"text":"Several Indigenous groups, principally belonging to the Guarani language family, inhabited the area of modern Paraguay before the arrival of the Spanish in the early 16th century, when the territory was incorporated into the Viceroyalty of Peru. Paraguay achieved its independence from Spain in 1811 with the help of neighboring states. In the aftermath of independence, a series of military dictators ruled the country until 1870. During the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1864-70) - fought against Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay - Paraguay lost two thirds of its adult males and much of its territory. The country stagnated economically for the next half century and experienced a tumultuous series of political regimes. Following the Chaco War of 1932-35 with Bolivia, Paraguay gained a large part of the Chaco lowland region. The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo STROESSNER ended in 1989, and Paraguay has held relatively free and regular presidential elections since the country's return to democracy."
"text":"subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west"
},
"Terrain":{
"text":"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"
"text":"Río de la Plata/Paraná (shared with Brazil [s], Argentina, and Uruguay [m]) - 4,880 km; Paraguay river mouth (shared with Brazil [s] and Argentina) - 2,549 km<br><strong>note</strong> – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth"
"text":"most of the population resides in the eastern half of the country; to the west lies the Gran Chaco (a semi-arid lowland plain), which accounts for 60% of the land territory, but only 2% of the overall population"
},
"Natural hazards":{
"text":"local flooding in southeast (early September to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June)"
"text":"<strong>note 1: </strong>landlocked; lies between Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil; population concentrated in eastern and southern part of country<br><br><strong>note 2:</strong> pineapples are probably indigenous to the southern Brazil-Paraguay region"
"text":"Spanish (official) and Guarani (official) 46.3%, only Guarani 34%, only Spanish 15.2%, other (includes Portuguese, German, other Indigenous languages) 4.1%, no response 0.4%; note - data represent predominant household language (2012 est.)"
"text":"<br>La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)<br><br>The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information."
"text":"<p>Paraguay falls below the Latin American average in several socioeconomic categories, including immunization rates, potable water, sanitation, and secondary school enrollment, and has greater rates of income inequality and child and maternal mortality. Paraguay's poverty rate has declined in recent years but remains high, especially in rural areas, with more than a third of the population below the poverty line. However, the well-being of the poor in many regions has improved in terms of housing quality and access to clean water, telephone service, and electricity. The fertility rate continues to drop, declining sharply from an average 4.3 births per woman in the late 1990s to about 2 in 2013, as a result of the greater educational attainment of women, increased use of contraception, and a desire for smaller families among young women.</p><p>Paraguay is a country of emigration; it has not attracted large numbers of immigrants because of political instability, civil wars, years of dictatorship, and the greater appeal of neighboring countries. Paraguay first tried to encourage immigration in 1870 in order to rebound from the heavy death toll it suffered during the War of the Triple Alliance, but it received few European and Middle Eastern immigrants. In the 20th century, limited numbers of immigrants arrived from Lebanon, Japan, South Korea, and China, as well as Mennonites from Canada, Russia, and Mexico. Large flows of Brazilian immigrants have been arriving since the 1960s, mainly to work in agriculture. Paraguayans continue to emigrate to Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, the United States, Italy, Spain, and France.</p>"
"text":"most of the population resides in the eastern half of the country; to the west lies the Gran Chaco (a semi-arid lowland plain), which accounts for 60% of the land territory, but only 2% of the overall population"
"text":"deforestation; water pollution; rivers suffer from toxic dumping; tanneries release mercury and chromium into rivers and streams; loss of wetlands; inadequate means for waste disposal pose health risks for many urban residents"
},
"Environment - international agreements":{
"party to":{
"text":"Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands"
},
"signed, but not ratified":{
"text":"Nuclear Test Ban, Tropical Timber 2006"
}
},
"Climate":{
"text":"subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west"
"text":"Río de la Plata/Paraná (shared with Brazil [s], Argentina, and Uruguay [m]) - 4,880 km; Paraguay river mouth (shared with Brazil [s] and Argentina) - 2,549 km<br><strong>note</strong> – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth"
"text":"the precise meaning of the name Paraguay is unclear, but it seems to derive from the river of the same name; one explanation has the name meaning \"water of the Payagua\" (an indigenous tribe that lived along the river)"
}
},
"Government type":{
"text":"presidential republic"
},
"Capital":{
"name":{
"text":"Asuncion"
},
