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Geography |
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Capital |
Asuncion (pop. 539,000). |
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Area |
406,752 sq. km. (157,047 sq. mi.); about the size of California. |
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Terrain |
East of the Paraguay River--grassy plains, wooded hills,
tropical forests; west of the Paraguay River (Chaco
region)--low, flat, marshy plain. |
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Climate |
Temperate east of the Paraguay River, semiarid to the west. |
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People |
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Nationality |
Noun and adjective--Paraguayan(s). |
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Population |
(2006 est.): 6,506,464. |
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Groups |
Mixed Spanish and Indian descent (mestizo) 95%. |
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Religions |
Roman Catholic 90%; Mennonite and other Protestant denominations. |
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Languages |
Spanish (language of business and government), Guarani
(spoken and understood by 90% of the population). |
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Paraguay's population is distributed unevenly throughout the
country. The vast majority of the people live in the eastern region,
most within 160 kilometers (100 mi.) of Asuncion, the capital and
largest city. The Chaco, which accounts for about 60% of the
territory, is home to less than 2% of the population. Ethnically,
culturally, and socially, Paraguay has one of the most homogeneous
populations in South America. About 95% of the people are of mixed
Spanish and Guarani Indian descent. Little trace is left of the
original Guarani culture except the language, which is understood by
90% of the population. About 75% of all Paraguayans speak Spanish.
Guarani and Spanish are official languages. Brazilians, Argentines,
Germans, Arabs, Koreans, Chinese, and Japanese are among those who
have settled in Paraguay with Brazilians representing the largest
number. |
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Government &
History |
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Official Name |
Republic of Paraguay |
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Government |
Constitutional Republic. |
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Independence |
May 1811. |
Pre-Columbian civilization in the fertile, wooded region that is now
Paraguay consisted of numerous seminomadic, Guarani-speaking tribes,
who were recognized for their fierce warrior traditions. They
practiced a mythical polytheistic religion, which later blended with
Christianity. Spanish explorer Juan de Salazar founded Asuncion on
the Feast Day of the Assumption, August 15, 1537. The city
eventually became the center of a Spanish colonial province.
Paraguay declared its independence by overthrowing the local Spanish
authorities in May 1811.
The country's formative years saw three strong leaders who
established the tradition of personal rule that lasted until 1989:
Jose Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia, Carlos Antonio Lopez, and his son,
Francisco Solano Lopez. The younger Lopez waged a war against
Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil (War of the Triple Alliance, 1864-70)
in which Paraguay lost half its population; afterward, Brazilian
troops occupied the country until 1874. A succession of presidents
governed Paraguay under the banner of the Colorado Party from 1880
until 1904, when the Liberal party seized control, ruling with only
a brief interruption until 1940.
In the 1930s and 1940s, Paraguayan politics were defined by the
Chaco war against Bolivia, a civil war, dictatorships, and periods
of extreme political instability. Gen. Alfredo Stroessner took power
in May 1954. Elected to complete the unexpired term of his
predecessor, he was re-elected president seven times, ruling almost
continuously under the state-of-siege provision of the constitution
with support from the military and the Colorado Party. During
Stroessner's 35-year reign, political freedoms were severely
limited, and opponents of the regime were systematically harassed
and persecuted in the name of national security and anticommunism.
Though a 1967 constitution gave dubious legitimacy to Stroessner's
control, Paraguay became progressively isolated from the world
community.
On February 3, 1989, Stroessner was overthrown in a military coup
headed by Gen. Andres Rodriguez. Rodriguez, as the Colorado Party
candidate, easily won the presidency in elections held that May, and
the Colorado Party dominated the Congress. In 1991 municipal
elections, however, opposition candidates won several major urban
centers, including Asuncion. As president, Rodriguez instituted
political, legal, and economic reforms and initiated a rapprochement
with the international community.
The June 1992 constitution established a democratic system of
government and dramatically improved protection of fundamental
rights. In May 1993, Colorado Party candidate Juan Carlos Wasmosy
was elected as Paraguay's first civilian president in almost 40
years in what international observers deemed fair and free
elections. The newly elected majority-opposition Congress quickly
demonstrated its independence from the executive by rescinding
legislation passed by the previous Colorado-dominated Congress. With
support from the United States, the Organization of American States,
and other countries in the region, the Paraguayan people rejected an
April 1996 attempt by then-Army Chief Gen. Lino Oviedo to oust
President Wasmosy, taking an important step to strengthen democracy.
Oviedo became the Colorado candidate for president in the 1998
election, but when the Supreme Court upheld in April his conviction
on charges related to the 1996 coup attempt, he was not allowed to
run and remained in confinement. His running mate, Raul Cubas Grau,
became the Colorado Party's candidate and was elected in May. The
assassination of Vice-President Luis Maria Argana and the killing of
eight student anti-government demonstrators, allegedly carried out
by Oviedo supporters, led to Cubas' resignation in March 1999. The
President of the Senate, Luis Gonzalez Macchi, assumed the
presidency and completed Cubas' term. Gonzalez Macchi offered
cabinet positions in his government to senior representatives of all
three political parties in an attempt to create a coalition
government that proved short-lived. Gonzalez Macchi's government
suffered many allegations of corruption, and Gonzalez himself was
found not guilty in a Senate impeachment trial involving corruption
and mismanagement charges in February 2003.
In April 2003, Colorado candidate Nicanor Duarte Frutos was elected
president. He was inaugurated on August 15. Duarte's administration
established a mixed record on attacking corruption and improving the
quality of management. Duarte worked constructively with an
opposition-controlled Congress, removing six Supreme Court justices
suspected of corruption from office and enacting major tax reforms.
Macroeconomic performance improved significantly under the Duarte
administration, with inflation falling significantly, and the
government clearing its arrears with international creditors. In
June 2004, Oviedo returned to Paraguay from exile in Brazil and was
imprisoned for his 1996 coup-plotting conviction. In November 2007,
Oviedo's criminal charges were overturned by the Supreme Court, and
he was allowed to participate in the April 2008 presidential
elections.
On April 20, 2008, former Roman Catholic bishop Fernando Lugo
(representing a coalition of opposition parties) was elected
President. According to the National Election Tribunal (TSJE), Lugo
won 40.8% of the vote. Colorado candidate Blanca Ovelar came in
second with 30.6% of the vote, and UNACE's Lino Oviedo came in third
with 21.9% of the vote. President Lugo assumed office on August 15,
2008. Lugo has identified reduction of corruption and economic
inequality as two of his priorities. |
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