest land have been lost from 1958-1985); water pollution;
inadequate means for waste disposal present health risks for many
urban residents
natural hazards: local flooding in southeast (early September to
June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June)
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection; signed,
but not ratified - Nuclear Test Ban
Note: landlocked; buffer between Argentina and Brazil
@Paraguay:People
Population: 5,358,198 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 41% (female 1,077,284; male 1,123,776)
15-64 years: 55% (female 1,465,147; male 1,468,642)
65 years and over: 4% (female 120,776; male 102,573) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.71% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 31.48 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 4.38 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 24.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.58 years
male: 72.06 years
female: 75.18 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.22 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Paraguayan(s)
adjective: Paraguayan
Ethnic divisions: mestizo (mixed Spanish and Indian) 95%, Caucasians
plus Amerindians 5%
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite and other Protestant
denominations
Languages: Spanish (official), Guarani
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population: 90%
male: 92%
female: 88%
Labor force: 1.692 million (1993 est.)
by occupation: agriculture 45%
@Paraguay:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Republic of Paraguay
conventional short form: Paraguay
local long form: Republica del Paraguay
local short form: Paraguay
Digraph: PA
Type: republic
Capital: Asuncion
Administrative divisions: 19 departments (departamentos, singular -
departamento); Alto Paraguay, Alto Parana, Amambay, Boqueron,
Caaguazu, Caazapa, Canindeyu, Central, Chaco, Concepcion, Cordillera,
Guaira, Itapua, Misiones, Neembucu, Nueva Asuncion, Paraguari,
Presidente Hayes, San Pedro
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
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 60
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: President Juan Carlos WASMOSY
(since 15 August 1993); Vice President Roberto Angel SEIFART (since 15
August 1993); election last held 9 May 1993 (next to be held May
1998); results - Juan Carlos WASMOSY 40.09%, Domingo LAINO 32.06%,
Guillermo CABALLERO VARGAS 23.04%
cabinet: Council of Ministers; nominated by the president
Legislative branch: bicameral Congress (Congreso)
Chamber of Senators (Camara de Senadores): elections last held 9 May
1993 (next to be held May 1998); results - percent of vote by party
NA; seats - (45 total) Colorado Party 20, PLRA 17, EN 8
Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados): elections last held on 9
May 1993 (next to be held by May 1998); results - percent of vote by
party NA; seats - (80 total) Colorado Party 38, PLRA 33, EN 9
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia)
Political parties and leaders: Colorado Party, Eugenio SANABRIA
CANTERO, president; Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA), Domingo
LAINO; National Encounter (EN), Guillermo CABALLERO VARGAS (the EN
party includes the following minor parties: Christian Democratic Party
(PDC), Jose Angel BURRO; Febrerista Revolutionary Party (PRF),
Euclides ACEVEDO; Popular Democratic Party (PDP), Hugo RICHER)
Other political or pressure groups: Confederation of Workers (CUT);
Roman Catholic Church
Member of: AG (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA, MERCOSUR, OAS, OPANAL,
PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jorge Genaro Andres PRIETO CONTI
chancery: 2400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 483-6960 through 6962
FAX: [1] (202) 234-4508
consulate(s) general: Miami, New Orleans, and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert SERVICE
embassy: 1776 Avenida Mariscal Lopez, Asuncion
mailing address: C. P. 402, Asuncion; Unit 4711, APO AA 34036-0001
telephone: [595] (21) 213-715
FAX: [595] (21) 213-728
Flag: 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)
Economy
Overview: Agriculture, including forestry, accounts for about 25% of
GDP, employs about 45% of the labor force, and provides the bulk of
exports, in which soybeans and cotton are the most important. Paraguay
lacks substantial mineral or petroleum resources but possesses a large
hydropower potential. In a major step to increase its economic
activity in the region, Paraguay in March 1991 joined the Southern
Cone Common Market (MERCOSUR), which includes Brazil, Argentina, and
Uruguay. In 1992, the government, through an unorthodox approach,
reduced external debt with both commercial and official creditors by
purchasing a sizable amount of the delinquent commercial debt in the
secondary market at a substantial discount. The government had paid
100% of remaining official debt arrears to the US, Germany, France,
and Spain. All commercial debt arrears have been rescheduled. For the
long run, the government must press forward with general,
market-oriented economic reforms. Growth of 3.5% in 1993 was spurred
by higher-than-expected agricultural output and rising international
commodity prices. Inflation picked up steam in fourth quarter 1993
because of rises in public sector salaries and utility rates. GDP
growth continued in 1994 at 3.5%. Although inflation declined a bit
over 1993, increases in food prices, and crop and infrastructure
damage from heavy rains at the end of the year, forced inflation to
18%, above the government's target of 15%. Paraguay reaffirmed its
commitment to MERCOSUR on 1 January 1995 by implementing the
organization's common external tariff.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $15.4 billion (1994
est.)
National product real growth rate: 3.5% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $2,950 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 18% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: 11.2% (1994 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $1.2 billion
expenditures: $1.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $487
million (1992 est.)
Exports: $728 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities: cotton, soybeans, timber, vegetable oils, meat products,
coffee, tung oil
partners: EC 37%, Brazil 25%, Argentina 10%, Chile 6%, US 6%
Imports: $1.38 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.)
commodities: capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, raw materials,
fuels
partners: Brazil 30%, EC 20%, US 18%, Argentina 8%, Japan 7%
External debt: $1.4 billion (yearend 1993 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 3.6% (1993 est.); accounts for 20%
of GDP
Electricity:
capacity: 6,530,000 kW
production: 26.5 billion kWh (1992)
consumption per capita: NA
note: much of the electricity produced in Paraguay is exported to
Brazil and domestic consumption cannot be determined
Industries: meat packing, oilseed crushing, milling, brewing,
textiles, other light consumer goods, cement, construction
Agriculture: accounts for 26% of GDP; cash crops - cotton, sugarcane,
soybeans; other crops - corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava, fruits,
vegetables; animal products - beef, pork, eggs, milk; surplus producer
of timber; self-sufficient in most foods
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug
trade; important transshipment point for Bolivian cocaine headed for
the US and Europe
Economic aid:
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $172 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-89), $1.1 billion
Currency: 1 guarani (G) = 100 centimos
Exchange rates: guaranies (G) per US$ - 1,949.6 (January 1995),
1,911.5 (1994), 1,744.3 (1993), 1,500.3 (1992), 1,325.2 (1991),
1,229.8 (1990)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Paraguay:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 970 km
standard gauge: 440 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 60 km 1.000-m gauge
other: 470 km various gauges (privately owned)
Highways:
total: 28,300 km
paved: 2,600 km
unpaved: gravel 500 km; earth 25,200 km
Inland waterways: 3,100 km
Ports: Asuncion, Villeta, San Antonio, Encarnacion
Merchant marine:
total: 13 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 16,747 GRT/19,513 DWT
ships by type: cargo 11, oil tanker 2
note: in addition, 1 naval cargo ship is sometimes used commercially
Airports:
total: 929
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 2
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 3
with paved runways under 914 m: 578
with unpaved runways over 3,047 m: 2
with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 27
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 314
@Paraguay:Communications
Telephone system: 78,300 telephones; 16 telephones/1,000 persons;
meager telephone service; principal switching center in Asuncion
local: NA
intercity: fair microwave radio relay network
international: 1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 40, FM 0, shortwave 7
radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 5
televisions: NA
@Paraguay:Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy (includes Naval Air and Marines), Air Force
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 1,290,894; males fit for
military service 937,054; males reach military age (17) annually
55,551 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $100 million, 1.6% of
GDP (1994 est.)
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