Paraguay

Airports

total: 969 usable: 827 with permanent-surface runways: 7 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 93

Highways

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

Inland waterways

3,100 km

Merchant marine

13 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 16,747 GRT/19,513 DWT, cargo 11, oil tanker 2 note: 1 naval cargo ship is sometimes used commercially

Ports

Asuncion, Villeta, Ciudad del Este

Railroads

970 km total; 440 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 60 km 1.000-meter gauge, 470 km various narrow gauge (privately owned)

Telecommunications

meager telephone service; principal switching center in Asuncion; fair intercity microwave net; 78,300 telephones; telephone density - 16 telephones per 1,000 persons; broadcast stations - 40 AM, no FM, 5 TV, 7 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Branches

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

Defense expenditures

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

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 1,249,470; fit for military service 907,533; reach military age (17) annually 53,126 (1994 est.)

Agriculture

accounts for 26% of GDP and 44% of labor force; 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: 5,257,000 kW production: 16.2 billion kWh consumption per capita: 3,280 kWh (1992)

Exchange rates

guaranies (G) per US$ - 1,861.3 (January 1994), 1,744.3 (1993), 1,500.3 (1992), 447.5 (March 1992), 1,325.2 (1991), 1,229.8 (1990), 1,056.2 (1989), 550.00 (fixed rate 1986-February 1989)

Exports

$728 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.) commodities: cotton, soybean, timber, vegetable oils, meat products, coffee, tung oil partners: EC 37%, Brazil 25%, Argentina 10%, Chile 6%, US 6%

External debt

$1.2 billion (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 2.2% (1991 est.); accounts for 20% of GDP

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

20.4% (1993 )

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $15.2 billion (1993 est.)

National product per capita

$3,000 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

3.5% (1993 est.)

Overview

Agriculture, including forestry, accounts for about 25% of GDP, employs about 45% of the labor force, and provides the bulk of exports, led by soybeans and cotton. Paraguay lacks substantial mineral or petroleum resources but possesses a large hydropower potential. Since 1981 economic performance has declined compared with the boom period of 1976-81, when real GDP grew at an average annual rate of nearly 11%. During the period 1982-86 real GDP fell in three of five years, inflation jumped to an annual rate of 32%, and foreign debt rose. Factors responsible for the erratic behavior of the economy were the completion of the Itaipu hydroelectric dam, bad weather for crops, and weak export prices for agricultural commodities. In 1987 the economy experienced a minor recovery because of improved weather conditions and stronger international prices for key agricultural exports. The recovery continued through 1990, on the strength of bumper crops in 1988-89. 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.

Unemployment rate

11% (1993 est.)

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; water pollution; inadequate means for waste disposal present health hazards 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; 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, between Argentina and Brazil

Map references

South America, Standard Time Zones of the World

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

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

25 August 1967; Constituent Assembly rewrote the Constitution that was promulgated on 20 June 1992

Digraph

PA

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Juan Esteban AGUIRRE Martinez chancery: 2400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (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

(202) 234-4508 consulate(s) general: New Orleans and New York consulate(s): Miami

FAX

[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, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, 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: (vacant); Charge D'Affaires Gerald McCOLLOCH embassy: 1776 Avenida Mariscal Lopez, Asuncion mailing address: C. P. 402, Asuncion, or APO AA 34036-0001 telephone: [595] (21) 213-715

Birth rate

32.03 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate

4.48 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic divisions

mestizo (Spanish and Indian) 95%, white and Indian 5%

Infant mortality rate

25.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Labor force

1.692 million (1993 est.) by occupation: agriculture, industry and commerce, services, government (1986)

Languages

Spanish (official), Guarani

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 73.28 years male: 71.74 years female: 74.9 years (1994 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 (1994 est.)

Population

5,213,772 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

2.76% (1994 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite and other Protestant denominations

Total fertility rate

4.29 children born/woman (1994 est.)