New Zealand (2004) | Paraguay (2006) | |
![]() | ![]() | |
Administrative divisions | 13 regions; Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Canterbury, Gisborne-Hawke's Bay, Manawatu-Wanganui, Nelson-Marlborough, Northland, Otago, Southland, Taranaki, Waikato, Wellington, West Coast | 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 |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 21.7% (male 443,211; female 422,507)
15-64 years: 66.7% (male 1,337,383; female 1,325,683) 65 years and over: 11.6% (male 203,084; female 261,949) (2004 est.) |
0-14 years: 37.7% (male 1,245,149/female 1,204,970)
15-64 years: 57.5% (male 1,878,761/female 1,862,266) 65 years and over: 4.8% (male 145,899/female 169,419) (2006 est.) |
Agriculture - products | wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables; wool, beef, dairy products; fish | cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, eggs, milk; timber |
Airports | 113 (2003 est.) | 881 (2006) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 46
over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 27 under 914 m: 5 (2004 est.) |
total: 12
over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2006) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 70
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 39 (2004 est.) |
total: 869
1,524 to 2,437 m: 26 914 to 1,523 m: 325 under 914 m: 518 (2006) |
Area | total: 268,680 sq km
land: NA sq km water: NA sq km note: includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands |
total: 406,750 sq km
land: 397,300 sq km water: 9,450 sq km |
Area - comparative | about the size of Colorado | slightly smaller than California |
Background | The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year, the British began the first organized colonial settlement. A series of land wars between 1843 and 1872 ended with the defeat of the native peoples. The British colony of New Zealand became an independent dominion in 1907 and supported the UK militarily in both World Wars. New Zealand's full participation in a number of defense alliances lapsed by the 1980s. In recent years, the government has sought to address longstanding Maori grievances. | 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 | 14.04 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 29.1 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $32.14 billion
expenditures: $30.13 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003) |
revenues: $1.334 billion
expenditures: $1.37 billion; including capital expenditures of $700 million (2005 est.) |
Capital | Wellington | name: Asuncion
geographic coordinates: 25 16 S, 57 40 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | temperate with sharp regional contrasts | subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west |
Coastline | 15,134 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | consists of a series of legal documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments and The Constitution Act 1986 which is the principal formal charter | promulgated 20 June 1992 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: New Zealand abbreviation: NZ |
conventional long form: Republic of Paraguay
conventional short form: Paraguay local long form: Republica del Paraguay local short form: Paraguay |
Currency | New Zealand dollar (NZD) | - |
Death rate | 7.54 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 4.49 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Debt - external | $37.46 billion (2003 est.) | $3.45 billion (2005 est.) |
Dependent areas | Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Charles J. SWINDELLS
embassy: 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington mailing address: P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, APO AP 96531-1034 telephone: [64] (4) 462-6000 FAX: [64] (4) 499-0490 consulate(s) general: Auckland |
Ambassador James C. CASON
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 L. John WOOD
chancery: 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 328-4800 FAX: [1] (202) 667-5227 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York |
chief of mission: Ambassador James SPALDING Hellmers
chancery: 2400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-6960 through 6962 FAX: [1] (202) 234-4508 consulate(s) general: Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York |
Disputes - international | territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency) | unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations |
Economic aid - donor | ODA, $99.7 million | - |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $NA |
Economy - overview | Over the past 20 years the government has transformed New Zealand from an agrarian economy dependent on concessionary British market access to a more industrialized, free market economy that can compete globally. This dynamic growth has boosted real incomes (but left behind many at the bottom of the ladder), broadened and deepened the technological capabilities of the industrial sector, and contained inflationary pressures. Per capita income has been rising and is now 80% of the level of the four largest EU economies. New Zealand is heavily dependent on trade - particularly in agricultural products - to drive growth, and it has been affected by the global economic slowdown and the slump in commodity prices. Thus far the economy has been resilient, and growth should continue at the same level in 2004. Expenditures on health, education, and pensions will increase proportionately. | Landlocked Paraguay has a market economy marked by a large informal sector. This 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 its living from agricultural activity, often on a subsistence basis. The formal economy grew by an average of about 3% annually in 1995-97, but averaged near-zero growth in 1998-2001 and contracted by 2.3 percent in 2002, in response to regional contagion and an outbreak of hoof-and-mouth disease. 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. Aided by a firmer exchange rate and perhaps a greater confidence in the economic policy of the DUARTE FRUTOS administration, the economy rebounded between 2003 and 2005, posting modest growth each year. |
Electricity - consumption | 34.88 billion kWh (2001) | 3.528 billion kWh (2003) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | 44.17 billion kWh (2003) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2003) |
Electricity - production | 37.51 billion kWh (2001) | 51.29 billion kWh (2003) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Aoraki-Mount Cook 3,754 m |
lowest point: junction of Rio Paraguay and Rio Parana 46 m
