$NA
Exchange rates:
kina (PGK) per US dollar - 2.6956 (2008 est.), 3.03 (2007), 3.0643 (2006), 3.08 (2005), 3.2225 (2004)
Communications ::Papua New Guinea
Telephones - main lines in use:
60,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 158
Telephones - mobile cellular:
600,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 152
Telephone system:
general assessment: services are minimal; facilities provide radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio, aeronautical radio, and international radio communication services
domestic: access to telephone services is not widely available; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is 11 per 100 persons
international: country code - 675; submarine cables to Australia and Guam; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); international radio communication service (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 8, FM 19, shortwave 28 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
3 (all in the Port Moresby area; stations at Mt. Hagen, Goroka, Lae, and Rabaul are planned) (2004)
Internet country code:
.pg
Internet hosts:
3,432 (2009) country comparison to the world: 140
Internet users:
120,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 147
Transportation ::Papua New Guinea
Airports:
560 (2009) country comparison to the world: 12
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 21
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 539
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 63
under 914 m: 467 (2009)
Heliports:
2 (2009)
Pipelines:
oil 195 km (2008)
Roadways:
total: 19,600 km country comparison to the world: 111 paved: 686 km
unpaved: 18,914 km (2000)
Waterways:
11,000 km (2006) country comparison to the world: 12
Merchant marine:
total: 21 country comparison to the world: 98 by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 17, petroleum tanker 2
foreign-owned: 6 (UAE 6) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Kimbe, Lae, Madang, Rabaul, Wewak
Military ::Papua New Guinea
Military branches:
Papua New Guinea Defense Force (PNGDF; includes Maritime Operations
Element, Air Operations Element) (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
16 years of age for voluntary military service (with parental consent); no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,481,417
females age 16-49: 1,385,040 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,110,175
females age 16-49: 1,127,758 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 64,636
female: 62,803 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.4% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 118
Transnational Issues ::Papua New Guinea
Disputes - international:
relies on assistance from Australia to keep out illegal cross-border activities from primarily Indonesia, including goods smuggling, illegal narcotics trafficking, and squatters and secessionists
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 10,177 (Indonesia) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Papua New Guinea is a country of destination for women and children from Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and China trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; internal trafficking of women and children for the purposes of sexual exploitation and involuntary domestic servitude occurs as well
tier rating: Tier 3 - Papua New Guinea does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; the current legal framework does not contain elements of crimes that characterize trafficking; the government lacks victim protection services or a systematic procedure to identify victims of trafficking; the government did not prosecute anyone in 2007 for trafficking; Papua New Guinea has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
Illicit drugs:
major consumer of cannabis
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Paracel Islands (East & Southeast Asia)
Introduction ::Paracel Islands
Background:
The Paracel Islands are surrounded by productive fishing grounds and by potential oil and gas reserves. In 1932, French Indochina annexed the islands and set up a weather station on Pattle Island; maintenance was continued by its successor, Vietnam. China has occupied the Paracel Islands since 1974, when its troops seized a South Vietnamese garrison occupying the western islands. China built a military installation on Mischief Reef in 1999. The islands are claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.
Geography ::Paracel Islands
Location:
Southeastern Asia, group of small islands and reefs in the South China Sea, about one-third of the way from central Vietnam to the northern Philippines
Geographic coordinates:
16 30 N, 112 00 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: NA sq km
land: NA sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
NA
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
518 km
Maritime claims:
NA
Climate:
tropical
Terrain:
mostly low and flat
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Rocky Island 14 m
Natural resources:
none
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Natural hazards:
typhoons
Environment - current issues:
NA
Geography - note:
composed of 130 small coral islands and reefs divided into the northeast Amphitrite Group and the western Crescent Group
People ::Paracel Islands
Population:
no indigenous inhabitants
note: there are scattered Chinese garrisons
Government ::Paracel Islands
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Paracel Islands
Economy ::Paracel Islands
Economy - overview:
The islands have the potential for oil and gas development. Waters around the islands support commercial fishing, but the islands themselves are not populated on a permanent basis. China announced plans in 1997 to open the islands for tourism.
