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. 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, despite a marked increase in political infighting in recent years, relatively free and regular presidential elections have been held since then.

Central South America, northeast of Argentina
23 00 S, 58 00 W
South America
total: 406,750 sq km ; land: 397,300 sq km ; water: 9,450 sq km
slightly smaller than California
total: 3,995 km ; border countries: Argentina 1,880 km, Bolivia 750 km, Brazil 1,365 km
0 km (landlocked)
none (landlocked)
subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west
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
lowest point: junction of Rio Paraguay and Rio Parana 46 m ; highest point: Cerro Pero (Cerro Tres Kandu) 842 m
hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone
arable land: 7.47% ; permanent crops: 0.24% ; other: 92.29% (2005)
670 sq km (2003)
336 cu km (2000)
Total: 0.49 cu km/yr (20%/8%/71%) ; Per capita: 80 cu m/yr (2000)
local flooding in southeast (early September to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June)
deforestation; water pollution; inadequate means for waste disposal pose health risks for many urban residents; loss of wetlands
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands ; signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
landlocked; lies between Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil; population concentrated in southern part of country
6,669,086 (July 2007 est.)
0-14 years: 37.2% (male 1,262,408/female 1,220,809) ; 15-64 years: 57.7% (male 1,933,559/female 1,915,033) ; 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 155,660/female 181,617) (2007 est.)
total: 21.6 years ; male: 21.3 years ; female: 21.8 years (2007 est.)
2.416% (2007 est.)
28.77 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
4.54 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
-0.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female ; under 15 years: 1.034 male(s)/female ; 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female ; 65 years and over: 0.857 male(s)/female ; total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
total: 26.45 deaths/1,000 live births ; male: 30.73 deaths/1,000 live births ; female: 21.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total population: 75.34 years ; male: 72.78 years ; female: 78.02 years (2007 est.)
3.84 children born/woman (2007 est.)
0.5% (2003 est.)
15,000 (1999 est.)
600 (2003 est.)
noun: Paraguayan(s) ; adjective: Paraguayan
mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%, other 5%
Roman Catholic 89.6%, Protestant 6.2%, other Christian 1.1%, other or unspecified 1.9%, none 1.1% (2002 census)
Spanish (official), Guarani (official)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write ; total population: 94% ; male: 94.9% ; female: 93% (2003 est.)


conventional long form: Republic of Paraguay ; conventional short form: Paraguay ; local long form: Republica del Paraguay ; local short form: Paraguay
constitutional republic
name: Asuncion ; geographic coordinates: 25 16 S, 57 40 W ; time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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

14 May 1811 (from Spain)
Independence Day, 14 May 1811 (observed 15 May)
promulgated 20 June 1992
based on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
18 years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 75
chief of state: President Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS (since 15 August 2003); Vice President Francisco OVIEDO Britez (since 21 November 2007); 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 Francisco OVIEDO Britez (since 21 November 2007) ; cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the president ; elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 27 April 2003 (next to be held in 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%
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 in April 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 27 April 2003 (next to be held in 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
Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges appointed on the proposal of the Council of Magistrates or Consejo de la Magistratura)
Asociacion Nacional Republicana - Colorado Party or ANR [Jose A. ALDERETE]; Movimiento Union Nacional de Ciudadanos Eticos or UNACE [Enrique GONZALEZ Quintana]; Patria Querida (Beloved Fatherland Party) or PQ [Pedro Nicolas Maraa FADUL Niella]; Partido Encuentro Nacional or PEN [Luis TORALES Kennedy]; Partido Liberal Radical Autentico or PLRA [Blas LLANO]; 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
Ahorristas Estafados or AE; National Coordinating Board of Campesino Organizations or MCNOC [Luis AGUAYO]; National Federation of Campesinos or FNC [Odilon ESPINOLA]; National Workers Central or CNT [Secretary General Juan TORRALES]; Paraguayan Workers Confederation or CPT; Roman Catholic Church; Unitary Workers Central or CUT [Jorge Guzman ALVARENGA Malgarejo]
CAN (associate), CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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)
chief of mission: Ambassador James SPALDING Hellmers ; chancery: 2400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 ; telephone: [1] (202) 483-6960 through 6962 ; FAX: [1] (202) 234-4508 ; consulate(s) general: Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York
Ambassador James C. CASON ; embassy: 1776 Avenida Mariscal Lopez, Casilla Postal 402, Asuncion ; mailing address: Unit 4711, APO AA 34036-0001 ; telephone: [595] (21) 213-715 ; FAX: [595] (21) 213-728





