+595 is the dialing code for Paraguay.
The least populated Paraguay is in the hinterland of South America. Dictator Alfredo Stroessner ruled the country with an iron hand for nearly 35 years before being driven into national flight following a coup in 1989. His party, the Colorado Party, retained power for the 2008 election and resumed it five years later. Despite increased democracy, Paraguay is still characterized by severe corruption and a large black sector with extensive smuggling of drugs, among other things. The country is poor, income per resident is among the lowest in Latin America.
- Abbreviationfinder: Brief profiles of Paraguay, including geography, history, politics, economics as well as common acronyms about this country.
Geography and climate
Paraguay is located in the interior of South America and is on the surface somewhat smaller than Sweden. The Paraguay River flowing from north to south divides the country into two parts: the dry and flattened Chaco to the west and to the east of Paraneña with rolling countryside and fertile plains.
Two other rivers form the border, Pilcomayo towards Argentina in the west and Paraná towards Brazil in the east. Pilcomayo merges with Paraguay near the capital Asuncion and Paraguay in turn merges with Paraná just south of the country. Through the rivers you reach the Atlantic by boat.
Country Facts
Geography
| Cultivated land | 53.8 % |
| Land area | 406752 km 2 |
Population and health
| Population development | 1.16 ‰ |
| Urban population (Urbanization) | 59.7 % |
| Death rate | 4.68 per 1000 residents |
| Life expectancy: Women | 79.77 years |
| Life expectancy: Men | 74.34 years |
| Birth rate | 16.37 births per 1000 residents |
| HDI index | 0.679 |
| Population | 6783272 |
| Infant mortality | 20.05 deaths / 1000 births |
Population Graph Source: Countryaah.com
Energy
| Electricity, production | 59630 million kWh |
| Energy consumption per resident | 783.3 kg. oil per resident |
| Natural gas, production | million cubic meters |
| Crude oil, production | million tons |
Infrastructure
| Internet users | 29.0 per 100 residents |
| Mobile subscriptions | 109 per 100 residents |
| Passenger cars | 54 per 1000 residents |
Business and economics
| Unemployment | 5.5% of the workforce |
| GDP | 8700 per resident |
| Primary occupations | 26.5 % |
| Secondary profession | 18.5 % |
| Tertiary professions | 55 % |
To the east of the Paraguay River are wooded hills that in the south turn into grasslands – Pampas – crossed by small rivers. To the west of the river, Chaco, or Gran Chaco, extends over half the country’s surface. Dry floods with floods make parts of Chaco the peninsula, dominated by thorn bushes and giant cacti. The area is not suitable for agriculture, but irrigation ponds have sometimes created good grazing land for cattle. The whole country is quite lowland.
Wildlife is rich and there are many kinds of birds such as parrots, budgies and rhea (American ostrich). Snakes are also common. Due to the rapid population increase in eastern Paraguay, animals such as jaguars, antelope, belt, wolf and Brazilian tapir are becoming increasingly rare.
Eastern Paraguay has a mild, subtropical climate. During the winter (June to August) it can be chilly with frost some nights. The forest areas get ample and even rainfall, even though the summer gives the most rain. Rapid weather changes, with violent storms and sudden downpours, are common.
In Chaco in the west, it is usually hot and dry. During the summer (October to March) the temperature can exceed 40 degrees. It also rains heavily while it hardly rains at all in the winter.
FACTS – GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE
Surface
406 752 km2 (2018)
Time
Swedish –5 hours
Adjacent country (s)
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil
Capital with number of residents
Asuncion 2.3 million including suburbs
Other major cities
Ciudad del Este, Encarnación, Concepción, Pedro Juan Caballero
Highest mountain
Cerro Peró (also called Tres Kandú, 842 m asl)
Important rivers
Paraná, Paraguay, Pilcomayo
Largest lake
Ypoa
Average Precipitation / year
1 120 mm in Asuncion, 815 mm in the west, 1 525 mm in the east
Average / day
27 °C (Jan), 17 °C (July)
1st estimate 2014
2014
October
Journalist murdered
October 16
Digging journalist Pablo Medina and his co-worker Antonia Almada are shot to death by motorcycle perpetrators. Medina, who worked for ABC Color, wrote about drug smuggling and had been threatened several times. He had received police protection but was on occasions without escort. He becomes the third journalist to be murdered in Paraguay during the year.
August
Protests against corruption and privatization
A series of demonstrations is being held in protest against politicians and civil servants who are perceived as corrupt, and against the government’s plans to privatize parts of the social service.
June
Land is returned to indigenous people
June 11
President Cartes signs a congressional decision that the state will forcibly redeem land from landowners in Chaco, and return it to the Sawhoyamaxa people group belonging to the indigenous people of Enxet. It covers 14,400 hectares, the largest land area that has so far been returned to original users. Sawhoyamaxa were expelled from the ground in the early 1990s and many of them have since lived on the outskirts, under difficult conditions. In 2006, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) ruled that the state must return the land and pay damages. The process has dragged on over time and the case has been noticed by human rights groups also internationally. In 2013, sawhoyamaxa tired of waiting and occupied a land area, as well as conducted several protests in Asuncion.
Flood in Asuncion
Floods force 150,000 people from their homes in Asuncion. Heavy rainfall has caused the Paraguay and Paraná rivers to rise above their banks.
April
Poverty decreases
An official survey shows a rapid reduction in poverty in the country, which according to national estimates has fallen from 32.4 percent in 2011 to 23.8 percent in 2013. The cause is said to be high growth of an average of 7.6 percent since 2010.