Paraguay

Geography

Official Name: Republic of Paraguay
Capital City: Asuncion
Languages: Spanish (official),Guarani (official)
Official Currency: Guarani (PYG)
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%,Mennonite and other Protestant
Population: 6,669,086
Land Area: total:406,750 sq km
Landforms: water 9,450 sq km , land 397,300 sq km.
Land Divisions: 17 departments and 1 capital city - Asuncion
The local climate ranges from subtropical to temperate, with substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, though becoming semi-arid in the far west, the avarege tempriture is 23 degrees.The southeastern border is formed by the Parana River, containing the Itaipu dam shared with Brazil. The forests are 56% of the country. The terrain is made up of grassy plains and wooded hills to the east. To the west, there are mostly low, marshy plains.

History

Europeans first arrived in the area in the early sixteenth century and the settlement of Asunci?n was founded on August 15, 1537 by the Spanish explorer Juan de Salazar y Espinoza. The city eventually became the center of a Spanish colonial province, as well as a primary site of the Jesuit missions and settlements in South America in the eighteenth century. Jesuit Reductions were founded and flourished in eastern Paraguay for about 150 years until their destruction by the Spanish crown in 1767. Paraguay declared its independence after overthrowing the local Spanish administration on May 14, 1811. Paraguay's history has been characterized by long periods of authoritarian governments, political instability and infighting, and devastating wars with its neighbors. Its post-colonial history can be divided into several distinct periods: 1811 - 1816:  Establishment and consolidation of Paraguay's Independence ; 1816 - 1840:  Governments of Jose Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia ; 1840 - 1865:  Governments of Carlos Antonio Lopez and Francisco Solano Lopez ; 1865 - 1870:  War of the Triple Alliance ; 1870 - 1904:  Post-war reconstruction and Colorado Party governments ; 1904 - 1932:  Liberal Party governments and prelude to the Chaco War ; 1932 - 1935:  Chaco War ; 1935 - 1940:  Governments of the Revolutionary Febrerista Party and Jose Felix Estigarribia ; 1940 - 1948:  Higinio Morinigo government ; 1947 - 1954:  Paraguayan Civil War (March 1947 until August 1947) and the re-emergence of the Colorado Party ; 1954 - 1989:  Alfredo Stroessner dictatorship ; 1989 to date:  Transition to democracy . In addition to the Declaration of Independence, the War of the Triple Alliance and the Chaco War are milestones in Paraguay's history. Paraguay fought the War of the Triple Alliance against Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, and was defeated in 1870 after five years of the bloodiest war in South America. Paraguay suffered extensive territorial losses to Brazil and Argentina. The Chaco War was fought with Bolivia in the 1930s and Bolivia was defeated. Paraguay re-established sovereignty over the region called the Chaco, and forfeited additional territorial gains as a price of peace.

Economy

Paraguay has a market economy marked by a large informal sector that features both re-export of imported consumer goods to neighboring countries, and thousands of small business enterprises. Paraguay's largest economic activity is based on agriculture, agribusiness. In 2004 its main exports were soybeans (35%) and meat (10%). The southeastern border is formed by the Paran? River, containing the Itaipu dam shared with Brazil. It is currently the largest hydroelectric power plant in the world, generating all the electricity required by Paraguay.

Culture

Paraguay has a population of 6,669,086 , 89.9% of which are mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) and 5% are "other".Small groups of ethnic Italians, Germans-1.5, Japanese-0.6, Koreans, Chinese, Arabs, Ukrainians, Brazilians 3.5, and Argentines settled in Paraguay.98.5 per cent are christian / 97.5% of the population is Roman Catholic, 2.0% is evangelical Christian, 0.5% is other Christian/ , 1.5% practise indigenous religions and 0.3 profess non-Christian religions. About 56% of Paraguayans live in urban areas. About 700 000 people live out of the country. Paraguay is a developing country with a 2005 Human Development Index score of 0.755.

Political system

President: Nicanor Duarte Frutos ; Prime Minister: Luis Castiglioni . Paraguay is constitutional republic.The country is independed since 14.05,1811 and today is celebrated as a National holiday.Paraguay's politics takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Paraguay is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the National Congress. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.