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| Country | Paraguay | | | Flag |  | | | Capital | name: Asuncion geographic coordinates: 25 16 S, 57 40 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) | | | Population | 6,995,655 (July 2009 est.) | | | GMT | -4 | | | Location | Central South America, northeast of Argentina
see map | | | Area | total: 406,750 sq km land: 397,300 sq km water: 9,450 sq km | | | Ethnic groups | mestizo (mixed Spanish and Amerindian) 95%, other 5% | | | Religions | Roman Catholic 89.6%, Protestant 6.2%, other Christian 1.1%, other or unspecified 1.9%, none 1.1% (2002 census) | | | Languages | Spanish (official), Guarani (official) | | | Government type | constitutional republic | | | National holiday | Independence Day, 14 May 1811 (observed 15 May) | | | Constitution | promulgated 20 June 1992 | | | Legal system | based on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | | | Background | In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70) - between Paraguay and Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay - Paraguay lost two-thirds of all adult males and much of its territory. It stagnated economically for the next half century. In the Chaco War of 1932-35, Paraguay won large, economically important areas from Bolivia. The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo STROESSNER ended in 1989, and, despite a marked increase in political infighting in recent years, Paraguay has held relatively free and regular presidential elections since then. | | Internet country code | .py | |
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