highest point: Cerro Pero (Cerro Tres Kandu) 842 m |
Environment - current issues | deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by species introduced from outside | deforestation; water pollution; inadequate means for waste disposal pose health risks for many urban residents; loss of wetlands |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic Seals, Marine Life Conservation |
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 |
Ethnic groups | New Zealand European 74.5%, Maori 9.7%, other European 4.6%, Pacific Islander 3.8%, Asian and others 7.4% | mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%, other 5% |
Exchange rates | New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.7229 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001), 2.2012 (2000), 1.8896 (1999) | guarani per US dollar - 6,178 (2005), 5,974.6 (2004), 6,424.3 (2003), 5,716.3 (2002), 4,105.9 (2001) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Silvia CARTWRIGHT (since 4 April 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Helen CLARK (since 10 December 1999) and Deputy Prime Minister Michael CULLEN (since NA July 2002) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general |
chief of state: President Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS (since 15 August 2003); Vice President Luis CASTIGLIONI Joria (since 15 August 2003); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS (since 15 August 2003); Vice President Luis CASTIGLIONI Joria (since 15 August 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the president elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 27 April 2003 (next to be held April 2008) election results: Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS elected president; percent of vote - Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS 37.1%, Julio Cesar Ramon FRANCO Gomez 23.9%, Pedro Nicolas Maraa FADUL Niella 21.3%, Guillermo SANCHEZ Guffanti 13.5%, other 4.2% |
Exports | 30,220 bbl/day (2001) | NA bbl/day |
Exports - commodities | dairy products, meat, wood and wood products, fish, machinery | soybeans, feed, cotton, meat, edible oils, electricity, wood, leather |
Exports - partners | Australia 21.8%, US 14.6%, Japan 11%, China 4.9%, UK 4.8% (2003) | Uruguay 26.7%, Brazil 15.2%, Argentina 4.8%, Chile 4.7% (2005) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | calendar year |
Flag description | blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the outer half of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross constellation | 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 - $85.34 billion (2003 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 4.8%
industry: 27.4% services: 67.8% (2003 est.) |
agriculture: 22.4%
industry: 20.7% services: 56.9% (2005 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $21,600 (2003 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 3.5% (2003 est.) | 2.7% (2005 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 41 00 S, 174 00 E | 23 00 S, 58 00 W |
Geography - note | about 80% of the population lives in cities; Wellington is the southernmost national capital in the world | landlocked; lies between Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil; population concentrated in southern part of country |
Highways | total: 92,053 km
paved: 57,809 km (including at least 190 km of expressways) unpaved: 34,244 km (2000) |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 0.3%
highest 10%: 29.8% (1991 est.) |
lowest 10%: 0.5%
highest 10%: 43.8% (1998) |
Illicit drugs | - | major illicit producer of cannabis, most or all of which is consumed in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile; transshipment country for Andean cocaine headed for Brazil, other Southern Cone markets, and Europe; corruption and some money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border Area; weak anti-money-laundering laws and enforcement |
Imports | 119,700 bbl/day (2001) | NA bbl/day |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, vehicles and aircraft, petroleum, electronics, textiles, plastics | road vehicles, consumer goods, tobacco, petroleum products, electrical machinery |
Imports - partners | Australia 22.2%, US 11.8%, Japan 11.8%, China 9%, Germany 5.3% (2003) | Brazil 26.8%, Argentina 21.1%, US 20.8%, China 9.5% (2005) |
Independence | 26 September 1907 (from UK) | 14 May 1811 (from Spain) |
Industrial production growth rate | 1.3% (2003 est.) | 0% (2000 est.) |
Industries | food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining | sugar, cement, textiles, beverages, wood products, steel, metallurgic, electric power |
Infant mortality rate | total: 5.96 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.83 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
total: 24.78 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 29.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 19.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.8% (2003 est.) | 6.8% (2005 est.) |
International organization participation | ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CP, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMISET, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | CAN (associate), CSN, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
Irrigated land | 2,850 sq km (1998 est.) | 670 sq km (2003) |
Judicial branch | High Court; Court of Appeal | Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges appointed on the proposal of the Council of Magistrates or Consejo de la Magistratura) |
Labor force | 2.008 million (2003 est.) | 2.68 million (2005 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 10%, industry 25%, services 65% (1995) | agriculture: 45%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 3,920 km
border countries: Argentina 1,880 km, Bolivia 750 km, Brazil 1,290 km |
Land use | arable land: 5.6%
permanent crops: 6.99% other: 87.41% (2001) |
arable land: 7.47%
permanent crops: 0.24% other: 92.29% (2005) |
Languages | English (official), Maori (official) | Spanish (official), Guarani (official) |
Legal system | based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for the Maori; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations | based on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | unicameral House of Representatives - commonly called Parliament (120 seats; 69 members elected by popular vote in single-member constituencies including 7 Maori constituencies, and 51 proportional seats chosen from party lists, all to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 27 July 2002 (next to be held NA 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NZLP 52, NP 27, NZFP 13, ACT New Zealand 9, Green Party 9, UF 8, other 2 |
