Basic Facts

Paraguay is located in the central South America and in the northeast of Argentina. The Population of the country is estimated to 6,669,086 as of 2007. The major ethnic group is mestizo which is mixed Spanish and Amerindian which constitutes for 95% of the population. Spanish and Guaraní, which is spoken by most of the population, are the official languages. Guarani is also the currency of the country.Its government is a Constitutional Republic. Roman Catholicism is the established religion; most of the small number of Protestants are Mennonites. Majority of the population are engaged in the agriculture. Agricultural products include cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, eggs, milk and timber.The terrain is mostly 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.