Total area: 406,750 sq km (157,046 sq mi)
Population (2009 est.): 6,995,655 (growth rate: 2.3%)
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Asunción - 1,482,200 (metro. area)
Other large cities: Ciudad del Este - 239,500; San Lorenzo - 210,000
Currency: Guaraní
Languages: Spanish, Guaraní (both official)
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite, other Protestant 10%
Time zone: GMT-4; DST: GMT-3 (from the first Sunday in October to the first Sunday in March)
Electricity: AC 220V/50Hz; plugs with two round pins (European type) are used
Paraguay, a landlocked country in South America, borders Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest.
The country is divided in two regions by the Paraguay River. East of the river lies the Eastern Paraguay (Paraguay Oriental), also known as the Paraná region; it is bordered on the east and south by the Paraná River. The area, dominated by grassy plains and forested hills, is home to most of the population of the country.
Western Paraguay (Paraguay Occidental), known as the Chaco, is situated west of the Paraguay River. It is a sparsely populated flat alluvial plain with large areas covered with marshes, lagoons, forests and jungles.
