Country Profile Paraguay

 

  • Capital: Asuncion
  • Population: 6,995,655 (July 2009 est.)
  • Currency: Guarani (PYG)                        
  • Language: Spanish (official), Guarani (official)
  • Time zone: UTC-4
  • Government: Constitutional republic
  • Chief of State: President Fernando Armindo LUGO Mendez

  • GDP real growth rate :5.5% (2008 est.)

  • Exports: $6.901 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)

  • Main Export Partners(2007):

  • Imports:  $7.351 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)

  • Main Import partners(2007):

  • Country Dialing Code: +595
  • National Airline: Transportes Aéreos del Mercosur (PZ)
  • Voltage: 220V

Detailed country profile

ECONOMY

GDP real growth rate:

  • 5.5% (2008 est.)
  • 6.4% (2007 est.)
  • 4.3% (2006 est.)

GDP-Composition by sector(2008)

  • Agriculture: 23.1%
  • Industry: 17.2%
  • Services: 59.6%

Labor force by occupation(2007):

  • agriculture: 31%
  • industry: 17%
  • services: 52%

Agriculture products:

  • Cotton
  • Sugarcane
  • Soybeans
  • Corn
  • Wheat
  • Tobacco
  • Cassava (tapioca)
  • Fruits, vegetables
  • Beef
  • Pork
  • Eggs
  • Milk
  • Timber

Industries:

  • Sugar
  • Cement
  • Textiles
  • Beverages
  • Wood products
  • Steel
  • Metallurgic
  • Electric power

Exports:$6.901 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)

Export Commodities

  • Soybeans
  • Feed
  • Cotton
  • Meat
  • Edible oils
  • Electricity
  • Wood
  • Leather

Main Export Partners(2007):

Imports:$7.351 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)

Import commodities:

  • Road vehicles
  • Consumer goods
  • Tobacco
  • Petroleum products
  • Electrical machinery
  • Tractors
  • Chemicals
  • Vehicle parts

Import partners:

Ports and Terminal:

  • Asuncion
  • Villeta
  • San Antonio
  • Encarnacion

Unemployment rate:5.4% (2008 est.)

GOVERNMENT

Government Type: Constitutional republic

Executive Branch:

Chief of state: President Fernando Armindo LUGO Mendez (since 15 August 2008)
Vice President Federico FRANCO (since 15 August 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 20 April 2008 (next to be held April 2013)

Legal system:Based on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

GEOGRAPHY

Land Boundaries:total: 3,995 km

Border countries:

Climate:

  • Subtropical to temperate
  • Substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west

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

Elevation Extremes:

  • Lowest point: junction of Rio Paraguay and Rio Parana 46 m
  • Highest point: Cerro Pero (Cerro Tres Kandu) 842 m

Natural resources:

  • Hydropower
  • Timber
  • Iron ore
  • Manganese
  • Limestone

Environment and international agreement:

Party to:

  • Biodiversity
  • Climate Change
  • Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
  • Desertification
  • Endangered Species
  • Hazardous Wastes
  • Law of the Sea
  • Ozone Layer Protection
  • Wetlands

Environment and current issues:

  • Deforestation
  • Water pollution
  • Inadequate means for waste disposal pose health risks for many urban residents
  • Loss of wetlands

PEOPLE

Ethnic groups:

  • Mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%
  • Other 5%

Languages:

  • Spanish (official)
  • Guarani (official)

Religion:

  • Roman Catholic 89.6%
  • Protestant 6.2%
  • Other Christian 1.1%
  • Other or unspecified 1.9%
  • None 1.1% (2002 census)

HISTORY

Express History

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, Paraguay won large, economically important areas from Bolivia. 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 then.

Source: The world factbook www.cia.gov

 

 

More resources about Paraguay is available on MercaTrade.com

>>Search for business opportunities in Paraguay, click here Trade Leads

>>Learn about etiquette in Paraguay, click here Etiquette Paraguay

>>Get the list of embassies and consulates in Paraguay, click here Embassy Paraguay

>>Find the latest Trade Agreements with Paraguay, click here Trade agreement Paraguay

>>Get our FREE e-book about business in Latin America. Register now!