Papua New Guinea (2001) | Paraguay (2002) | |
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Administrative divisions | 20 provinces; Bougainville, Central, Chimbu, Eastern Highlands, East New Britain, East Sepik, Enga, Gulf, Madang, Manus, Milne Bay, Morobe, National Capital, New Ireland, Northern, Sandaun, Southern Highlands, Western, Western Highlands, West New Britain | 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:
38.7% (male 993,248; female 960,647) 15-64 years: 57.63% (male 1,507,064; female 1,402,666) 65 years and over: 3.67% (male 87,779; female 97,651) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 38.7% (male 1,156,366; female 1,119,558)
15-64 years: 56.6% (male 1,671,721; female 1,658,683) 65 years and over: 4.7% (male 128,137; female 150,026) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | coffee, cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, tea, rubber, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables; poultry, pork | cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, eggs, milk; timber |
Airports | 492 (2000 est.) | 899 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
20 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 11
over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
472 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 57 under 914 m: 402 (2000 est.) |
total: 868
1,524 to 2,437 m: 27 914 to 1,523 m: 323 under 914 m: 518 (2002) |
Area | total:
462,840 sq km land: 452,860 sq km water: 9,980 sq km |
total: 406,750 sq km
land: 397,300 sq km water: 9,450 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than California | slightly smaller than California |
Background | The eastern half of the island of New Guinea - second largest in the world - was divided between Germany (north) and the UK (south) in 1885. The latter area was transferred to Australia in 1902, which occupied the northern portion during World War I and continued to administer the combined areas until independence in 1975. A nine-year secessionist revolt on the island of Bougainville ended in 1997, after claiming some 20,000 lives. | 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 | 32.15 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 30.5 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$1.6 billion expenditures: $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.) |
revenues: $1.3 billion
expenditures: $2 billion, including capital expenditures of $700 million (1999 est.) |
Capital | Port Moresby | Asuncion |
Climate | tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation | subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west |
Coastline | 5,152 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | 16 September 1975 | promulgated 20 June 1992 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Independent State of Papua New Guinea conventional short form: Papua New Guinea former: Territory of Papua and New Guinea abbreviation: PNG |
conventional long form: Republic of Paraguay
conventional short form: Paraguay local long form: Republica del Paraguay local short form: Paraguay |
Currency | kina (PGK) | guarani (PYG) |
Death rate | 7.88 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 4.69 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $2.9 billion (2000 est.) | $2.9 billion (2001 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Arma Jane KARAER embassy: Douglas Street, Port Moresby mailing address: P. O. Box 1492, Port Moresby telephone: [675] 321-1455 FAX: [675] 321-3423 |
chief of mission: Ambassador John F. KEANE
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 Susan JACOBS chancery: 1779 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 745-3680 FAX: [1] (202) 745-3679 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Leila Teresa RACHID COWLES
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 Orleans, New York |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $400 million (1999 est.) | $NA |
Economy - overview | Papua New Guinea is richly endowed with natural resources, but exploitation has been hampered by the rugged terrain and the high cost of developing infrastructure. Agriculture provides a subsistence livelihood for 85% of the population. Mineral deposits, including oil, copper, and gold, account for 72% of export earnings. The 3.4% average annual growth rate of GDP during 1979-1998 conceals considerable year-to-year variation resulting from external economic shocks, natural disasters, and economic management problems. There has been little growth in the last half of the 1990s, with real GDP in 1999 barely 3% higher than in 1994, not enough to compensate for population growth. A new administration under the leadership of Prime Minister Mekere MORAUTA in July 1999 has promised to restore integrity to state institutions, to stabilize the kina, to restore stability to the national budget, to privatize public enterprises where appropriate, and to ensure ongoing peace on Bougainville. The government has had considerable success in attracting international support, specifically gaining the support of the IMF and the World Bank in securing development assistance loans. Significant challenges remain for MORAUTA, however, including gaining further investor confidence, specifically for the proposed Papua New Guinea-Australia oil pipeline, continuing efforts to privatize government assets, and in maintaining the support from members of Parliament who after 15 July 2001 can dismiss him with a vote of no-confidence. | 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, 1999, and 2000. 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. |
Electricity - consumption | 1.693 billion kWh (1999) | 1.95 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 47.392 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | 1.82 billion kWh (1999) | 53.056 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
54.95% hydro: 45.05% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel: 0%
hydro: 100% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Wilhelm 4,509 m |
lowest point: junction of Rio Paraguay and Rio Parana 46 m
highest point: Cerro Pero (Cerro Tres Kandu) 842 m |
