Paraguay
Republic of ParaguayRepublica del Paraguay
constitutional republicIndependence 14 May 1811 (from Spain)
Paraguay as the 2006 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 122 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70), 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.
Geography
Central South America, northeast of Argentina
18 fieldsLand useshare of 406,750 sq 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
Natural hazards
local flooding in southeast (early September to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June)
Environment - current issues
- deforestation;
- water pollution;
- inadequate means for waste disposal pose health risks for many urban residents;
- loss of wetlands
Environment - international agreements
- 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
Geography - note
- landlocked;
- lies between Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil;
- population concentrated in southern part of country
People
19 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2006 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2006 est.)
Male · female
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 (2006 est.)
Government
Constitutional republic; President Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS (since 15 August 2003); President Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS (since 15 August 2003)
18 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Chamber of Senators, 80 seats, elected 27 April 2003one dot, one seat
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Republic of Paraguay
- conventional short form:
- Paraguay
- local long form:
- Republica del Paraguay
- local short form:
- Paraguay
Capital
- name:
- Asuncion
- geographic coordinates:
- 25 16 S, 57 40 W
- time difference:
- UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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
Legal system
- based on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes;
- judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice;
- accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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)
- 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 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
note: as of January 2006, changes in party affiliation has led to the composition of the legislature as follows: Chamber of Senators - seats by party - ANR 18, PLRA 12, UNACE 5, PQ 7, PPS 2, PEN 1;
Chamber of Deputies - seats by party - ANR 39, PLRA 21, UNACE 8, 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 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
Political pressure groups and leaders
- 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]
International organization participation
CAN (associate), CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- 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
Diplomatic representation from the US
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
Flag description
- 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
Landlocked Paraguay has a market economy marked by a large informal sector.
42 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2005 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
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. The formal economy grew by an average of about 3% annually in 1995-97, but averaged near-zero growth in 1998-2001 and contracted by 2.3 percent in 2002, in response to regional contagion and an outbreak of hoof-and-mouth disease.
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 2005, posting modest growth each year.
Agriculture - products
- cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), fruits, vegetables;
- beef, pork, eggs, milk;
- timber
Imports - commodities
road vehicles, consumer goods, tobacco, petroleum products, electrical machinery
Exchange rates
guarani per US dollar - 6,178 (2005), 5,974.6 (2004), 6,424.3 (2003), 5,716.3 (2002), 4,105.9 (2001)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- meager telephone service; principal switching center is in Asuncion
- domestic:
- fair microwave radio relay network
- international:
- country code - 595; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Transportation
8 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Merchant marine
- total:
- 21 ships (1000 GRT or over) 34,749 GRT/39,280 DWT
- by type:
- cargo 15, livestock carrier 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1
- foreign-owned:
- 3 (Argentina 3)
- registered in other countries:
- 1 (Ecuador 1) (2006)
Military
Army, National Navy (Armada Nacional, includes Naval Aviation, Marine Corps, General Naval Prefecture), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Paraguay, FAP) (2006)
6 fieldsMilitary branches
Army, National Navy (Armada Nacional, includes Naval Aviation, Marine Corps, General Naval Prefecture), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Paraguay, FAP) (2006)
Military service age and obligation
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months for Army, 24 months for Navy (2004)
Manpower available for military service
- males age 18-49:
- 1,345,022
- females age 18-49:
- 1,342,725 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
- males age 18-49:
- 63,058
- females age 18-49:
- 62,217 (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
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
Illicit drugs
- 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
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Paraguay.” The World Factbook 2006. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/paraguay/2006.