Paraguay

• 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

• 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

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.)

noun:

Paraguayan(s)

adjective:

Paraguayan

conventional long form:

Republic of Paraguay

conventional short form:

Paraguay

local long form:

Republica del Paraguay

local short form:

Paraguay

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

• based on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes;
• judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice;
• accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

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%

• 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]

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

• 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)

agriculture:

45%

industry:

NA%

services:

NA% (2003)

lowest 10%:

0.7%

highest 10%:

46.1% (2003)

• cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), fruits, vegetables;
• beef, pork, eggs, milk;
• timber

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)

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)

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)

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.)

• 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