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
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 were lost from 1958-85); water pollution;
inadequate means for waste disposal present health risks for many
urban residents
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: Nuclear Test Ban
Geography - note: landlocked; lies between Argentina, Bolivia, and
Brazil
@Paraguay:People
Population: 5,585,828 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 39% (male 1,109,887; female 1,074,815)
15-64 years: 56% (male 1,574,978; female 1,563,872)
65 years and over: 5% (male 120,662; female 141,614) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.64% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 31.27 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 4.81 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 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: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 30.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.68 years
male: 71.22 years
female: 76.27 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.16 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Paraguayan(s)
adjective: Paraguayan
Ethnic groups: mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite, and other Protestant
Languages
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