Kenya (2002) | Paraguay (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | 7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western | 17 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and one capital city; Alto Paraguay, Alto Parana, Amambay, Asuncion (city), Boqueron, Caaguazu, Caazapa, Canindeyu, Central, Concepcion, Cordillera, Guaira, Itapua, Misiones, Neembucu, Paraguari, Presidente Hayes, San Pedro |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 41.1% (male 6,462,430; female 6,327,457)
15-64 years: 56.1% (male 8,769,546; female 8,694,329) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 385,361; female 499,612) (2002 est.) |
0-14 years:
38.9% (male 1,133,306; female 1,097,360) 15-64 years: 56.39% (male 1,622,743; female 1,610,659) 65 years and over: 4.71% (male 124,321; female 145,750) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | coffee, tea, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs | cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava (yucca), fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, eggs, milk; timber |
Airports | 231 (2001) | 915 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 19
over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
total:
11 over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 211
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 113 under 914 m: 83 (2002) |
total:
904 1,524 to 2,437 m: 29 914 to 1,523 m: 340 under 914 m: 535 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 582,650 sq km
land: 569,250 sq km water: 13,400 sq km |
total:
406,750 sq km land: 397,300 sq km water: 9,450 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly more than twice the size of Nevada | slightly smaller than California |
Background | Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led Kenya from independence until his death in 1978, when current President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI took power in a constitutional succession. The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982 when the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) made itself the sole legal party in Kenya. MOI acceded to internal and external pressure for political liberalization in late 1991. The ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence and fraud, but are viewed as having generally reflected the will of the Kenyan people. President MOI stepped down in December of 2002 following fair and peaceful elections. Mwai KIBAKI of the Democratic Party of Kenya defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform. | In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70), Paraguay lost two-thirds of all adult males and much of its territory. It stagnated economically for the next half century. In the Chaco War of 1932-35, large, economically important areas were won from Bolivia. The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo STROESSNER was overthrown in 1989, and, despite a marked increase in political infighting in recent years, relatively free and regular presidential elections have been held since then. |
Birth rate | 27.61 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 30.88 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $2.91 billion
expenditures: $2.97 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) (2000 est.) |
revenues:
$1.3 billion expenditures: $2 billion, including capital expenditures of $700 million (1999 est.) |
Capital | Nairobi | Asuncion |
Climate | varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior | subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west |
Coastline | 536 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | 12 December 1963, amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, and 2001 | promulgated 20 June 1992 |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Kenya
conventional short form: Kenya former: British East Africa |
conventional long form:
Republic of Paraguay conventional short form: Paraguay local long form: Republica del Paraguay local short form: Paraguay |
Currency | Kenyan shilling (KES) | guarani (PYG) |
Death rate | 14.68 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 4.75 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $8 billion (2001 est.) | $3 billion (2000 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Johnnie CARSON
embassy: US Embassy, P. O. Box 30137 Mombasa Road (near St. James Hospital), Nairobi mailing address: Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831 telephone: [254] (2) 537-800 FAX: [254] (2) 537-810 |
chief of mission:
Ambassador David N. GREENLEE embassy: 1776 Avenida Mariscal Lopez, Casilla Postal 402, Asuncion mailing address: Unit 4711, APO AA 34036-0001 telephone: [595] (21) 213-715 FAX: [595] (21) 213-728 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Yusuf Abdulraham NZIBO
chancery: 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-6101 FAX: [1] (202) 462-3829 consulate(s) general: offices in Los Angeles and New York are closed; mission to the UN remains open |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Leila RACHID chancery: 2400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-6960 through 6962 FAX: [1] (202) 234-4508 consulate(s) general: Detroit (honorary), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Juan (honorary) |
Disputes - international | since colonial times, Kenya's administrative boundary has extended beyond its treaty boundary into Sudan creating the "Ilemi Triangle"; arms smuggling and Oromo rebel activities prompt strict border regime with Somalia | - |
Economic aid - recipient | $457 million (1997) (1997) | $NA |
