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South America and South Atlantic Islands
Paraguay |
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Last updated: 5 January 2009 |
Country information
PARAGUAY TODAY
Country Facts
Full country name: Republic of Paraguay
Area: 406,752 sq km; 14 people per sq km; 157,042 sq miles
Population: 6.2 million
Capital City: Asunción
People: 95 percent of Paraguayans are Mestizos (people of mixed Spanish and Native American ancestry). Minority groups include individuals of pure Spanish ancestry, unassimilated Guaraní people of the eastern forest region, and many small colonies of immigrants from Canada, Japan, Korea, Italy, Germany, Russia and others.
Language(s): Spanish and Guaraní are the official languages.
Religion(s): 90% of Paraguayans are Roman Catholics. The remaining 10% are mainly Protestant (of which the Mennonite group is the largest), Mormons, Jewish, and Russian Orthodox.
Currency: Guarani (G)
Major political parties: Alianza Patriotica por el Cambio (APC); Asociación Nacional Republicana (ANR), known as the Partido Colorado (PC); Partido Liberal Radical Auténtico (PLRA) - known as the Liberal Party, Patria Querida (PQ), UNACE (Unión Nacional de Ciudadanos Éticos). APC is a political alliance supported by several centre and left movements and parties, including: Encuentro Nacional (EN), Pais Solidario, Partido Cristiano Democratico, Partido Revolucionario Febrerista, Partido Frente Amplio, Bloque Social y Popular.
Government: Paraguay is a constitutional democracy. Paraguay has a presidential and bicameral parliamentary system. It is divided into seventeen departments each with its own elected Governor and Departmental Council. The capital of Asunción is a separate administrative area, independent of the department of which it is located. Mayors and city councils administer municipalities. National elections for President, Vice-President, Congress, Governors are held every five years, as are municipal elections.
Head of State: President Fernando Armindo Lugo Mendez
Foreign Minister: Alejandro Hamed Franco
Membership of international groupings/organisations: Cairns Group, International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Maritime Organisation (IMO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), Interpol, Mercosur, Non Aligned Movement (Observer), Organisation of American States (OAS), United Nations (UN), World Bank, World Health Organisation (WHO) and Pan-American Health Organisation (WHO/PAHO), World Trade Organisation (WTO), G-77, ALADI, OEA, Inter American Development Bank (IDB), UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), UN Programme for Development (UNDP).
HEALTH
- Life expectancy at birth m/f (years): 70 and 74
- Infant mortality m/f (per 1000): 20
- Child malnutrition (% of children under 5): 5
- Total health expenditure per capita (US$ 2003): 301
- Total health expenditure as % of GDP (2003): 7.3
(Source: The World Bank 2007)
Terrorism
There have long been accusations that the tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay has been a haven for Middle Eastern terrorists and press allegations have magnified this impression. These accusations emanate from the fact that there is a large Middle Eastern community, mainly Lebanese, in the region. There is no evidence to support these allegations. A principal concern with the tri-border area is the lack of proper financial controls and growing evidence that the region is a centre for money laundering, counterfeiting and smuggling.
Drugs
Paraguay's geographical position and lack of radar cover make it an ideal transit country for cocaine, principally from Bolivia. There is also an increasing problem with the cultivation of marijuana in Paraguay. As part of efforts to combat narcotics trafficking, the National Anti-Drugs Secretariat (SENAD) and the Paraguayan Narcotics Police (DINAR) were established in 1991.
