993)

Natural hazards: typhoons

Environment--current issues: NA

Environment--international agreements:
party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

People

Population: no indigenous inhabitants
note: there are scattered Chinese garrisons

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Paracel Islands

Data code: PF

Economy

Economy--overview: China announced plans in 1997 to open the
islands for tourism.

Transportation

Ports and harbors: small Chinese port facilities on Woody Island
and Duncan Island being expanded

Airports: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Military

Military--note: occupied by China

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan
and Vietnam

======================================================================

@Paraguay
--------

Geography

Location: Central South America, northeast of Argentina

Geographic coordinates: 23 00 S, 58 00 W

Map references: South America

Area:
total: 406,750 sq km
land: 397,300 sq km
water: 9,450 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)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: subtropical; 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

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: junction of Rio Paraguay and Rio Parana 46 m
highest point: Cerro San Rafael 850 m

Natural resources: hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese,
limestone

Land use:
arable land: 6%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 55%
forests and woodland: 32%
other: 7% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 670 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: local flooding in southeast (early September to
June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June)

Environment--current issues: deforestation (an estimated 2 million
hectares of forest land have been lost from 1958-85