Economy - overview | Kenya, the regional hub for trade and finance in East Africa, is hampered by corruption and reliance upon several primary goods whose prices continue to decline. Following strong economic growth in 1995 and 1996, Kenya's economy has stagnated, with GDP growth failing to keep up with the rate of population growth. In 1997, the IMF suspended Kenya's Enhanced Structural Adjustment Program due to the government's failure to maintain reforms and curb corruption. A severe drought from 1999 to 2000 compounded Kenya's problems, causing water and energy rationing and reducing agricultural output. As a result, GDP contracted by 0.3% in 2000. The IMF, which had resumed loans in 2000 to help Kenya through the drought, again halted lending in 2001 when the government failed to institute several anticorruption measures. Despite the return of strong rains in 2001, weak commodity prices, endemic corruption, and low investment limited Kenya's economic growth to 1%, and Kenya is unlikely to see growth above 2% in 2002. Substantial IMF and other foreign support is essential to prevent a further decline in real per capita output. | Paraguay has a market economy marked by a large informal sector. The informal sector features both reexport of imported consumer goods to neighboring countries as well as the activities of thousands of microenterprises and urban street vendors. Because of the importance of the informal sector, accurate economic measures are difficult to obtain. A large percentage of the population derives their living from agricultural activity, often on a subsistence basis. The formal economy grew by an average of about 3% annually in 1995-97, but GDP declined slightly in 1998 and 1999. On a per capita basis, real income has stagnated at 1980 levels. Most observers attribute Paraguay's poor economic performance to political uncertainty, corruption, lack of progress on structural reform, substantial internal and external debt, and deficient infrastructure. Growth rebounded slightly in 2000. |
Electricity - consumption | 4.433 billion kWh (2000) | 1.915 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2000) | 46.03 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 140 million kWh (2000) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 4.616 billion kWh (2000) | 51.554 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 22%
hydro: 70% nuclear: 0% other: 8% (2000) |
fossil fuel:
0.07% hydro: 99.79% nuclear: 0% other: 0.15% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m |
lowest point:
junction of Rio Paraguay and Rio Parana 46 m highest point: Cerro Pero (Cerro Tres Kandu) 842 m |
Environment - current issues | water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; degradation of water quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilizers; water hyacinth infestation in Lake Victoria; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; poaching | 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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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 |
Ethnic groups | Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1% | mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95% |
Exchange rates | Kenyan shillings per US dollar - 78.597 (January 2002), 78.563 (2001), 76.176 (2000), 70.326 (1999), 60.367 (1998), 58.732 (1997) | guarani per US dollar - 3,570.0 (January 2001), 3,486.4 (2000), 3,119.1 (1999), 2,726.5 (1998), 2,177.9 (1997), 2,056.8 (1996); note - since early 1998, the exchange rate has operated as a managed float; prior to that, the exchange rate was determined freely in the market |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002) and Vice President Michael Kijana WAMALWA (since 3 January 2003) note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Mwai KIBAKI (since 30 December 2002) and Vice President Michael Kijana WAMALWA (since 3 January 2003) note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; in addition to receiving the largest number of votes in absolute terms, the presidential candidate must also win 25% or more of the vote in at least five of Kenya's seven provinces and one area to avoid a runoff; election last held 27 December 2002 (next to be held NA December 2007); vice president appointed by the president election results: President Mwai KIBAKI elected; percent of vote - Mwai KIBAKI 63%, Uhuru KENYATTA 30% |
chief of state:
President Luis GONZALEZ MACCHI (since 28 March 1999); vice president Julio Cesar FRANCO (since NA August 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Luis GONZALEZ MACCHI (since 28 March 1999); vice president Julio Cesar FRANCO (since NA August 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 10 May 1998 (next to be held NA May 2003) election results: Raul CUBAS Grau elected president; percent of vote - 55.3%; resigned 28 March 1999 note: President Luis GONZALEZ MACCHI, formerly president of the Chamber of Senators, constitutionally succeeded President Raul CUBAS Grau, who resigned after being impeached soon after the assassination of Vice President Luis Maria ARGANA; the successor to ARGANA was decided in an election held in August 2000 |
Exports | $1.8 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) | $3.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
Exports - commodities | tea, horticultural products, coffee, petroleum products, fish, cement | electricity, soybeans, feed, cotton, meat, edible oils |
Exports - partners | UK 13.5%, Tanzania 12.5%, Uganda 12.0%, Germany 5.5% (2000) | Brazil, Argentina, EU |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | calendar year |
Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering crossed spears is superimposed at the center | 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 the seal of the treasury (a yellow lion below a red Cap of Liberty and the words Paz y Justicia (Peace and Justice) capped by the words REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY, all within two circles) |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $31 billion (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $26.2 billion (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 24%
industry: 13% services: 63% (2000 est.) |
agriculture:
28% industry: 21% services: 51% (1999 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $4,750 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 1% (2001 est.) | 1% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 1 00 N, 38 00 E | 23 00 S, 58 00 W |
Geography - note | the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers are found on Mount Kenya, Africa's second highest peak; unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value | landlocked; lies between Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil |
Highways | total: 63,300 km
paved: 8,940 km unpaved: 54,360 km (2001) |
total:
25,901 km paved: 3,067 km unpaved: 22,834 km (2001) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 37% (2000) |
lowest 10%:
0.7% highest 10%: 46.6% (1995) |
Illicit drugs | widespread harvesting of small plots of marijuana; transit country for South Asian heroin destined for Europe and North America; Indian methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa; significant potential for money-laundering activity given the country's status as a regional financial center, massive corruption, and relatively high levels of narcotics-associated activities | illicit producer of cannabis, most or all of which is consumed in South America; transshipment country for Andean cocaine headed for Southern Cone markets and Europe |
Imports | $3.1 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) | $3.3 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor vehicles, iron and steel, resins and plastics | road vehicles, consumer goods, tobacco, petroleum products, electrical machinery |
Imports - partners | UK 12%, UAE 9.8%, Japan 6.5%, India 4.4% (2000) | Brazil, US, Argentina, Uruguay, EU, Hong Kong |
Independence | 12 December 1963 (from UK) | 14 May 1811 (from Spain) |
Industrial production growth rate | -0.7% (2001 est.) | 0% (2000 est.) |
Industries | small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products processing; oil refining, cement; tourism | sugar, cement, textiles, beverages, wood products |
Infant mortality rate | 67.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | 29.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.3% (2001 est.) | 8% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, EADB, ECA, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNU, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 65 (2001) | 4 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 670 sq km (1998 est.) | 670 sq km (1993 est.) |
Judicial branch | Court of Appeal (chief justice is appointed by the president); High Court | Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges appointed on the proposal of the Counsel of Magistrates or Consejo de la Magistratura) |
Labor force | 10 million (2001 est.) | 2 million (2000 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 75%-80% | agriculture 45% |
Land boundaries | total: 3,477 km
border countries: Ethiopia 861 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km, Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km |
total:
3,920 km border countries: Argentina 1,880 km, Bolivia 750 km, Brazil 1,290 km |
Land use | arable land: 7.03%
permanent crops: 0.91% other: 92.06% (1998 est.) |
arable land:
6% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 55% forests and woodland: 32% other: 7% (1993 est.) |
Languages | English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages | Spanish (official), Guarani (official) |
Legal system | based on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English common law, tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; constitutional amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in 1991 | based on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice |
Legislative branch | unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (224 seats; 210 members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms, 12 so-called "nominated" members who are appointed by the president but selected by the parties in proportion to their parliamentary vote totals, 2 ex-officio members)
elections: last held 27 December 2002 (next to be held by early 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NARC 125, KANU 64, FORD-P 14, other 7; ex-officio 2; seats appointed by the president - NARC 7, KANU 4, FORD-P 1 |
bicameral Congress or Congreso consists of the Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (45 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (80 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Chamber of Senators - last held 10 May 1998 (next to be held NA May 2003); Chamber of Deputies - last held 10 May 1998 (next to be held NA May 2003) election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Colorado Party 25, PLRA 13, PEN 7; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Colorado Party 45, PLRA 26, PEN 9 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 47.02 years
male: 46.2 years female: 47.85 years (2002 est.) |
total population:
73.92 years male: 71.44 years female: 76.52 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 78.1% male: 86.3% female: 70% (1995 est.) |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 92.1% male: 93.5% female: 90.6% (1995 est.) |
