Access to THE WORLD FACTBOOK 1994 provided courtesy of
the libraries of the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
======================================================
National Trade Data Bank
ITEM ID     : CI WOFACT WO0190
DATE        : Oct 28, 1994
 
AGENCY      : CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
PROGRAM     : WORLD FACTBOOK
TITLE       : World Factbook: Paraguay
 
Source key      : CI 
Program key     : CI WOFACT 
Update sched.   : Annually         
Data type       : TEXT 
End year        : 1994
Date of record  : 19941020
Keywords 3      :  
Keywords 3      : | Paraguay 
 
 
                                 Paraguay
 
 
                                 Geography
 
Location:
     Central South America, between Argentina and Brazil
Map references:
     South America, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
     406,750 sq km
land area:
     397,300 sq km
comparative area:
     slightly smaller than California
Land boundaries:
     total 3,920 km, Argentina 1,880 km, Bolivia 750 km, Brazil 1,290 km
Coastline:
     0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
     none; landlocked
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
Climate:
     varies from temperate in east to semiarid in 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
Natural resources:
     hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone
Land use:
arable land:
     20%
permanent crops:
     1%
meadows and pastures:
     39%
forest and woodland:
     35%
other:
     5%
Irrigated land:
     670 sq km (1989 est.)
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
 
 
Note:
     landlocked; buffer between Argentina and Brazil
 
                                  People
 
Population:
     5,213,772 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
     2.76% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
     32.03 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
     4.48 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
     0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
     25.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
     73.28 years
male:
     71.74 years
female:
     74.9 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
     4.29 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
     Paraguayan(s)
adjective:
     Paraguayan
Ethnic divisions:
     mestizo (Spanish and Indian) 95%, white and Indian 5%
Religions:
     Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite and other Protestant denominations
Languages:
     Spanish (official), Guarani
Literacy:
     age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
     90%
male:
     92%
female:
     88%
Labor force:
     1.692 million (1993 est.)
by occupation:
     agriculture, industry and commerce, services, government (1986)
 
                                Government
 
Names:
conventional long form:
     Republic of Paraguay
 
 
conventional short form:
local long form:
     Republica del Paraguay
local short form:
Digraph:
     PA
Type:
     republic
Capital:
     Asuncion
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
Independence:
     14 May 1811 (from Spain)
National holiday:
     Independence Days, 14-15 May (1811)
Constitution:
     25 August 1967; Constituent Assembly rewrote the Constitution that was
     promulgated on 20 June 1992
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
Suffrage:
     18 years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 60
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
Legislative branch:
     bicameral Congress (Congreso)
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
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
Judicial branch:
     Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia)
 
 
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)
Other political or pressure groups:
     Confederation of Workers (CUT); Roman Catholic Church
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
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
FAX:
     (202) 234-4508
consulate(s) general:
     New Orleans and New York
consulate(s):
     Miami
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
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)
 
                                  Economy
 
 
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.
National product:
     GDP - purchasing power equivalent  - $15.2 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
     3.5% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
     $3,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
     20.4% (1993 )
Unemployment rate:
     11% (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
     $1.2 billion
expenditures:
     $1.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $487 million (1992
     est.)
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%
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%
External debt:
     $1.2 billion (1993 est.)
Industrial production:
     growth rate 2.2% (1991 est.); accounts for 20% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
     5,257,000 kW
production:
     16.2 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
     3,280 kWh (1992)
Industries:
     meat packing, oilseed crushing, milling, brewing, textiles, other
     light consumer goods, cement, construction
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
Illicit drugs:
     illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade;
     important transshipment point for Bolivian cocaine headed for the US
     and Europe
Economic aid:
recipient:
     US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $172 million; Western
     (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.1
     billion
Currency:
     1 guarani (G) = 100 centimos
Exchange rates:
     guaranies (G) per US$ - 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)
Fiscal year:
     calendar year
 
                              Communications
 
Railroads:
     970 km total; 440 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 60 km 1.000-meter
     gauge, 470 km various narrow gauge (privately owned)
Highways:
total:
     28,300 km
paved:
     2,600 km
unpaved:
     gravel 500 km; earth 25,200 km
Inland waterways:
     3,100 km
 
 
Ports:
     Asuncion, Villeta, Ciudad del Este
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
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
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
 
                              Defense Forces
 
Branches:
     Army, Navy (including Naval Air and Marines), Air Force
Manpower availability:
     males age 15-49 1,249,470; fit for military service 907,533; reach
     military age (17) annually 53,126 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
     exchange rate conversion - $100 million, 1.6% of GDP (1994 est.)
 
 
 
===========================================================================
This section of THE WORLD FACTBOOK 1994 produced by the United States
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was derived from the US Dept. of Commerce
Economics and Statistics Division's NATIONAL TRADE DATA BANK (NTDB) CD-ROM,
November, 1994, SuDoc No. C 1.88:994/11/v.1-2 / Presented by Raleigh Muns,
(srcmuns@umslvma.umsl.edu) University of Missouri-St. Louis Libraries.