Paraguay

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Paraguay's Information


Capital	Asuncion
Languages	Spanish (official), Guarani (official)
Ethnic Groups	Mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%, other 5%
Religion	Roman Catholic 89.6%, Protestant 6.2%, other Christian 1.1%, other or unspecified 1.9%, none 1.1% (2002 census)
Government	Presidential republic
Independance	14 May 1811 (from Spain)
Area	406,752.00 km²
Water Area	9,450.00 km²
Land Area	397,302.00 km²
Population	6,862,812.00 Most of the population resides in the eastern half of the country; to the west lies the Gran Chaco, which accounts for 60% of the land territory, but only 2% of the overall population
Location	Central South America, northeast of Argentina, southwest of Brazil
No. Bordering Countries	3
Bordering Countries	Argentina 2,531 km, Bolivia 753 km, Brazil 1,371 km
GDP(PPP)	$64,670,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$9,500.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are Brazil, Russia, Chile, and Argentina.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are soybeans, livestock feed, cotton, meat, and edible oils.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are Brazil, China, and Argentina.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include road vehicles, consumer goods, and tobacco.
Climate	Varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west; temperate to frigid in Andes
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

Where is Paraguay?

Located in Central South America, Paraguay has a 4,655.00 km border with Argentina (2,531 km), Bolivia (753 km) and Brazil (1,371 km). There is a region of the country at the convergence of the Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay border that is the focus of money laundering operations, as well as illegal narcotics trafficking.

The capital of Paraguay is Asunción, which sits along the Paraguay river. Although Asunción does not belong to any one district, its entire metropolitan area does lie within the Central Department. This city was founded as a military fort in 1537, but did not become particularly important to the region until 1542. In this year, colonizers fled Buenos Aires and settled in Asunción, which then became the economic and political hub for the Giant Province of the Indies. The city proper of Asunción has a population size of approximately 525,294, while the entire metropolitan has a population of nearly 2.2 million. This population size represents around one-third of the total national population. Asunción is not one of the most popular tourist destinations in South America, although it does receive a number of visitors every year. It is often referred to as the cheapest capital city in the world. Asunción is located in a tropical savanna climate, which means the city experiences warm winter seasons and hot, humid summers.

Geography

Paraguay has a mean elevation of 178 m above sea level.

It has a varied climate from tropical in the east to dry desert in the west. Its terrain is mostly made up of grassyplains, marshy plains, and dry forests.

Population

Paraguay has a population of 6,862,812 making it the 104th largest in the world. The majority of the country lives in the eastern region of the country.

Spanish and Guarani are official languages. The major ethnic group reported is mestizo. The majority of the population identifies as Roman Catholic.

The official languages of Paraguay are Spanish and Guaraní. Both languages incorporate the latin alphabet with the addition of some extra letters. Spanish utilizes the letter “ñ” as well as accent marks over vowels in certain words. Guaraní also utilizes the “ñ” letter as well as the tilde over vowels in certain words. These languages do not, however, come from the same language family. Spanish is considered an Iber-Romance language, while Guaraní is classified as part of the Tupian language family. Spanish is spoken by around 87% of the population as either a first or second language. Interestingly, more people report speaking Guaraní than Spanish at 90%. This language is the only American indigenous language spoken by a large percentage of non-indigenous individuals. Paraguay also has a number of residents and citizens who speak several other minority languages. At least 50,000 people speak one of 13 native languages. Minority immigrant languages in this country include: German, Plautdietsch, Portuguese, and Italian. Some of the most useful phrases to know when traveling to Paraguay include a mix of both Spanish and Guaraní.

Government

Paraguay is an independent country. It gained independence from Spain in 1811. Its constitution was last ratified in 1992.

The government of Paraguay is administered under a representative democratic republic in which the President serves as both the Head of State and the Head of Government. The current President of Paraguay is Horacio Cartes, who has held the position since August 15, 2013. His presidency marks only the second time in the history of Paraguay that the country has experienced a peaceful transition of power between differing political parties. The legislative branch of government is carried out by the National Congress, a bicameral body that is made up of two houses: the Chamber of Senators and the Chamber of Deputies. Legislative acts are carried out at the Congress Building, located in the city of Asunción. Voting in Paraguay is mandatory for citizens between the ages of 18 and 75.

Economy

Factoring in Purchasing Power Parity, Paraguay's GDP is $64,670,000,000.00 (USD) with $9,500.00 (USD) per capita. This makes it the 102nd largest economy and its citizens the 137th richest in the world. The currency of Paraguay is the Guarani (PYG).

Its major export partners are Brazil, Russia, Chile, and Argentina. Its main exports are soybeans, livestock feed, cotton, meat, and edible oils. Its major import partners are Brazil, China, and Argentina. Its major imports include road vehicles, consumer goods, and tobacco.

Flag

The flag of Paraguay is made up of 3 horizontal stripes of equal sizes. From top to bottom, the colors of the stripes are: red, white, and blue. Additionally, this flag contains the national emblem at its center on the front side and the national coat of arms at its center on the back side. This design makes Paraguay the only country in the world where the national flag has different image on its front and back sides. In 1842, the government of Paraguay officially adopted the current flag design. Each of the colors on the flag represents something different, meant to invoke a sense of nationalism in the citizens. The flag of Paraguay was designed by José Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia, a dictator who led the country between 1814 and 1840. Prior to the current flag, Paraguay used at least 5 different flag designs.