Environment - current issues | rain forest subject to deforestation as a result of growing commercial demand for tropical timber; pollution from mining projects; severe drought | deforestation; water pollution; inadequate means for waste disposal present health risks for many urban residents; loss of wetlands |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
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 | Melanesian, Papuan, Negrito, Micronesian, Polynesian | mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95% |
Exchange rates | kina per US dollar - 2.81 (October 2000), 2.696 (2000), 2.539 (1999), 2.058 (1998), 1.434 (1997), 1.318 (1996) | guarani per US dollar - 4,783.0 (January 2002), 4,107.7 (2001), 3,486.4 (2000), 3,119.1 (1999), 2,726.5 (1998), 2,177.9 (1997); 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:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Silas ATOPARE (since 13 November 1997) head of government: Prime Minister Mekere MORAUTA (since NA August 1999); Deputy Prime Minister Michael OGIO (since 3 November 2000) cabinet: National 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 National Executive Council; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general for up to five years on the basis of majority support in National Parliament |
chief of state: President Luis Angel GONZALEZ MACCHI (since 28 March 1999); Vice President Julio Cesar FRANCO (since NA August 2000) resigned 16 October 2002; position now vacant; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Luis Angel GONZALEZ MACCHI (since 28 March 1999); Vice President Julio Cesar FRANCO (since NA August 2000) resigned 16 October 2002; position now vacant; 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 Angel 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 | $2.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $2.2 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
Exports - commodities | oil, gold, copper ore, logs, palm oil, coffee, cocoa, crayfish, prawns | electricity, soybeans, feed, cotton, meat, edible oils |
Exports - partners | Australia 30%, Japan 12%, Germany 7%, South Korea 4%, Philippines 3%, UK 3% (1999) | Brazil 39%, Uruguay 14%, Argentina 11% (2000) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | divided diagonally from upper hoist-side corner; the upper triangle is red with a soaring yellow bird of paradise centered; the lower triangle is black with five, white, five-pointed stars of the Southern Cross constellation centered | 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 - $12.2 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $26.2 billion (2001 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
30% industry: 35% services: 35% (1999 est.) |
agriculture: 29%
industry: 26% services: 45% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $2,500 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $4,600 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 2.9% (2000 est.) | 0% (2001 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 6 00 S, 147 00 E | 23 00 S, 58 00 W |
Geography - note | shares island of New Guinea with Indonesia; one of world's largest swamps along southwest coast | landlocked; lies between Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil; population concentrated in southern part of country |
Heliports | 2 (2000 est.) | - |
Highways | total:
19,600 km paved: 686 km unpaved: 18,914 km (1996) |
total: 25,901 km
paved: 3,067 km unpaved: 22,834 km (2001) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
1.7% highest 10%: 40.5% (1996) |
lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 44% (1998) (1998) |
Illicit drugs | - | major illicit producer of cannabis, most or all of which is consumed in South America; transshipment country for Andean cocaine headed for Brazil, other Southern Cone markets, Europe, and US; corruption and some money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border Area |
Imports | $1 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | $2.7 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, fuels, chemicals | road vehicles, consumer goods, tobacco, petroleum products, electrical machinery |
Imports - partners | Australia 53%, Singapore 13%, Japan 6%, US 4%, New Zealand 4%, Malaysia 4% (1999) | Argentina 25.4%, Brazil 24.5%, Uruguay 3.8% (2000) |
Independence | 16 September 1975 (from the Australian-administered UN trusteeship) | 14 May 1811 (from Spain) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 0% (2000 est.) |
Industries | copra crushing, palm oil processing, plywood production, wood chip production; mining of gold, silver, and copper; crude oil production; construction, tourism | sugar, cement, textiles, beverages, wood products |
Infant mortality rate | 58.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 28.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 17% (2000 est.) | 7.2% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | ACP, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (observer), C, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO | CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 3 (2000) | 4 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 670 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court (the chief justice is appointed by the governor general on the proposal of the National Executive Council after consultation with the minister responsible for justice; other judges are appointed by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission) | 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 | 1.941 million | 2 million (2000 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 85%, industry NA%, services NA% | agriculture 45% |
Land boundaries | total:
820 km border countries: Indonesia 820 km |
total: 3,920 km
border countries: Argentina 1,880 km, Bolivia 750 km, Brazil 1,290 km |
Land use | arable land:
0.1% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 92.9% other: 6% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 5.54%
permanent crops: 0.21% other: 94.25% (1998 est.) |
Languages | English spoken by 1%-2%, pidgin English widespread, Motu spoken in Papua region
note: 715 indigenous languages |
Spanish (official), Guarani (official) |
Legal system | based on English common law | based on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice |
