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Independence
Paraguay achieved its independence from Spain in 1811. -
Population
In 1840, the population of Paraguay was about 220,000 people. -
War Breaks Out
Paraguay lost 2/3 of their adult males and much territory in the War of the Triple Alliance. This war lasted from 1865-1870. The country suffered economically for the next half century. -
Population
The population of Paraguay was about 715,000 in 1900. -
More War
From 1932-1935, Paraguay was at war with Bolivia in the Chaco War. Paraguay gained a large part of the Chaco lowland region at the end of this war. -
The end of a dictatorship
Alfredo Stroessner dictated Paraguay for 35 years. Since his rule ended in 1989, Paraguay has held relatively free and regular presidention elections. -
Forced from office
Raul Cubas Grau was elected president of Paraguay in 1998. A year later, he was forced from office for his alleged involvement in the assassination of Vice President Luis Maria Argana. -
Cultural Groups
Most of the people who live in Paraguay are mestizo. The mestizo make up about 95% of the population, with only 5% being other. Spanish and Guarani are both official languages. 89.6% of the population is Roman Catholic, while Protestant, Christian and unspecified make up the rest of the population. -
Current Population
The current population in Paraguay is 6,541,591. -
Current Issues
Current issues in Paraguay include money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremeist organizations. -
Geography and Climate
Paraguay is located in central South America, northeast of Argentina and southwest of Brazil. The climate of Paraguay is subtropical to temperate, with substantial rainfall in the eastern portions that become semiarid in the far west. -
Economy
The economy of Paraguay has a market economy distinguished by a large informal sector. Services make up 57.7% of the economy, agriculture is 23.1%, and industry is 19.2%. The unemployment rate is 6.6%. -
Government
The government of Paraguay is constitutional republic. They have 17 departments and 1 capital city. They use a civil law system with influences from Argentine, Spahish, Roman, and French civil law models.