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 27 April 2003 (next to be held April 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 27 April 2003 (next to be held April 2008) election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - ANR 16, PLRA 12, UNACE 7, PQ 7, PPS 2, PEN 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ANR 37, PLRA 21, UNACE 10, PQ 10, PPS 2 note: as of January 2006, changes in party affiliation has led to the composition of the legislature as follows: Chamber of Senators - seats by party - ANR 18, PLRA 12, UNACE 5, PQ 7, PPS 2, PEN 1; Chamber of Deputies - seats by party - ANR 39, PLRA 21, UNACE 8, PQ 10, PPS 2 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 78.49 years
male: 75.5 years female: 81.61 years (2004 est.) |
total population: 75.1 years
male: 72.56 years female: 77.78 years (2006 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1980 est.) male: NA female: NA |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94% male: 94.9% female: 93% (2003 est.) |
Location | Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Australia | Central South America, northeast of Argentina |
Map references | Oceania | South America |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | total: 10 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 77,523 GRT/108,352 DWT
by type: bulk 3, cargo 2, container 1, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: Australia 1, Isle of Man 1 registered in other countries: 8 (2004 est.) |
total: 21 ships (1000 GRT or over) 34,749 GRT/39,280 DWT
by type: cargo 15, livestock carrier 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 3 (Argentina 3) registered in other countries: 1 (Ecuador 1) (2006) |
Military branches | New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force | Army, National Navy (Armada Nacional, includes Naval Aviation, Marine Corps, General Naval Prefecture), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Paraguay, FAP) (2006) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $1.147 billion (FY03/04) | $53.1 million (2003 est.) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1% (FY02) | 0.9% (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 1,033,464 (2004 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 868,984 (2004 est.) | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males: 27,157 (2004 est.) | - |
National holiday | Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand), 6 February (1840) | Independence Day, 14 May 1811 (observed 15 May annually) |
Nationality | noun: New Zealander(s)
adjective: New Zealand |
noun: Paraguayan(s)
adjective: Paraguayan |
Natural hazards | earthquakes are common, though usually not severe; volcanic activity | local flooding in southeast (early September to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June) |
Natural resources | natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone | hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone |
Net migration rate | 4.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | -0.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) |
Pipelines | gas 2,213 km; liquid petroleum gas 79 km; oil 160 km; refined products 304 km (2004) | - |
Political parties and leaders | ACT New Zealand [Richard PREBBLE]; Green Party [Jeanette FITZSIMONS and Rod DONALD]; National Party or NP [Don BRASH]; New Zealand First Party or NZFP [Winston PETERS]; New Zealand Labor Party or NZLP [Helen CLARK]; Progressive Coalition [James (Jim) ANDERTON]; United Future or UF [Peter DUNNE] | Asociacion Nacional Republicana - Colorado Party or ANR [Herminio CACERES, interim president]; Movimiento Union Nacional de Ciudadanos Eticos or UNACE [Enrique GONZALEZ Quintana, acting chairman]; Patria Querida (Beloved Fatherland Party) or PQ [Pedro Nicolas Maraa FADUL Niella]; Partido Encuentro Nacional or PEN [Luis TORALES Kennedy]; Partido Liberal Radical Autentico or PLRA [Blas LLANO]; Partido Pais Solidario or PPS [Carlos Alberto FILIZZOLA Pallares]
note: Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS on leave as party leader of the Colorado Party or ANR while serving as President of Paraguay; Lino Cesar OVIEDO Silva, leader of UNACE, is currently serving a ten-year prison term |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | Ahorristas Estafados or AE; National Coordinating Board of Campesino Organizations or MCNOC [Luis AGUAYO]; National Federation of Campesinos or FNC [Odilon ESPINOLA]; National Workers Central or CNT [Secretary General Juan TORRALES]; Paraguayan Workers Confederation or CPT; Roman Catholic Church; Unitary Workers Central or CUT [Jorge Guzman ALVARENGA Malgarejo] |
Population | 3,993,817 (July 2004 est.) | 6,506,464 (July 2006 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA | 32% (2005 est.) |
Population growth rate | 1.05% (2004 est.) | 2.45% (2006 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Tauranga, Wellington | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 124, FM 290, shortwave 4 (1998) | AM 46, FM 27, shortwave 6 (three inactive) (1998) |
Railways | total: 3,898 km
narrow gauge: 3,898 km 1.067-m gauge (506 km electrified) (2003) |
total: 36 km
standard gauge: 36 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) |
Religions | Anglican 24%, Presbyterian 18%, Roman Catholic 15%, Methodist 5%, Baptist 2%, other Protestant 3%, unspecified or none 33% (1986) | Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite and other Protestant 10% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 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: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 75 |
Telephone system | general assessment: excellent domestic and international systems
domestic: NA international: country code - 64; submarine cables to Australia and Fiji; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
general assessment: meager telephone service; principal switching center is in Asuncion
domestic: fair microwave radio relay network international: country code - 595; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 1.765 million (2002) | 320,300 (2005) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 2.599 million (2003) | 1.887 million (2005) |
Television broadcast stations | 41 (plus 52 medium-power repeaters and over 650 low-power repeaters) (1997) | 5 (2003) |
Terrain | predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains | 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 | 1.79 children born/woman (2004 est.) | 3.89 children born/woman (2006 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 4.7% (2003 est.) | 16% (2005 est.) |
Waterways | - | 3,100 km (2005) |