Geography
Paraguay
Area
land
397,302 sq km
water
9,450 sq km
total
406,752 sq km
Climate
ranging from subtropical to temperate climates; significant precipitation occurs in the eastern regions, transitioning to semiarid conditions in the extreme west
Terrain
comprising grassy plains and forested hills located east of the Río Paraguay; the Gran Chaco area to the west of the river is predominantly a low, marshy plain adjacent to the river, with dry forests and thorny scrub occupying other areas
Land use
other
7% (2023 est.)
forest
36.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
54.1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 11.5% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 42.4% (2023 est.)
Location
situated in Central South America, positioned northeast of Argentina and southwest of Brazil
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Elevation
lowest point
the confluence of the Río Paraguay and the Río Paraná is at an elevation of 46 meters
highest point
Cerro Pero 842 m
mean elevation
178 m
Irrigated land
1,362 sq km (2012)
Major aquifers
Guarani Aquifer System
Map references
South America
Land boundaries
total
4,655 km
border countries
Argentina: 2,531 kilometers; Bolivia: 753 kilometers; Brazil: 1,371 kilometers
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Natural hazards
local flooding is prevalent in the southeast from early September to June; poorly drained lowlands may become waterlogged from early October to June
Geography - note
a landlocked nation bordered by Argentina, Bolivia, and Brazil; its population is primarily concentrated in the eastern and southern regions of the country
Natural resources
resources include hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, and limestone
Area - comparative
approximately three times larger than New York State; slightly smaller than California
Geographic coordinates
23 00 S, 58 00 W
Population distribution
the majority of the population lives in the eastern half of the nation; to the west lies the Gran Chaco, a semi-arid lowland plain that constitutes 60% of the total land area but is home to only 2% of the population
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage
Paraná (2,582,704 sq km)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Río de la Plata/Paraná (shared with Brazil [s], Argentina, and Uruguay [m]) - 4,880 kilometers; mouth of the Paraguay River (shared with Brazil [s] and Argentina) - 2,549 kilometers
note: [s] following the country name denotes the river source; [m] following the country name denotes the river mouth