"geographic coordinates":{
"text":"25 16 S, 57 40 W"
},
"time difference":{
"text":"UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)"
},
"daylight saving time":{
"text":"+1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends last Sunday in March"
"text":"the name means \"assumption\" and derives from the original name given to the city at its founding in 1537, Nuestra Senora Santa Maria de la Asuncion (Our Lady Saint Mary of the Assumption)"
"text":"17 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1 capital city*; Alto Paraguay, Alto Parana, Amambay, Asuncion*, Boqueron, Caaguazu, Caazapa, Canindeyu, Central, Concepcion, Cordillera, Guaira, Itapua, Misiones, Neembucu, Paraguari, Presidente Hayes, San Pedro"
},
"Independence":{
"text":"14-15 May 1811 (from Spain); note - the uprising against Spanish authorities took place during the night of 14-15 May 1811 and both days are celebrated in Paraguay"
},
"National holiday":{
"text":"Independence Day, 14-15 May (1811) (observed 15 May); 14 May is celebrated as Flag Day"
},
"Constitution":{
"history":{
"text":"several previous; latest approved and promulgated 20 June 1992"
"text":"proposed at the initiative of at least one quarter of either chamber of the National Congress, by the president of the republic, or by petition of at least 30,000 voters; passage requires a two-thirds majority vote by both chambers and approval in a referendum; amended 2011"
"text":"civil law system with influences from Argentine, Spanish, Roman, and French civil law models; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice"
"text":"President Mario ABDO BENÍTEZ (since 15 August 2018); Vice President Hugo Adalberto VELÁZQUEZ Moreno (since 15 August 2018); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government"
"text":"president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by simple majority popular vote for a single 5-year term; election last held on 30 April 2023 (next to be held in April 2028)"
"text":"<br><em>2023:</em>Santiago PEÑA Palacios elected president; percent of vote - Santiago PEÑA Palacios (ANR) 43.9%, Efraín ALEGRE (PLRA) 28.3%, Paraguayo CUBAS Colomes 23.6%, other 4.2%; note - PEÑA will take office 15 August 2023<em><br><br>2018:</em> Mario ABDO BENÍTEZ elected president; percent of vote - Mario ABDO BENÍTEZ (ANR) 49%, Efraín ALEGRE (PLRA) 45.1%, Juan Bautista YBÁÑEZ 3.4%, other 2.5%<br><br><em>2013:</em> Horacio Manuel CARTES Jara elected president; percent of vote - Horacio Manuel CARTES Jara (ANR) 48.5%, Efraín ALEGRE (PLRA) 39%, Mario FERREIRO (AP) 6.2%, Aníbal CARRILLO (FG) 3.5%, other 2.8%"
"text":"bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of:<br>Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (45 seats; members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by closed-list proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms)<br>Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (80 seats; members directly elected in 18 multi-seat constituencies - corresponding to the country's 17 departments and capital city - by closed-list proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms)"
"text":"<br>Chamber of Senators - last held on 30 April 2023 (next to be held in April 2028)<br>Chamber of Deputies - last held on 30 April 2023 (next to be held in April 2028)"
"text":"<br>Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party/coalition - ANR 45.7%, PLRA 24.4%, PCN 11.5%, PEN 5.2%, PPQ 2.5%, other 10.7%; seats by party/coalition - ANR 23, PLRA 12, PCN 5, PEN 2, PPQ 1, other 2; composition - men 38, women 7, percent of women 18.4%<br><br>Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party/coalition - ANR 44%, PLRA 30.9%, PCN 8.3%, PPQ 3.6%, PEN 2.9%; other 10.3%; seats by party/coalition - ANR 49, PLRA 21, PCN 4, PEN 2, PPQ 1, other 3; composition - men 68, women 12, percent of women 17.6%; note - total National Congress percent of women NA%"
"text":"Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (consists of 9 justices divided 3 each into the Constitutional Court, Civil and Commercial Chamber, and Criminal Division)"
},
"judge selection and term of office":{
"text":"justices proposed by the Council of Magistrates or Consejo de la Magistratura, a 6-member independent body, and appointed by the Chamber of Senators with presidential concurrence; judges can serve until mandatory retirement at age 75"
},
"subordinate courts":{
"text":"appellate courts; first instance courts; minor courts, including justices of the peace"
"text":"Asociacion Nacional Republicana (National Republican Association) - Colorado Party or ANR [Mario ABDO BENITEZ]<br>Avanza Pais coalition or AP [Adolfo FERREIRO]<br>Frente Guasu (Broad Front coalition) or FG [Fernando Armindo LUGO Mendez]<br>GANAR Alliance (Great Renewed National Alliance) (alliance between PLRA and Guasú Front)<br>Movimiento Hagamos or MH [Antonio \"Tony\" APURIL]<br>Movimiento Union Nacional de Ciudadanos Eticos (National Union of Ethical Citizens) or UNACE [Jorge OVIEDO MATTO]<br>Partido Cruzada Nacional (National Crusade Party) or PCN [Payo CUBAS]; note - formerly Movimiento Cruzada Nacional<br>Partido del Movimiento al Socialismo or P-MAS [Camilo Ernesto SOARES Machado]<br>Partido Democratica Progresista (Progressive Democratic Party) or PDP [Rafael FILIZZOLA]<br>Partido Encuentro Nacional or PEN [Fernando CAMACHO]<br>Partido Liberal Radical Autentico (Authentic Radical Liberal Party) or PLRA [Efrain ALEGRE]<br>Partido Pais Solidario or PPS [Carlos Alberto FILIZZOLA Pallares]<br>Partido Popular Tekojoja or PPT [Sixto PEREIRA Galeano]<br>Patria Querida (Beloved Fatherland Party) or PPQ [Miguel CARRIZOSA]"
