Paraguay

The Republic of Paraguay is situated in the center of South America. It is a landlocked nation bordering Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay is one of the two landlocked countries in South America. Along with Bolivia and Brazil, Paraguay is sometimes referred to as Corazón de América which means Heart of South America. Asunción is the capital of Paraguay.

HISTORY:- Guardant-speaking tribes were the earliest inhabitants of Paraguay before the European encounter. In 1537, the Spanish sailor Juan de Salazar y Espinoza arrived in the region. Since then Spanish colonization began in the land. The Jesuits controlled the southern and eastern regions of Paraguay until 1767, the when Spanish crown destroyed them. In 1811, the country became independent after a revolution against the Spanish rule. Three dictators, José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, Carlos Antonio Lopez and Francisco Solano Lopez administrated Paraguay for the first 60 years of post-independence period. In 1865, the War of the Triple Alliance started off when Paraguay declared war against Uruguay, Brazil, and Argentina, which resulted in Paraguay’s defeat in 1870. Since 1870, Paraguay’s history was dominated by the conflicts of two major political parties- Colorado Party and Liberal Party. In the Chaco War in 1932, Paraguay defeated Bolivia. Dictator Alfredo Stroessner was overthrown by Gen. Andres Rodriguez in 1989. Gen. Andres Rodriguez won the first multi-candidate election in Paraguay. The constitution was imposed in 1992. In the 1993 free elections, Juan Carlos Wasmosy won and became the President of Paraguay.

GEOGRAPHY:- Paraguay is located at 23 00 S, 58 00 W in Central-South America, spanning through 406,750 sq km area in which 397,300 sq km is captured by land and 9,450 sq km area is captured by waters. It is a complete landlocked nation, bordering Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil. The lowest point is located at the juncture of Rio Paraguay and Rio Parana (46 m) and the highest point is Cerro Pero (842 m). The east of Rio Paraguay is formed of grassy plains, tropical forests and wooded hills, west of Rio Paraguay is mostly low, the river sides are formed of marshy plains and dry forest and thorny scrub are also seen around.

CLIMATE:- The climate of Paraguay ranges from subtropical to temperate to semiarid in the far west.

GOVERNMENT:- Paraguay is a constitutional republic. The constitution was promulgated on 20th June 1992. The legal system is a blend of the Argentine codes, the Roman law, and the French codes. The three major branches of the government are:

Executive branch comprises the President (chief of state and head of government), the Vice President, and the Council of Ministers. The president and the vice president are elected on the same ticket by popular vote on a single 5-year term. The Council of Ministers is appointed by the president.

Legislative branch comprises the bicameral Congress, consists of he Chamber of Senators (45 seats), and the Chamber of Deputies (80 seats).

Judicial branch comprises the Supreme Court of Justice.

 National Republican Association/Colorado Party (ANR), Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA), Beloved Fatherland (PQ), National Union of Ethical Citizens (UNACE), National Encounter Party (PEN), and The Country in Solidarity Party (PPS) are the representing political parties in the Congress. Suffrage is universal and compulsory from 18 to 75.

President                  Nicanor Duarte

Vice President           Francisco Oviedo

President-elect         Fernando Lugo

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS:- Paraguay is divided into 17 departments and 1 capital city (Asunción).

CULTURE:- José Ricardo Mazó, Roque Vallejos, and Augusto Roa Bastos are some of the prominent writers of Paraguay of modern times. Paraguayan culture is a mixture of European, and Guaraní cultures. Conservative values are dominant among the Paraguayan families.

ECONOMY:- large informal sector, including re-export of imported goods to neighbours, and micro-enterprises and urban street vendors, dominates the economy of Paraguay. The developing country ranks as the 2nd poorest country in South America.

GDP/PPP (2007 est.): $27.08 billion; per capita $4,500.

Real growth rate: 6.4%.

Inflation: 8.1%.

Unemployment: 5.6%.

Arable land: 7.47%.

Agriculture: Cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, eggs, milk; timber.

Labor force: 2.735 million; agriculture 31%; industry 17%; services 52%.

Industries: Sugar, cement, textiles, beverages, wood products, steel, metallurgic, electric power.

Natural resources: hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone.

Exports: $6.898 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.): soybeans, feed, cotton, meat, edible oils, electricity, wood, leather.

Imports: $7.012 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.): road vehicles, consumer goods, tobacco, petroleum products, electrical machinery.

Major trading partners: Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Switzerland, China, U.S. (2004).

Monetary unit: Guaraní

LANGUAGE:- Spanish and Guarani are the official languages of Paraguay. Spanish is spoken by 75% of the population.

CITIES:- The capital Asunción is the largest city of Paraguay. Other large cities are Ciudad del Este, Concepción, Encarnación, Pedro Juan Caballero, Coronel Oviedo.

POPULATION:- The approximate population of Paraguay is 6,667,147 with an average growth rate of 2.4%.

Density per sq mi: 43

Literacy rate: 94% (2003 est.)

RACE:-

Mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%

Other 5%

RELIGION:-

Roman Catholic 89.6%

Protestant 6.2%

Other Christian 1.1%

Other or unspecified 1.9%

None 1.1% (2002

HEALTH:-

Birth rate: 28.47 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 4.49 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate: total: 25.55 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.56 years

Total fertility rate: 3.8 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 600 (2003 est.)

Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2005): 312

UNICEF:- UNICEF’s priority is the establishment of children and adolescents rights in Paraguay. UNICEF’s child rights and public policy programme will ensure children and women’s rights in all social aspects. This programme is related with the new Municipal Departments for Children. Local authorities are planned to be given more power in implementing children and women rights along with providing technical assistance. UNICEF’s special focus is on advocacy and training. Apart from health, education and social services, UNICEF”s priority list include early childhood care and development, maternal health, breastfeeding and micronutrient malnutrition, water and sanitation, primary health care, and quality primary education.

TRANSPORTATION:-

Railways: total: 441 km (2002).

Highways: total: 29,500 km; paved: 14,986 km; unpaved: 14,514 km (1999 est.). Waterways: 3,100 km.

Ports and harbors: Asuncion, Villeta, San Antonio, Encarnacion.

Airports: 838 (2007).