Paraguay Geography Profile 2008

Location

Central South America, northeast of Argentina

Geographic coordinates

23 00 S, 58 00 W

Map references

South America

Area

total: 406,750 sq km
land: 397,300 sq km
water: 9,450 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than California

Land boundaries

total: 3,995 km
border countries: Argentina 1,880 km, Bolivia 750 km, Brazil 1,365 km

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Climate

subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west

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

Elevation extremes

lowest point: junction of Rio Paraguay and Rio Parana 46 m
highest point: Cerro Pero (Cerro Tres Kandu) 842 m

Natural resources

hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone

Land use

arable land: 7.47%
permanent crops: 0.24%
other: 92.29% (2005)

Irrigated land

670 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources

336 cu km (2000)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 0.49 cu km/yr (20%/8%/71%)
per capita: 80 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards

local flooding in southeast (early September to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June)

Environment - current issues

deforestation; water pollution; inadequate means for waste disposal pose health risks for many urban residents; loss of wetlands

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: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note

landlocked; lies between Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil; population concentrated in southern part of country