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Paraguay Country Guide
Explore Paraguay in South America
Paraguay with the capital city Asunción is located in South America (Central South America, northeast of Argentina). It covers some 406,750 square kilometres (slightly smaller than California) with 6,831,000 citizens.
The landscape offers grassy plains and wooded hills east of Rio Paraguay with Gran Chaco region west of Rio Paraguay mostly low, marshy plain near the river, and dry forest and thorny scrub elsewhere. The average density of population is approximately 17 per km². The notable climate conditions in Paraguay can be described as subtropical to temperate with substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west. Potential threats by nature are local flooding in southeast (early September to June) or poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June).
To reach someone in Paraguay dial +595 prior to a number. There are 387,300 installed telephones. And there are 5,619,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 850/1900 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".py". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 220V - 50Hz.
About the flag and history of Paraguay
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 a circular seal of the treasury (a yellow lion below a red Cap of Liberty and the words PAZ Y JUSTICIA (Peace and Justice)); red symbolizes bravery and patriotism, white represents integrity and peace, and blue denotes liberty and generosity note: the three color bands resemble those on the flag of the Netherlands; one of only three national flags that differ on their obverse and reverse sides - the others are Moldova and Saudi Arabia.
Paraguay achieved its independence from Spain in 1811. In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70) - between Paraguay and Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay - Paraguay lost two-thirds of all its adult males and much of its territory. The country stagnated economically for the next half century. Following the Chaco War of 1932-35 with Bolivia, Paraguay gained a large part of the Chaco lowland region. The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo STROESSNER ended in 1989, and, despite a marked increase in political infighting in recent years, Paraguay has held relatively free and regular presidential elections since the country's return to democracy.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: South America Neighbours: Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina Capital: Asunción |
| Size | 406,750 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 157,047 square miles (mi² or sqmi) slightly smaller than California |
| Population | 6,831,000 |
| Currency | Name Guarani, Currency Code:PYG |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .py |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +595 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 5,619,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 387,300 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 406,752 (sq km) | 60 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 6,623,252 | 103 |
| Population growth rate | 1.23 (%) | 95 |
| Birth rate | 16.95 (births/1,000 population) | 118 |
| Death rate | 4.61 (deaths/1,000 population) | 198 |
| Net migration rate | -0.08 (migrant(s)/1,000 population) | 113 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 99.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 74 |
| Infant mortality rate | 21.48 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 86 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 76.60 (years) | 74 |
| Total fertility rate | 2.01 (children born/woman) | 129 |
| Health expenditures | 5.90 (% of GDP) | 114 |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 0.30 (%) | 79 |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 13,000 | 90 |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 500 | 83 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 17.90 (%) | 110 |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 3.40 (%) | 102 |
| Education expenditures | 4.10 (% of GDP) | 108 |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | 17.80 (%) | 71 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 41,550,000,000 | 101 |
| GDP - real growth rate | -1.20 (%) | 199 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 6,200 | 147 |
| Labor force | 3,137,000 | 102 |
| Unemployment rate | 6.90 (%) | 75 |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 53.20 | 13 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 17.90 (% of GDP) | 119 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 18.00 (% of GDP) | 176 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -1.70 (% of GDP) | 80 |
| Public debt | 14.70 (% of GDP) | 136 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4.60 (%) | 132 |
| Central bank discount rate | 6.00 (%) | 57 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 28.00 (%) | 7 |
| Stock of narrow money | 3,666,000,000 | 112 |
| Stock of broad money | 10,110,000,000 | 106 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 9,149,000,000 | 102 |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 42,000,000 | 116 |
| Industrial production growth rate | 6.50 (%) | 47 |
| Current account balance | -1,170,000,000 | 118 |
| Exports | 4,700,000,000 | 116 |
| Imports | 9,700,000,000 | 100 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 4,920,000,000 | 91 |
| Debt - external | 2,245,000,000 | 141 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | 4,425,000 | 101 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 54,410,000,000 (kWh) | 48 |
| Electricity - consumption | 6,237,000,000 (kWh) | 103 |
| Electricity - exports | 43,380,000,000 (kWh) | 6 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 8,816,000 (kW) | 60 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 0.10 (% of total installed capacity) | 208 |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 99.90 (% of total installed capacity) | 3 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 26,820 (bbl/day) | 121 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 23,810 (bbl/day) | 100 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 4,394,000 (Mt) | 128 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 372,400 | 108 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 6,529,000 | 96 |
| Internet hosts | 280,658 | 65 |
| Internet users | 1,105,000 | 94 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 800 | 9 |
| Railways | 36 (km) | 132 |
| Roadways | 29,500 (km) | 97 |
| Waterways | 3,100 (km) | 33 |
| Merchant marine | 19 | 96 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 1.50 (% of GDP) | 102 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases
List of current world heritage sites
| Name | Since |
|---|---|
| Jesuit Missions of La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná and Jesús de Tavarangue In addition to their artistic interest, these missions are a reminder of the Jesuits' Christianization of the Río de la Plata basin in the 17th and 18th centuries, with the accompanying social and economic initiatives. ... | 1993 |