Paraguay
Official Country Name
Paraguay
Paraguay Overview
In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70) - between Paraguay and Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay - 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.
Paraguay Economy
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 its living from agricultural activity, often on a subsistence basis. 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 between 2003 and 2006, posting modest growth each year.
Paraguay Location
Paraguay is located in Central South America, northeast of Argentina
Region
Paraguay is located in South America
Paraguay Population
Paraguay has population of 6,506,464 (July 2006 est.)
Paraguay Climate
Paraguay has subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west
Paraguay 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
Paraguay Natural Resources
hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone
Ethnic Groups in Paraguay
Paraguay has the following ethnic groups - mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%, other 5%
Paraguay Religions
Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite and other Protestant 10%
Paraguay Languages
Spanish (official), Guarani (official)
Paraguay Capital
Paraguay capital is Asuncion
Paraguay Currency
Paraguay currency is guarani
Map of Paraguay
