Paraguay Geography - 2021

Location

Central South America, northeast of Argentina, southwest of Brazil

Geographic coordinates

23 00 S, 58 00 W

Map references

South America

Area

total: 406,752 sq km

land: 397,302 sq km

water: 9,450 sq km

Area - comparative

about three times the size of New York state; slightly smaller than California

Land boundaries

total: 4,655 km

border countries (3): Argentina 2531 km, Bolivia 753 km, Brazil 1371 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

highest point: Cerro Pero 842 m

lowest point: junction of Rio Paraguay and Rio Parana 46 m

mean elevation: 178 m

Natural resources

hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone

Land use

agricultural land: 53.8% (2018 est.)

arable land: 10.8% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 42.8% (2018 est.)

forest: 43.8% (2018 est.)

other: 2.4% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

1,362 sq km (2012)

Total renewable water resources

387.77 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Population distribution

most of the population resides in the eastern half of the country; to the west lies the Gran Chaco (a semi-arid lowland plain), which accounts for 60% of the land territory, but only 2% of the overall population

Natural hazards

local flooding in southeast (early September to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June)

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban, Tropical Timber 2006

Geography - note

note 1: landlocked; lies between Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil; population concentrated in eastern and southern part of country

note 2: pineapples are probably indigenous to the southern Brazil-Paraguay region