Landlocked Paraguay has a market economy marked by a large informal sector. This 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 derives its living from agricultural activity, often on a subsistence basis. 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, substantial internal and external debt, and deficient infrastructure. Aided by a firmer exchange rate and perhaps a greater confidence in the economic policy of the DUARTE FRUTOS administration, the economy rebounded between 2003 and 2007, posting modest growth each year.
$26.55 billion (2007 est.)
$8.258 billion (2007 est.)
4% (2007 est.)
$4,000 (2007 est.)
agriculture: 21.9% ; industry: 18.7% ; services: 59.4% (2007 est.)
2.757 million (2007 est.)
agriculture: 45% ; industry: NA% ; services: NA% (2003)
15.9% (2007 est.)
32% (2005 est.)
lowest 10%: 0.7% ; highest 10%: 46.1% (2003)
58.4 (2003)
8.6% (2007 est.)
19.8% of GDP (2007 est.)
revenues: $2.118 billion ; expenditures: $2.183 billion (2007 est.)
24.6% of GDP (2007 est.)
cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, eggs, milk; timber
sugar, cement, textiles, beverages, wood products, steel, metallurgic, electric power
3.4% (2007 est.)
50.66 billion kWh (2005)
fossil fuel: 0% ; hydro: 99.9% ; nuclear: 0% ; other: 0.1% (2001)
4.497 billion kWh (2005)
43.79 billion kWh (2005)
0 kWh (2005)
0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
27,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
0 bbl/day (2004)
25,940 bbl/day (2004)
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005 est.)
0 cu m (2005)
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
-$82 million (2007 est.)
$6.712 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
soybeans, feed, cotton, meat, edible oils, electricity, wood, leather
Uruguay 22%, Brazil 17.2%, Russia 11.9%, Argentina 8.8%, Chile 6.9% (2006)
$7.557 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
China 27%, Brazil 20%, Argentina 13.6%, Japan 8.3%, US 6.4% (2006)

$2.407 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
$3.632 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
$NA
$NA
$233.8 million (2005)
guarani (PYG)
PYG
guarani per US dollar - 5,094 (2007), 5,672.8 (2006), 6,178 (2005), 5,974.6 (2004), 6,424.3 (2003)
calendar year
$51.09 million (2005)
331,100 (2006)
3.233 million (2006)
general assessment: meager telephone service; principal switching center is in Asuncion ; domestic: the fixed-line market is a state monopoly; deficiencies in provision of fixed-line service has resulted in a rapid expansion of mobile-cellular services fostered by competition among multiple providers ; international: country code - 595; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
AM 46, FM 27, shortwave 6 (3 inactive) (1998)
925,000 (1997)
5 (2003)
990,000 (2001)
.py
12,497 (2007)
4 (2000)
260,000 (2006)

838 (2007)
total: 13 ; over 3,047 m: 3 ; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 5 (2007)
total: 825 ; 1,524 to 2,437 m: 26 ; 914 to 1,523 m: 267 ; under 914 m: 532 (2007)


total: 36 km ; standard gauge: 36 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)
total: 29,500 km ; paved: 14,986 km ; unpaved: 14,514 km (1999)
3,100 km (2007)
total: 22 ships (1000 GRT or over) 39,693 GRT/43,530 DWT ; by type: cargo 16, container 1, livestock carrier 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1 ; foreign-owned: 5 (Argentina 3, Netherlands 1, Switzerland 1) (2007)
Asuncion, Villeta, San Antonio, Encarnacion

Army, National Navy (Armada Nacional, includes Naval Aviation, Marine Corps, General Naval Prefecture), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Paraguay, FAP) (2006)
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months for Army, 24 months for Navy (2006)
males age 18-49: 1,345,022 ; females age 18-49: 1,342,725 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 1,109,166 ; females age 18-49: 1,135,046 (2005 est.)
males age 18-49: 63,058 ; females age 18-49: 62,217 (2005 est.)
1% (2006 est.)

unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations

major illicit producer of cannabis, most or all of which is consumed in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile; transshipment country for Andean cocaine headed for Brazil, other Southern Cone markets, and Europe; corruption and some money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border Area; weak anti-money-laundering laws and enforcement