"text":"three equal, horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue with an emblem centered in the white band; unusual flag in that the emblem is different on each side; the obverse (hoist side at the left) bears the national coat of arms (a yellow five-pointed star within a green wreath capped by the words REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY, all within two circles); the reverse (hoist side at the right) bears a circular seal of the treasury (a yellow lion below a red Cap of Liberty and the words PAZ Y JUSTICIA (Peace and Justice)); red symbolizes bravery and patriotism, white represents integrity and peace, and blue denotes liberty and generosity",
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> the three color bands resemble those on the flag of the Netherlands; one of only three national flags that differ on their obverse and reverse sides - the others are Moldova and Saudi Arabia"
"text":"upper middle-income South American economy; COVID-19 hit while still recovering from 2019 Argentina-driven recession; global hydroelectricity leader; major corruption and money-laundering locale; highly agrarian economy; significant income inequality"
"text":"limited progress on structural reform and deficient infrastructure of the landlocked country are obstacles to the telecom platform; effective competition in mobile market, serving 96% of population through LTE; deployment of fiber; operator enabled 109 free Internet points across the country and is looking to expand to 430 points in 2022; dependent on neighboring countries for access to submarine cables (2022)"
"text":"country code - 595; Paraguay's landlocked position means they must depend on neighbors for interconnection with submarine cable networks, making it cost more for broadband services; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2019)"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control"
"text":"Armed Forces of Paraguay (Fuerzas Armadas de Paraguay; aka Armed Forces of the Nation or Fuerzas Armadas de la Nación): Paraguayan Army (Ejército Paraguayo), Paraguayan Navy (Armada Paraguaya; includes marines), Paraguayan Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Paraguaya); Ministry of Internal Affairs: National Police of Paraguay (Policía Nacional del Paraguay, PNP) (2023)",
"note":"<strong>note: </strong>Paraguay also has a National Counterdrug Bureau (Secretaria Nacional Antidrogas or SENAD) that operates under the presidency"
"text":"18 years of age for compulsory (men) and voluntary (men and women) military service; conscript service obligation is 12 months for Army, 24 months for Navy; conscripts also serve in the National Police; volunteers for the Air Force must be younger than 22 years of age with a secondary school diploma (2023)",
"text":"the Paraguayan military is responsible for external defense but also has some domestic security duties; while the National Police are responsible for maintaining internal security, the military works with the police through a Joint Task Force (aka Fuerza de Tarea Conjunta or FTC) in combatting the Paraguayan People’s Army (Ejército del Pueblo Paraguayo or EPP) and transnational criminal organizations; the military has an Internal Defense Operations Command (Comando de Defensa Interna or CODI), which includes the Army, Navy, and Air Force, to coordinate internal security support to the police and other security organizations, such as the National Anti-Drug Secretariat or SENAD<br><br>the EPP is a domestic criminal/guerrilla group initially dedicated to a Marxist-Leninist revolution in Paraguay that operates in the rural northern part of the country along the border with Brazil; the activities of the EPP and its offshoots—Marsical López’s Army (EML) and the Armed Peasant Association (ACA)—have consisted largely of isolated attacks on remote police and army posts, or against ranchers and peasants accused of aiding Paraguayan security forces<br><br>the military is a small force by regional standards, and its limited equipment inventory is largely obsolete, with some of it pre-dating World War II; it has deployed small numbers of troops on UN missions and cooperates with neighboring countries, such as Argentina and Brazil, on security issues, particularly organized crime and narco-trafficking in what is known as the Tri-Border Area; Paraguay has not fought a war against a neighboring country since the Chaco War with Bolivia in the 1930s; formally established in 1811, the Army has 9 divisions of infantry and cavalry, but each division is reportedly about the size of a US battalion or 500-1,000 troops; there is also a presidential guard regiment; the Navy is a riverine force that has some of the oldest operational warships in the World, as well as a small marine infantry force; the Air Force has a single combat squadron with a handful of light ground attack/trainer aircraft (2023)"
"note":"<strong>note:</strong> details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix-T"
"text":"<p><em>Paraguay-Argentina-Brazil</em>: unruly region at convergence of Paraguay-Argentina-Brazil borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for violent extremist organizations</p>"
"text":"<br><br> <p>marijuana cultivation and the trafficking of Andean cocaine in the tri-border area shared with Argentina, and Brazil facilitates money laundering</p> <p></p>"
