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

total:

0.49 cu km/yr (20%/8%/71%)

per capita:

80 cu m/yr (2000)

• 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:

1.03 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 (2009 est.)

degree of risk:

intermediate

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne disease:

dengue fever and malaria (2009)

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 Fernando Armindo LUGO Mendez (since 15 August 2008);
• Vice President Federico FRANCO (since 15 August 2008);
• note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:

President Fernando Armindo LUGO Mendez (since 15 August 2008); Vice President Federico FRANCO (since 15 August 2008)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed 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 20 April 2008 (next to be held April 2013)

election results:

• Fernando Armindo LUGO Mendez elected president;
• percent of vote - Fernando Armindo LUGO Mendez 40.8%, Blanca OVELAR 30.6%, Lino OVIEDO 21.9%, Pedro FADUL 2.4%, other 4.3%

• Alianza Patriotica por el Cambio (Patriotic Alliance for Change) or APC [Fernando LUGO];
• Asociacion Nacional Republicana - Colorado Party or ANR [Lilian SAMANIEGO];
• Movimiento Union Nacional de Ciudadanos Eticos or UNACE [Lino Cesar OVIEDO Silva];
• Patria Querida (Beloved Fatherland Party) or PPQ [Pedro Nicolas Maraa FADUL Niella];
• Partido del Movimiento al Socialismo or P-MAS;
• Partido Encuentro Nacional or PEN [Emilio CAMACHO Paredes];
• Partido Liberal Radical Autentico or PLRA [Gustavo CARDOZO];
• Partido Pais Solidario or PPS [Carlos Alberto FILIZZOLA Pallares]

• 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 (Kansas), 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:

31%

industry:

17%

services:

52% (2007)

lowest 10%:

1.1%

highest 10%:

42.3% (2007)

• 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:

• the fixed-line market is a state monopoly;
• deficiencies in provision of fixed-line service have 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) (2008)

total:

36 km

country comparison to the world: 132

standard gauge:

36 km 1.435-m gauge (2008)

total:

29,500 km

country comparison to the world: 98

paved:

14,986 km

unpaved:

14,514 km (2000)

males age 16-49:

1,589,873

females age 16-49:

1,585,573 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49:

1,363,746

females age 16-49:

1,390,799 (2009 est.)

male:

73,660

female:

72,046 (2009 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;
• weak border controls, extensive corruption and money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border Area;
• weak anti-money-laundering laws and enforcement