; water pollution; inadequate means for waste disposal
pose health risks for many urban residents; loss of wetlands

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
landlocked; lies between Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil; population
concentrated in southern part of country

People Paraguay

Population:
6,347,884 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 37.9% (male 1,223,479/female 1,184,134)
15-64 years: 57.3% (male 1,825,473/female 1,809,810)
65 years and over: 4.8% (male 140,935/female 164,053) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 21.2 years
male: 20.94 years
female: 21.46 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.48% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
29.43 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
4.53 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
-0.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 25.63 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 30.37 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 20.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.89 years
male: 72.35 years
female: 77.55 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
3.93 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.5% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
15,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
600 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Paraguayan(s)
adjective: Paraguayan

Ethnic groups:
mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%, other 5%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite and other Protestant 10%

Languages:
Spanish (official), Guarani (official)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94%
male: 94.9%
female: 93% (2003 est.)

Government Paraguay

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Paraguay
conventional short form: Paraguay
local long form: Republica del Paraguay
local short form: Paraguay

Government type:
constitutional repu