Legislative branch | unicameral National Parliament - sometimes referred to as the House of Assembly (109 seats, 89 elected from open electorates and 20 from provincial electorates; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14-28 June 1997 (next to be held NA June 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - PPP 15%, Pangu Pati 14%, NA 14%, PDM 8%, PNC 6%, PAP 5%, UP 3%, NP 1%, PUP 1%, independents 33%; seats by party - PPP 16, Pangu Pati 15, NA 15, PDM 9, PNC 7, PAP 5, UP 3, NP 1, PUP 1, independents 37; note - association with political parties is very fluid |
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:
63.46 years male: 61.39 years female: 65.64 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 74.16 years
male: 71.67 years female: 76.77 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 72.2% male: 81% female: 62.7% (1995 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.1% male: 93.5% female: 90.6% (1995 est.) |
Location | Southeastern Asia, group of islands including the eastern half of the island of New Guinea between the Coral Sea and the South Pacific Ocean, east of Indonesia | Central South America, northeast of Argentina |
Map references | Oceania | South America |
Maritime claims | measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | total:
20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 35,361 GRT/51,096 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 9, chemical tanker 1, combination ore/oil 3, container 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 2 (2000 est.) |
total: 21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 34,623 GRT/36,821 DWT
ships by type: cargo 14, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 3 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Argentina 2, Japan 1 (2002 est.) |
Military branches | Papua New Guinea Defense Force (includes Ground, Naval, and Air Forces, and Special Forces Unit) | Army, Navy (includes Naval Air and Marines), Air Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $42 million (FY98) | $125 million (FY98) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1% (FY98) | 1.4% (FY98) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
1,306,159 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 1,427,160 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
723,012 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 1,028,935 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 17 years of age (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 58,359 (2002 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 16 September (1975) | Independence Day, 14 May (1811) |
Nationality | noun:
Papua New Guinean(s) adjective: Papua New Guinean |
noun: Paraguayan(s)
adjective: Paraguayan |
Natural hazards | active volcanism; situated along the Pacific "Rim of Fire"; the country is subject to frequent and sometimes severe earthquakes; mud slides; tsunamis | local flooding in southeast (early September to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June) |
Natural resources | gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil, fisheries | hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone |
Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -0.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | National Alliance or NA [Michael SOMARE]; National Party or NP [Michael MEL]; Papua New Guinea United Party or Pangu Pati [Chris HAIVETA]; People's Action Party or PAP [Ted DIRO]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Sir Mekere MORAUTA]; People's National Congress or PNC [Simon KAUMI]; People's Progress Party or PPP [Michael NALI]; People's Unity Party or PUP [Alfred KAIABE]; United Party or UP [Rimbiuk PATO] | Authentic Radical Liberal Party or PLRA [Miguel Abdon SAGUIER]; Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Luis Miguel ANDRADA Nogues]; Febrerista Revolutionary Party or PRF [Oscar ACUNA TORRES]; National Encounter Party or PEN [Mario PAZ CASTAING]; National Republican Association - Colorado Party [Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | Ahorristas Estafados or AE; National Workers Central or CNT; Paraguayan Workers Confederation or CPT; Roman Catholic Church; Unitary Workers Central or CUT |
Population | 5,049,055 (July 2001 est.) | 5,884,491 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 37% | 36% (2001 est.) |
Population growth rate | 2.43% (2001 est.) | 2.57% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Kieta, Lae, Madang, Port Moresby, Rabaul | Asuncion, Villeta, San Antonio, Encarnacion |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 28 (1998) | AM 46, FM 27, shortwave 6 (three inactive) (1998) |
Radios | 410,000 (1997) | 925,000 (1997) |
Railways | 0 km | 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 | Roman Catholic 22%, Lutheran 16%, Presbyterian/Methodist/London Missionary Society 8%, Anglican 5%, Evangelical Alliance 4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1%, other Protestant 10%, indigenous beliefs 34% | Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite, and other Protestant |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2001 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 (2002 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 75 |
Telephone system | general assessment:
services are adequate and being improved; facilities provide radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio, aeronautical radio, and international radio communication services domestic: mostly radiotelephone international: submarine cables to Australia and Guam; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); international radio communication service |
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 | 47,000 (1996) | 290,475 (2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 3,053 (1996) | 510,000 (2001) |
Television broadcast stations | 3 (1997) | 4 (2001) |
Terrain | mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills | 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 | 4.3 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 4.07 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA% | 17.8% (2001 est.) |
Waterways | 10,940 km | 3,100 km |