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Background:
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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.
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Location:
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Central
South America, northeast of Argentina |
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Geographic coordinates:
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23 00
S, 58 00 W |
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Map references:
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South
America |
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Area:
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total:
406,750 sq km
land: 397,300 sq km
water: 9,450 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
smaller than California |
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Land boundaries:
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total:
3,920 km
border countries: Argentina 1,880 km, Bolivia
750 km, Brazil 1,290 km |
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Coastline:
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0 km
(landlocked) |
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Maritime claims:
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none
(landlocked) |
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Climate:
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subtropical
to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern
portions, becoming semiarid in the far west |
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Terrain:
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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 |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: junction of Rio Paraguay and Rio Parana
46 m
highest point: Cerro Pero (Cerro Tres Kandu)
842 m |
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Natural resources:
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hydropower,
timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 7.6%
permanent crops: 0.23%
other: 92.17% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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670 sq
km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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local
flooding in southeast (early September to June);
poorly drained plains may become boggy (early
October to June) |
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation;
water pollution; inadequate means for waste disposal
pose health risks for many urban residents; loss of
wetlands |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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 |
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Geography - note:
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landlocked;
lies between Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil;
population concentrated in southern part of country
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Population:
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6,347,884
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 37.9% (male 1,223,479/female 1,184,134)
15-64 years: 57.3% (male 1,825,473/female
1,809,810)
65 years and over: 4.8% (male 140,935/female
164,053) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
21.2 years
male: 20.94 years
female: 21.46 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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2.48%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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29.43
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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4.53
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-0.08
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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 (2005
est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
25.63 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 30.37 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 20.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2005
est.) |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 74.89 years
male: 72.35 years
female: 77.55 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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3.93
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.5%
(2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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15,000
(1999 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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600
(2003 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Paraguayan(s)
adjective: Paraguayan |
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Ethnic groups:
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mestizo
(mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%, other 5% |
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Religions:
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Roman
Catholic 90%, Mennonite and other Protestant 10% |
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Languages:
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Spanish
(official), Guarani (official) |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94%
male: 94.9%
female: 93% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Republic of Paraguay
conventional short form: Paraguay
local long form: Republica del Paraguay
local short form: Paraguay |
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Government type:
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constitutional
republic |
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Capital:
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Asuncion |
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Administrative divisions:
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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 |
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Independence:
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14 May
1811 (from Spain) |
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National holiday:
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Independence
Day, 14 May 1811 (observed 15 May annually) |
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Constitution:
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promulgated
20 June 1992 |
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Legal system:
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based
on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes;
judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court
of Justice |
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Suffrage:
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18
years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 75 |
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Executive branch:
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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); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by
the president
elections: president and vice president
elected on the same ticket by popular vote for
five-year terms; 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% |
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Legislative branch:
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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 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme
Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia
(judges appointed on the proposal of the Council of
Magistrates or Consejo de la Magistratura) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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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 Kenney]; Partido Liberal Radical
Autentico or PLRA [Julio Cesar FRANCO]; 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 |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Ahorristas
Estafados or AE; Coordinating Table of National
Campesino Organizations or MCNOC; National
Federation of Campesinos or FNC; National Workers
Central or CNT; Paraguayan Workers Confederation or
CPT; Roman Catholic Church; Unitary Workers Central
or CUT |
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International organization participation:
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CSN,
FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur,
MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, ONUB,
OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNMEE, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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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 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador John F. KEANE
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 |
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Flag description:
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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)
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Economy - overview:
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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 their 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 desease. 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 in 2003 and 2004, posting modest growth
each year. |
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GDP:
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purchasing
power parity - $29.93 billion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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2.8%
(2004 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing
power parity - $4,800 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
25.3%
industry: 24.9%
services: 49.8% (2004 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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18.1%
of GDP (2004 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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36%
(2001 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage
share:
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lowest
10%: 0.5%
highest 10%: 43.8% (1998) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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57.7
(1998) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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5.1%
(2004 est.) |
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Labor force:
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2.66
million (2004 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture
45% |
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Unemployment rate:
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15.1%
(2004 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$1.123 billion
expenditures: $1.129 billion, including
capital expenditures of $700 million (2004 est.) |
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Public debt:
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39.2%
of GDP (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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cotton,
sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava
(tapioca), fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, eggs,
milk; timber |
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Industries:
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sugar,
cement, textiles, beverages, wood products, steel,
metallurgic, electric power |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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0%
(2000 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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48.36
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 0%
hydro: 99.9%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0.1% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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2.469
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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42.51
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Oil - production:
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0
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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25,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Current account balance:
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$-36.11
million (2004 est.) |
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Exports:
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$2.936
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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soybeans,
feed, cotton, meat, edible oils, electricity, wood,
leather |
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Exports - partners:
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Brazil
27.8%, Uruguay 15.9%, Italy 7.1%, Switzerland 5.6%,
Argentina 4.3%, Netherlands 4.2% (2004) |
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Imports:
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$3.33
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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road
vehicles, consumer goods, tobacco, petroleum
products, electrical machinery |
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Imports - partners:
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Brazil
24.3%, US 22.3%, Argentina 16.2%, China 9.9%, Hong
Kong 5% (2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
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$1.164
billion (2004 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$3.239
billion (2004 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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NA |
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Currency:
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guarani
(PYG) |
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Currency code:
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PYG |
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Exchange rates:
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guarani
per US dollar - 5,974.6 (2004), 6,424.3 (2003),
5,716.3 (2002), 4,105.9 (2001), 3,486.4 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar
year
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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273,200
(2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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1,770,300
(2003) |
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Telephone system:
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general
assessment: meager telephone service; principal
switching center is Asuncion
domestic: fair microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 595; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 46,
FM 27, shortwave 6 (three inactive) (1998) |
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Radios:
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925,000
(1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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5
(2003) |
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Televisions:
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990,000
(2001) |
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Internet country code:
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.py |
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Internet hosts:
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9,243
(2003) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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4
(2000) |
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Internet users:
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120,000
(2003)
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Railways:
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total:
441 km
standard gauge: 441 km 1.435-m gauge (2003) |
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Highways:
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total:
29,500 km
paved: 14,986 km
unpaved: 14,514 km (1999 est) |
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Waterways:
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3,100
km (2004) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Asuncion,
Villeta, San Antonio, Encarnacion |
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Merchant marine:
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total:
21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 31,667 GRT/30,826 DWT
by type: cargo 15, livestock carrier 1,
passenger 1, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 2 (Argentina 2)
registered in other countries: 1 (2005) |
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Airports:
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878
(2004 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
12
over 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2004 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total:
866
1,524 to 2,437 m: 26
914 to 1,523 m: 323
under 914 m: 517 (2004 est.)
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Military branches:
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Army,
Navy (includes Naval Aviation, River Defense Corps,
Coast Guard), Air Force |
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Military manpower - military age and obligation:
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18
years of age for compulsory and voluntary military
service; conscript service obligation - 12 months
for Army, 24 months for Navy (2004) |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males
age 18-49: 1,345,022 (2005 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 1,109,166 (2005 est.) |
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Military manpower - reaching military age
annually:
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males:
63,058 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$53.1
million (2004) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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0.9%
(2003)
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| Transnational
Issues |
Paraguay |
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Disputes - international:
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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 |
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