Paraguay

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 Strossner 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.
Location: Central South America, northeast of Argentina. Area: Total: 406,750 sq km, water: 9,450 sq km, land: 397,300 sq km. Area - comparative: Slightly smaller than California. Land boundaries: Total: 3,920 km, border countries: Argentina 1,880 km, Bolivia 750 km, Brazil 1,290 km. Coastline: 0 km (landlocked).
Climate and Terrain: Climate: Subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west. Terrain: 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.
People: Population: 6,036,900. Ethnic groups: Mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%. Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite, and other Protestant. Languages: Spanish (official), Guarani (official).
Government: Government type: Constitutional republic. Capital: Asuncion. Independence: 14 May 1811 (from Spain).
Economy overview: Paraguay has a market economy marked by a large informal sector. The informal sector features both re-export of imported consumer goods to neighboring countries as well as the activities of thousands of micro-enterprises and urban street vendors. Because of the importance of the informal sector, accurate economic measures are difficult to obtain. A large percentage of the population derives their living from agricultural activity, often on a subsistence basis. The formal economy grew by an average of about 3% annually in 1995-97; but GDP declined slightly in 1998, 1999, and 2000, rose slightly in 2001, only to fall again in 2002.
Statistics: Telephones - main lines in use: 290,475. Telephones - mobile cellular: 510,000. Radio broadcast stations: AM 46, FM 27, shortwave 6. Radios: 925,000. Television broadcast stations: 4. Televisions: 990,000. Internet users: 20,000. Railways: Total: 441 km. Highways: Total: 25,901 km, paved: 3,067 km, unpaved: 22,834 km. Airports: 879, with paved runways: 11, with unpaved runways: 868.