]! ^! 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. 
]" ^" Central South America, northeast of Argentina ^# 23 00 S, 58 00 W ^$ South America ^% `! 406,750 sq km `" 397,300 sq km `# 9,450 sq km ^& slightly smaller than California ^' `! 3,920 km `U Argentina 1,880 km, Bolivia 750 km, Brazil 1,290 km ^( 0 km (landlocked) ^) none (landlocked) ^* subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west ^+ 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 ^, `% junction of Rio Paraguay and Rio Parana 46 m `& Cerro Pero (Cerro Tres Kandu) 842 m ^- hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone ^. `' 7.6% `( 0.23% `) 92.17% (2001) ^/ 670 sq km (1998 est.) ^0 local flooding in southeast (early September to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June) ^1 deforestation; water pollution; inadequate means for waste disposal pose health risks for many urban residents; loss of wetlands _J `K Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands `L none of the selected agreements ^2 landlocked; lies between Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil; population concentrated in southern part of country 
]# ^3 6,347,884 (July 2005 est.) ^4 `* 37.9% (male 1,223,479/female 1,184,134) `+ 57.3% (male 1,825,473/female 1,809,810) `, 4.8% (male 140,935/female 164,053) (2005 est.) ^5 `! 21.2 years `- 20.94 years `. 21.46 years (2005 est.) ^6 2.48% (2005 est.) ^7 29.43 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^8 4.53 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^9 -0.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) ^: `/ 1.05 male(s)/female `0 1.03 male(s)/female `+ 1.01 male(s)/female `, 0.86 male(s)/female `1 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 est.) ^; `! 25.63 deaths/1,000 live births `- 30.37 deaths/1,000 live births `. 20.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) ^< `1 74.89 years `- 72.35 years `. 77.55 years (2005 est.) ^= 3.93 children born/woman (2005 est.) ^> 0.5% (2003 est.) ^? 15,000 (1999 est.) ^@ 600 (2003 est.) ^A `2 Paraguayan(s) `3 Paraguayan ^B mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%, other 5% ^C Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite and other Protestant 10% ^D Spanish (official), Guarani (official) ^E `M age 15 and over can read and write `1 94% `- 94.9% `. 93% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `4 Republic of Paraguay `5 Paraguay `V Republica del Paraguay `W Paraguay ^H constitutional republic ^I Asuncion ^J 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 ^K 14 May 1811 (from Spain) ^L Independence Day, 14 May 1811 (observed 15 May annually) ^M promulgated 20 June 1992 ^N based on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice ^O 18 years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 75 ^P `6 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 `7 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 `8 Council of Ministers nominated by the president `9 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) `: 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% ^Q 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) `9 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) `: 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 ^R Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges appointed on the proposal of the Council of Magistrates or Consejo de la Magistratura) ^S 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 ^T 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 ^U 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 ^V `N Ambassador James SPALDING Hellmers `O 2400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 `P [1] (202) 483-6960 through 6962 `Q [1] (202) 234-4508 `R Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York ^W `N Ambassador John F. KEANE `Z 1776 Avenida Mariscal Lopez, Casilla Postal 402, Asuncion `[ Unit 4711, APO AA 34036-0001 `P [595] (21) 213-715 `Q [595] (21) 213-728 ^X 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) 
]% ^Y 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. ^Z $29.93 billion (2004 est.) ^[ 2.8% (2004 est.) ^\ purchasing power parity - $4,800 (2004 est.) ^] `; 25.3% `< 24.9% `= 49.8% (2004 est.) ^^ 2.66 million (2004 est.) ^_ agriculture 45% ^` 15.1% (2004 est.) ^a 36% (2001 est.) _! `> 0.5% `? 43.8% (1998) _d 57.7 (1998) _" 5.1% (2004 est.) _P 18.1% of GDP (2004 est.) _# `@ $1.123 billion `A $1.129 billion, including capital expenditures of $700 million (2004 est.) _Q 39.2% of GDP (2004 est.) _$ cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, eggs, milk; timber _% sugar, cement, textiles, beverages, wood products, steel, metallurgic, electric power _& 0% (2000 est.) _' 48.36 billion kWh (2002) _( 2.469 billion kWh (2002) _) 42.51 billion kWh (2002) _* 0 kWh (2002) _+ 0 bbl/day (2001 est.) _, 25,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) _- NA _. NA _X $-36.11 million (2004 est.) _/ $2.936 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) _0 soybeans, feed, cotton, meat, edible oils, electricity, wood, leather _1 Uruguay 27.8%, Brazil 19.2%, Argentina 6.3%, Switzerland 4.1% (2004) _2 $3.33 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) _3 road vehicles, consumer goods, tobacco, petroleum products, electrical machinery _4 Brazil 30.9%, Argentina 23.3%, China 16.6%, US 4% (2004) _Y $1.164 billion (2004 est.) _5 $3.239 billion (2004 est.) _6 NA _7 guarani (PYG) _8 guarani per US dollar - 5,974.6 (2004), 6,424.3 (2003), 5,716.3 (2002), 4,105.9 (2001), 3,486.4 (2000) _9 calendar year 
]& _: 273,200 (2002) _; 1,770,300 (2003) _< `B meager telephone service; principal switching center is Asuncion `C fair microwave radio relay network `D country code - 595; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) _= AM 46, FM 27, shortwave 6 (three inactive) (1998) _> 5 (2003) _? .py _@ 9,243 (2003) _A 120,000 (2003) 
]' _e `! 441 km `b 441 km 1.435-m gauge (2004) _B `! 29,500 km `E 14,986 km `F 14,514 km (1999 est) _b 3,100 km (2004) _C Asuncion, Villeta, San Antonio, Encarnacion _K `! 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 `S 2 (Argentina 2) `\ 1 (2005) _D 878 (2004 est.) _E `! 12 `] 3 `^ 5 `_ 4 (2004 est.) _L `! 866 `^ 26 `_ 323 `T 517 (2004 est.) 
]( _F Army, Navy (includes Naval Aviation, River Defense Corps, Coast Guard), Air Force _M 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months for Army, 24 months for Navy (2004) _] males age 18-49: 1,345,022 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 1,109,166 (2005 est.) _^ `` 63,058 (2005 est.) _N $53.1 million (2004) _O 0.9% (2003) 
]) _H 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 _I 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, Europe, and US; corruption and some money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border Area 