Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none; landlocked
International disputes: short section of the boundary with Brazil, just west of Salto del Guaira (Guaira Falls) on the Rio Parana, has not been determined
Climate: varies from temperate in east to semiarid in 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
Natural resources: hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone
Land use: arable land: 20% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 39% forest and woodland: 35% other: 5%
Irrigated land: 670 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: deforestation (an estimated 2 million hectares of
forest land have been lost from 1958-1985); water pollution;
inadequate means for waste disposal present health risks for many
urban residents
natural hazards: local flooding in southeast (early September to
June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June)
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection; signed,
but not ratified - Nuclear Test Ban
Note: landlocked; buffer between Argentina and Brazil