World Atlas: Paraguay. On this page you can see the map, country flag and many detailed information about the people, history and economy of Paraguay.
Here you can find online selected information about the geography, inhabitants, government, economy and history of Paraguay. Included are selected statistics, an overview map and the detailed map of Paraguay. But let's start with the flag of Paraguay here:
Paraguay - Overview:
What you should know about Paraguay? Let's start with this: Paraguay achieved its independence from Spain in 1811. In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70) - between Paraguay and Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay - Paraguay lost two-thirds of its adult males and much of its territory. The country stagnated economically for the next half century. Following the Chaco War of 1932-35 with Bolivia, Paraguay gained a large part of the Chaco lowland region. 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 the country's return to democracy.
Geography of Paraguay
Where on the globe is Paraguay? The location of this country is Central South America, northeast of Argentina, southwest of Brazil. Total area of Paraguay is 406,752 sq km, of which 397,302 sq km is land. So this is quite a large country. How could we describe the terrain of the country? This way: 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. The lowest point of Paraguay is junction of Rio Paraguay and Rio Parana 46 m, the highest point Cerro Pero 842 m. And the climate is subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west.
Inhabitants of Paraguay
Let's take a look how many people live in Paraguay. The number is: 6,943,739 (July 2017 est.). So this is not very populous country. Who lives here? mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%, other 5%. What are the languages in Paraguay? Spanish (official), Guarani (official). And the religions: Roman Catholic 89.6%, Protestant 6.2%, other Christian 1.1%, other or unspecified 1.9%, none 1.1% (2002 census). How old are the people in average? 28.2 years. We have to add that this number is the median - so one half of the people is older than this, one half is younger. And what is their life expectancy (at birth)? This: 77.4 years. Where the people live in Paraguay? Here: most of the population resides in the eastern half of the country; to the west lies the Gran Chaco (a semi-arid lowland plain), which accounts for 60% of the land territory, but only 2% of the overall population. The major urban areas of Paraguay are: Asuncion (capital) 2.356 million (2015).
Government and Economy of Paraguay
The capital of Paraguay is Asuncion and the government type presidential republic. Let's take a look at the administrative divisions - 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. Regarding the economy of Paraguay, important industrial products are sugar processing, cement, textiles, beverages, wood products, steel, base metals, electric powe. Important agricultural products are cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava (manioc, tapioca), fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, eggs, milk; timbe. The most important export commodities are soybeans, livestock feed, cotton, meat, edible oils, wood, leather, gold and the most important export partners are Brazil 35.4%, Argentina 10.5%, Russia 7.6%, Chile 6.1% (2016). The most important import commodities are road vehicles, consumer goods, tobacco, petroleum products, electrical machinery, tractors, chemicals, vehicle parts and the most important import partners are China 27.3%, Brazil 24.3%, Argentina 14.3%, US 7.1% (2016). How rich is Paraguay and how rich are people in this country? The most important number here is GDP per capita (PPP): $9,800 (2017 est.). This is quite a low number. Let's add that this means Gross Domestic Product per person, which is recalculated with respect to the relative cost of local goods and services. And one more important number - population below poverty line: 22.2% (2015 est.).