Paraguay (2003) | British Virgin Islands (2004) | |
![]() | ![]() | |
Administrative divisions | 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 | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 38.4% (male 1,179,084; female 1,141,420)
15-64 years: 56.8% (male 1,721,867; female 1,707,918) 65 years and over: 4.7% (male 132,145; female 154,466) (2003 est.) |
0-14 years: 21.5% (male 2,402; female 2,361)
15-64 years: 73.5% (male 8,395; female 7,911) 65 years and over: 5% (male 594; female 524) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, eggs, milk; timber | fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish |
Airports | 879 (2002) | 3 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 11
over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2002) |
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 868
1,524 to 2,437 m: 27 914 to 1,523 m: 323 under 914 m: 518 (2002) |
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Area | total: 406,750 sq km
land: 397,300 sq km water: 9,450 sq km |
total: 153 sq km
land: 153 sq km water: 0 sq km note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the island of Anegada |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than California | about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | 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. | First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were annexed in 1672 by the English. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency. |
Birth rate | 30.14 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 14.96 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $1.3 billion
expenditures: $2 billion, including capital expenditures of $700 million (1999 est.) |
revenues: $121.5 million
expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997) |
Capital | Asuncion | Road Town |
Climate | subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west | subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 80 km |
Constitution | promulgated 20 June 1992 | 1 June 1977 |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Paraguay
conventional short form: Paraguay local long form: Republica del Paraguay local short form: Paraguay |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI |
Currency | guarani (PYG) | US dollar (USD) |
Death rate | 4.64 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $3.2 billion (2002 est.) | $36.1 million (1997) |
Dependency status | - | overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing |
Diplomatic representation from the US | 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 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | 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 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and drug trafficking, and harbors Islamist militants | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | NA |
Economy - overview | 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, rose slightly in 2001, only to fall again in 2002. 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. | The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, generating an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 1998. Tourism suffered in 2002 because of the lackluster US economy. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. Roughly 400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, is expected to make the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the dollar as its currency since 1959. |
Electricity - consumption | 2.637 billion kWh (2001) | 35.43 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 39.11 billion kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 44.89 billion kWh (2001) | 38.1 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 0%
hydro: 99.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0.1% (2001) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: junction of Rio Paraguay and Rio Parana 46 m
highest point: Cerro Pero (Cerro Tres Kandu) 842 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Sage 521 m |
Environment - current issues | deforestation; water pollution; inadequate means for waste disposal present health risks for many urban residents; loss of wetlands | limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchments) |
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 |
- |
Ethnic groups | mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95% | black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed |
Exchange rates | guarani per US dollar - 5,720.44 (2002), 4,105.92 (2001), 3,486.35 (2000), 3,119.07 (1999), 2,726.49 (1998) | the US dollar is used |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS (since 15 August 2003); Vice President Luis CASTIGLIONI (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 (since 15 August 2003); 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 27 April 2003 (next to be held NA 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% |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Tom MACAN (since 14 October 2002)
head of government: Chief Minister Orlando D. SMITH (since 17 June 2003) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor |
Exports | NA (2001) | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | soybeans, feed, cotton, meat, edible oils, electricity | rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand |
Exports - partners | Brazil 25.1%, Argentina 23%, Chile 5.5%, Bermuda 4% (2002) | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | 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) | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful) |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $25.19 billion (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $320 million (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 27%
industry: 27% services: 46% (2001 est.) |
agriculture: 1.8%
industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $4,300 (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | -2.7% (2002 est.) | 1% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 23 00 S, 58 00 W | 18 30 N, 64 30 W |
Geography - note | landlocked; lies between Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil; population concentrated in southern part of country | strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico |
Highways | total: 29,500 km
paved: 14,986 km unpaved: 14,514 km (1999 est) |
total: 177 km
paved: 177 km unpaved: 0 km (2000) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 0.5%
highest 10%: 43.8% (1998) |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
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 | transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering |
Imports | NA (2001) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | road vehicles, consumer goods, tobacco, petroleum products, electrical machinery | building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery |
Imports - partners | Brazil 32.7%, Argentina 22.7%, US 18.1%, Hong Kong 4.7% (2002) | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US |
Independence | 14 May 1811 (from Spain) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 0% (2000 est.) | NA |
Industries | sugar, cement, textiles, beverages, wood products | tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center |
Infant mortality rate | total: 27.71 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 32.63 deaths/1,000 live births female: 22.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
total: 18.05 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 21.02 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 10.5% (2002 est.) | 2.5% (2002) |
International organization participation | ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, 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, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO | Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 4 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 670 sq km (1998 est.) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges appointed on the proposal of the Counsel of Magistrates or Consejo de la Magistratura) | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction |
Labor force | 2 million (2000 est.) | 4,911 (1980) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 45% | agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA |
Land boundaries | total: 3,920 km
border countries: Argentina 1,880 km, Bolivia 750 km, Brazil 1,290 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 5.54%
permanent crops: 0.21% other: 94.25% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (2001) |
Languages | Spanish (official), Guarani (official) | English (official) |
Legal system | based on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice | English law |
Legislative branch | 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 NA May 2008); Chamber of Deputies - last held 27 April 2003 (next to be held NA May 2008) election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Colorado Party 16, PLRA 12, UNACE 7, MPQ 7, PPS 2, PEN 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Colorado Party 37, PLRA 21, UNACE 10, MPQ 10, PPS 2 |
unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, one member from each of 9 electoral districts, four at-large members; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 16 May 2003 (next to be held NA 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NDP 8, VIP 5 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 74.4 years
male: 71.89 years female: 77.03 years (2003 est.) |
total population: 76.27 years
male: 75.24 years female: 77.36 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94% male: 94.9% female: 93% (2003 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA female: NA |
Location | Central South America, northeast of Argentina | Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico |
Map references | South America | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | total: 21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 32,475 GRT/36,101 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.) |
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 83,825 GRT/155,909 DWT
by type: cargo 1, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: Norway 1 registered in other countries: 32 (2004 est.) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | Army, Navy (includes Naval Air and Marines), Air Force | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $125 million (FY98) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.4% (FY98) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49: 1,465,781 (2003 est.) | - |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49: 1,056,437 (2003 est.) | - |
Military manpower - military age | 17 years of age (2003 est.) | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males: 61,706 (2003 est.) | - |
National holiday | Independence Day, 14 May (1811) | Territory Day, 1 July |
Nationality | noun: Paraguayan(s)
adjective: Paraguayan |
noun: British Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: British Virgin Islander |
Natural hazards | local flooding in southeast (early September to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June) | hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October) |
Natural resources | hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone | NEGL |
Net migration rate | -0.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 10.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Asociacion Nacional Republicana - Colorado Party or ANR [Nicanor DUARTE FRUTOS]; Movimiento Patria Querida or MPQ [Pedro Nicolas Maraa FADUL Niella]; Movimiento Union Nacional de Colorados Eticos or UNACE [Lino Cesar OVIEDO Silva]; Partido Encuentro Nacional or PEN [Diego ABENTE Brun]; Partido Liberal Radical Autentico or PLRA [Julio Cesar FRANCO]; Partido Pais Solidario or PPS [Carlos Alberto FILIZZOLA Pallares] | Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Ahorristas Estafados or AE; National Workers Central or CNT; Paraguayan Workers Confederation or CPT; Roman Catholic Church; Unitary Workers Central or CUT | NA |
Population | 6,036,900 (July 2003 est.) | 22,187 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 36% (2001 est.) | NA |
Population growth rate | 2.54% (2003 est.) | 2.06% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Asuncion, Villeta, San Antonio, Encarnacion | Road Town |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 46, FM 27, shortwave 6 (three inactive) (1998) | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Railways | total: 441 km
standard gauge: 441 km 1.435-m gauge (2002) |
- |
Religions | Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite, and other Protestant | Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 15%), Roman Catholic 10%, none 2%, other 2% (1991) |
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: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 75 | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: meager telephone service; principal switching center is Asuncion
domestic: fair microwave radio relay network international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment: worldwide telephone service
domestic: NA international: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to Bermuda |
Telephones - main lines in use | 290,475 (2001) | 11,700 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 510,000 (2001) | 8,000 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 4 (2001) | 1 (plus one cable company) (1997) |
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 | coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly |
Total fertility rate | 4.02 children born/woman (2003 est.) | 1.72 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 18.2% (2002 est.) | 3% (1995) |
Waterways | 3,100 km | - |