Location | Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and Tanzania | Central South America, northeast of Argentina |
Map references | Africa | South America |
Maritime claims | continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,893 GRT/6,320 DWT
ships by type: petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2002 est.) |
total:
20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 31,066 GRT/35,441 DWT ships by type: cargo 14, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 2 (2000 est.) |
Military branches | Army, Navy, Air Force | Army, Navy (includes Naval Air and Marines), Air Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $179.2 million (FY01) | $125 million (FY98) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.8% (FY01) | 1.4% (FY98) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 7,938,865 (2002 est.) | males age 15-49:
1,388,436 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 4,915,090 (2002 est.) | males age 15-49:
1,001,516 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 17 years of age |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males:
58,359 (2001 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 12 December (1963) | Independence Day, 14 May (1811) |
Nationality | noun: Kenyan(s)
adjective: Kenyan |
noun:
Paraguayan(s) adjective: Paraguayan |
Natural hazards | recurring drought; flooding during rainy seasons | local flooding in southeast (early September to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June) |
Natural resources | gold, limestone, soda ash, salt barites, rubies, fluorspar, garnets, wildlife, hydropower | hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone |
Net migration rate | -1.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population
note: according to UNHCR, by the end of 2001 Kenya was host to 220,000 refugees from neighboring countries, including: Somalia 145,000 and Sudan 68,000 (2002 est.) |
-0.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Pipelines | petroleum products 483 km | - |
Political parties and leaders | Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-People or FORD-People [Kimaniwa NYOIKE, chairman]; Kenya African National Union or KANU [Uhuru KENYATTA]; National Rainbow Coalition or NARC [Mwai KIBAKI] - the governing party | Authentic Radical Liberal Party or PLRA [Miguel Abdon SAGUIER]; Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Adalina GUITERREZ DE GALEANO]; Febrerista Revolutionary Party or PRF [Carlos Maria LJUBETIC]; National Encounter or PEN [Euclides ACEVEDO]; National Republican Association - Colorado Party [acting president Bader RACHID LICHI] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | human rights groups; labor unions; Muslim organizations; National Convention Executive Council or NCEC, a proreform coalition of political parties and nongovernment organizations [Kivutha KIBWANA]; Protestant National Council of Churches of Kenya or NCCK [Mutava MUSYIMI]; Roman Catholic and other Christian churches; Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims or SUPKEM [Shaykh Abdul Gafur al-BUSAIDY, chairman] | Ahorristas Estafados or AE; National Workers Central or CNT; Paraguayan Workers Confederation or CPT; Roman Catholic Church; Unitary Workers Central or CUT |
Population | 31,138,735
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.) |
5,734,139 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 50% (2000 est.) | 36% (2000 est.) |
Population growth rate | 1.15% (2002 est.) | 2.6% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Kisumu, Lamu, Mombasa | Asuncion, Villeta, San Antonio, Encarnacion |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 24, FM 18, shortwave 6 (2001) | AM 46, FM 27, shortwave 6 (three inactive) (1998) |
Radios | 3.07 million (1997) | 925,000 (1997) |
Railways | total: 2,778 km
narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge note: the line connecting Nairobi with the port of Mombasa is the most important in the country |
total:
971 km standard gauge: 441 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 60 km 1.000-m gauge note: there are 470 km of various gauges that are privately owned |
Religions | Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, indigenous beliefs 10%, Muslim 10%, other 2%
note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous beliefs vary widely |
Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite, and other Protestant |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
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 (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 75 |
Telephone system | general assessment: unreliable; little attempt to modernize except for service to business
domestic: trunks are primarily microwave radio relay; business data commonly transferred by a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat |
general assessment:
meager telephone service; principal switching center is Asuncion domestic: fair microwave radio relay network international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 310,000 (2001) | 290,475 (2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 540,000 (2001) | 510,000 (2001) |
Television broadcast stations | 8 (2002) | 4 (2001) |
Terrain | low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west | 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 |
Total fertility rate | 3.34 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 4.11 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 40% (2001 est.) | 16% (2000 est.) |
Waterways | NA
note: part of the Lake Victoria system is within the boundaries of Kenya |
3,100 km |