| General info about Panama |
In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70) - between Paraguay and Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay - 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, Paraguay won large, economically important areas from Bolivia. The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo STROESSNER ended in 1989, and, despite a marked increase in political infighting in recent years, Paraguay has held relatively free and regular presidential elections since then.
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| Disease threats |
| degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and |
| Languages spoken |
| Spanish (official), Guarani (official) |
| What about 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; weak border controls, extensive corruption and money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border Area; weak anti-money-laundering laws and enforcement |
| Ethnic division |
| mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%, other 5% |
| HIV/AIDS prevalence rate |
| 0.5% (2003 est.) |
| Climate |
| subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west |
| Resources |
| hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone |
| Economy |
| Landlocked Paraguay has a market economy marked by a large informal sector, featuring reexport of imported consumer goods to neighboring countries, as well as the activities of thousands of microenterprises and urban street vendors. A large percentage of the population, especially in rural areas, derives its living from agricultural activity, often on a subsistence basis. Because of the importance of the informal sector, accurate economic measures are difficult to obtain. On a per capita basis, real income has stagnated at 1980 levels. Most observers attribute Paraguay's poor economic performance to political uncertainty, corruption, limited progress on structural reform, and deficient infrastructure. The economy rebounded between 2003 and 2008, however, as growing world demand for commodities combined with high prices and favorable weather to support Paraguay's commodity-based export expansion. Paraguay is the sixth largest soy producer in the world. |
| Environment |
| deforestation; water pollution; inadequate means for waste disposal pose health risks for many urban residents; loss of wetlands |
