1995 Edition

Area

total area: 406,750 sq km land area: 397,300 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than California

Climate

varies from temperate in east to semiarid in far west

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

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

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

Irrigated land

670 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

total 3,920 km, Argentina 1,880 km, Bolivia 750 km, Brazil 1,290 km

Land use

arable land: 20% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 39% forest and woodland: 35% other: 5%

Location

Central South America, northeast of Argentina

Map references

South America

Maritime claims

none; landlocked

Natural resources

hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone

Note

landlocked; buffer between Argentina and Brazil

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

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.)

Birth rate

31.48 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate

4.38 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Ethnic divisions

mestizo (mixed Spanish and Indian) 95%, Caucasians plus Amerindians 5%

Infant mortality rate

24.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Labor force

1.692 million (1993 est.) by occupation: agriculture 45%

Languages

Spanish (official), Guarani

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 73.58 years male: 72.06 years female: 75.18 years (1995 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 90% male: 92% female: 88%

Nationality

noun: Paraguayan(s) adjective: Paraguayan

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Population

5,358,198 (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate

2.71% (1995 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite and other Protestant denominations

Total fertility rate

4.22 children born/woman (1995 est.)

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

Capital

Asuncion

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

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

Constitution

promulgated 20 June 1992

Digraph

PA

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

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

FAX

[1] (202) 234-4508 consulate(s) general: Miami, New Orleans, and New York

[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)

Independence

14 May 1811 (from Spain)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia)

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

Legislative branch

bicameral Congress (Congreso)

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

Names

conventional long form: Republic of Paraguay conventional short form: Paraguay local long form: Republica del Paraguay local short form: Paraguay

National holiday

Independence Days, 14-15 May (1811)

Other political or pressure groups

Confederation of Workers (CUT); Roman Catholic Church

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)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 60

Type

republic

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

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

Budget

revenues: $1.2 billion expenditures: $1.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $487 million (1992 est.)

Currency

1 guarani (G) = 100 centimos

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

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

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)

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%

External debt

$1.4 billion (yearend 1993 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Illicit drugs

illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; important transshipment point for Bolivian cocaine headed for the US and Europe

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%

Industrial production

growth rate 3.6% (1993 est.); accounts for 20% of GDP

Industries

meat packing, oilseed crushing, milling, brewing, textiles, other light consumer goods, cement, construction

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

18% (1994 est.)

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $15.4 billion (1994 est.)

National product per capita

$2,950 (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate

3.5% (1994 est.)

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.

Unemployment rate

11.2% (1994 est.)

Radio

broadcast stations: AM 40, FM 0, shortwave 7 radios: NA

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

Television

broadcast stations: 5 televisions: NA

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

Highways

total: 28,300 km paved: 2,600 km unpaved: gravel 500 km; earth 25,200 km

Inland waterways

3,100 km

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

Ports

Asuncion, Villeta, San Antonio, Encarnacion

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)

Branches

Army, Navy (includes Naval Air and Marines), Air Force

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $100 million, 1.6% of GDP (1994 est.) ________________________________________________________________________ PERU

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.)