National name:
República del Paraguay
Government:
Constitutional rep.
Geography
Paraguay is surrounded by Brazil, Bolivia, and Argentina in south-central South America. Eastern Paraguay, between the Paraná and Paraguay rivers, is upland country with the thickest population settled on the grassy slope that inclines toward the Paraguay River. The greater part of the Chaco region to the west is covered with marshes, lagoons, dense forests, and jungles.
Historical Background
In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70), 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, large, economically important areas were won from Bolivia. The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo STROESSNER was overthrown in 1989, and, despite a marked increase in political infighting in recent years, relatively free and regular presidential elections have been held since then. On April 22, 2008, Fernando Lugo, a former Roman Catholic Bishop, was elected president of Paraguay beating the Colorado Party's candidate, Blanca Ovelar de Duarte. Lugo's victory ended the Colorado Party's 61 years in power-a system of bureaucracy and patronage founded in 1887.
Facts & Figures
Name
PARAGUAY
Capital
Asunción
Government
Constitutional presidential republic
Language
Spanish Guaraní
Religion
According to the 2002 census, 89.6% of the population is Roman Catholic, 6.2% is evangelical Christian, 1.1% is other Christian, 0.6% practice indigenous religions.
Area
406,752 km2
Population
2009 estimate 6,349,000
Currency
Guaraní (PYG)
GDP(PPP)
2008 estimate Total $28.452 billion
Time Zone
(UTC-4) Summer (DST) (UTC-3)
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