Transportation ::Paracel Islands
Airports:
1 (2009) country comparison to the world: 227
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Ports and terminals:
small Chinese port facilities on Woody Island and Duncan Island being expanded
Military ::Paracel Islands
Military - note:
occupied by China
Transnational Issues ::Paracel Islands
Disputes - international:
occupied by China, also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam
page last updated on September 22, 2009
======================================================================
@Paraguay (South America)
Introduction ::Paraguay
Background:
Paraguay achieved its independence from Spain in 1811. 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. The country stagnated economically for the next half century. Following the Chaco War of 1932-35 with Bolivia, Paraguay gained a large part of the Chaco lowland region. 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.
Geography ::Paraguay
Location:
Central South America, northeast of Argentina
Geographic coordinates:
23 00 S, 58 00 W
Map references:
South America
Area:
total: 406,752 sq km country comparison to the world: 59 land: 397,302 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
People ::Paraguay
Population:
6,995,655 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 101
Age structure:
0-14 years: 36.7% (male 1,304,115/female 1,260,560)
15-64 years: 58.1% (male 2,043,509/female 2,023,317)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 168,554/female 195,600) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 21.9 years
male: 21.6 years
female: 22.2 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.364% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 37
Birth rate:
28.17 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 53
Death rate:
4.46 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 201
Net migration rate:
-0.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 89
Urbanization:
urban population: 60% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 2.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 24.68 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 89 male: 28.77 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 20.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.77 years country comparison to the world: 73 male: 73.19 years
female: 78.49 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.75 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 51
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.6% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 70
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
21,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 78
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 1,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 79
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: dengue fever and malaria (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Paraguayan(s)
adjective: Paraguayan
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)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94%
male: 94.9%
female: 93% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 12 years
male: 12 years
female: 12 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
4% of GDP (2004) country comparison to the world: 104
Government ::Paraguay
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Paraguay
conventional short form: Paraguay
local long form: Republica del Paraguay
local short form: Paraguay
Government type:
constitutional republic
Capital:
name: Asuncion
geographic coordinates: 25 16 S, 57 40 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
17 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento) and 1 capital city*; Alto Paraguay, Alto Parana, Amambay, Asuncion*, Boqueron, Caaguazu, Caazapa, Canindeyu, Central, Concepcion, Cordillera, Guaira, Itapua, Misiones, Neembucu, Paraguari, Presidente Hayes, San Pedro
Independence:
14 May 1811 (from Spain)
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
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory up to age 75
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Fernando Armindo LUGO Mendez (since 15 August 2008); Vice President Federico FRANCO (since 15 August 2008); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Fernando Armindo LUGO Mendez (since 15 August 2008); Vice President Federico FRANCO (since 15 August 2008)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 20 April 2008 (next to be held April 2013)
election results: Fernando Armindo LUGO Mendez elected president; percent of vote - Fernando Armindo LUGO Mendez 40.8%, Blanca OVELAR 30.6%, Lino OVIEDO 21.9%, Pedro FADUL 2.4%, other 4.3%
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores (45 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (80 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Chamber of Senators - last held 20 April 2008 (next to be held in April 2013); Chamber of Deputies - last held 20 April 2008 (next to be held in April 2013)
election results: Chamber of Senators - percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party - ANR 15, PLRA 14, UNACE 9, PPQ 4, other 3;
Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party
- ANR 30, PLRA 27, UNACE 15, PPQ 3, APC 2, other 3
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (nine judges appointed on the proposal of the Council of Magistrates or Consejo de la Magistratura)
Political parties and leaders:
Alianza Patriotica por el Cambio (Patriotic Alliance for Change) or
APC [Fernando LUGO]; Asociacion Nacional Republicana - Colorado
Party or ANR [Lilian SAMANIEGO]; Movimiento Union Nacional de
Ciudadanos Eticos or UNACE [Lino Cesar OVIEDO Silva]; Patria Querida
(Beloved Fatherland Party) or PPQ [Pedro Nicolas Maraa FADUL
Niella]; Partido del Movimiento al Socialismo or P-MAS; Partido
Encuentro Nacional or PEN [Emilio CAMACHO Paredes]; Partido Liberal
Radical Autentico or PLRA [Gustavo CARDOZO]; Partido Pais Solidario
or PPS [Carlos Alberto FILIZZOLA Pallares]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Ahorristas Estafados or AE; National Coordinating Board of Campesino
Organizations or MCNOC [Luis AGUAYO]; National Federation of
Campesinos or FNC [Odilon ESPINOLA]; National Workers Central or CNT
[Secretary General Juan TORRALES]; Paraguayan Workers Confederation
or CPT; Roman Catholic Church; Unitary Workers Central or CUT [Jorge
Guzman ALVARENGA Malgarejo]
International organization participation:
CAN (associate), FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO
(correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MIGA,
MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA,
RG, UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNMIL, UNMIS,
UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James SPALDING Hellmers
chancery: 2400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 483-6960 through 6962
FAX: [1] (202) 234-4508
consulate(s) general: Kansas City (Kansas), Los Angeles, Miami, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Ambassador Liliana AYALDE
embassy: 1776 Avenida Mariscal Lopez, Casilla Postal 402, Asuncion
mailing address: Unit 4711, APO AA 34036-0001
telephone: [595] (21) 213-715
FAX: [595] (21) 228-603
Flag description:
three equal, horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue with an emblem centered in the white band; unusual flag in that the emblem is different on each side; the obverse (hoist side at the left) bears the national coat of arms (a yellow five-pointed star within a green wreath capped by the words REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY, all within two circles); the reverse (hoist side at the right) bears the seal of the treasury (a yellow lion below a red Cap of Liberty and the words Paz y Justicia (Peace and Justice) capped by the words REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY, all within two circles)
Economy ::Paraguay
Economy - overview:
Landlocked Paraguay has a market economy marked by a large informal sector, featuring reexport of imported consumer goods to neighboring countries, as well as the activities of thousands of microenterprises and urban street vendors. A large percentage of the population, especially in rural areas, derives its living from agricultural activity, often on a subsistence basis. Because of the importance of the informal sector, accurate economic measures are difficult to obtain. On a per capita basis, real income has stagnated at 1980 levels. Most observers attribute Paraguay's poor economic performance to political uncertainty, corruption, limited progress on structural reform, and deficient infrastructure. The economy rebounded between 2003 and 2008, however, as growing world demand for commodities combined with high prices and favorable weather to support Paraguay's commodity-based export expansion. Paraguay is the sixth largest soy producer in the world.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$28.95 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 108 $27.37 billion (2007 est.)
$25.62 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$16.01 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.8% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 68 6.8% (2007 est.)
4.3% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,200 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 153 $4,100 (2007 est.)
$3,900 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 23.4%
industry: 18.4%
services: 58.2% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
2.839 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 105
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 31%
industry: 17%
services: 52% (2007)
Unemployment rate:
5.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 66 5.6% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
32% (2005 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.1%
highest 10%: 42.3% (2007)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
56.8 (2008) country comparison to the world: 9 57.7 (1998)
Investment (gross fixed):
19.6% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 114
Budget:
revenues: $2.856 billion
expenditures: $2.826 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
19.9% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 95 39.2% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
10.2% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 147 8.1% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
20% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 7 20% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
25.81% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 11 25.03% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$2.062 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 70 $1.943 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$1.599 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 89 $1.368 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$3.098 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 89 $2.457 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$NA (31 December 2007)
$409.1 million (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, eggs, milk; timber
Industries:
sugar, cement, textiles, beverages, wood products, steel, metallurgic, electric power
Industrial production growth rate:
4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 68
Electricity - production:
53.19 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 46
Electricity - consumption:
5.337 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 104
Electricity - exports:
45.14 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
26.97 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 112
Oil - consumption:
28,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 115
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 146
Oil - imports:
25,100 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 108
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 145
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 152
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 153
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 136
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 101
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 147
Current account balance:
-$345 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 99 $126.1 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$7.769 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 97 $5.463 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
soybeans, feed, cotton, meat, edible oils, electricity, wood, leather
Exports - partners:
Argentina 31.7%, Brazil 15.9%, Uruguay 11.7%, Chile 6.4%, Russia 5.7% (2008)
Imports:
$8.809 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 97 $6.008 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
road vehicles, consumer goods, tobacco, petroleum products, electrical machinery, tractors, chemicals, vehicle parts
Imports - partners:
Brazil 27.2%, US 22.1%, Argentina 14.9%, China 10.4% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.863 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 96 $2.462 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$3.507 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 114 $3.096 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$2.057 million (2007) country comparison to the world: 96
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: