Paraguay Travel Overview
Important facts
Capital: Asuncion (See more on SIMPLYYELLOWPAGES.COM)
Official language: Spanish
Currency: Guaraní
Continent: South-South America
Vacation in Paraguay
Paraguay is in the heart of South America. The country is known for its beef steaks, soccer team and beautiful women.
Location
According to Countryaah, Paraguay, located in a plateau of the Andes, borders Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia. With its 6.2 million residents, the country is very sparsely populated.
Useful information
The country was mainly characterized by livestock and agriculture until the 1960s. Gauchos also count can still be seen in many places today.
There is a lot of counterfeit products traded in Paraguay, which makes it cheap to shop for.
The best way to get around in Paraguay is by car. You can have your own car shipped, which costs around 2700 euros and takes about 30 days. A cheaper option is to borrow a rental car.
Paraguay travel
From a tourist point of view, the country is cheap for nature excursions, river boat trips or jungle tours offer a good opportunity for this. About 250,000 German speakers live in Paraguay, but Spanish is the official language and therefore the best basis for communication.
Currency
Currency (sub-unit)
Guaraní (100 centimos)
ISO 4217 code
PYG / 600
Geography
Continent: South America
Region: south
Geo coordinates: S -23 ° -26 ‘-33 ” W -58 ° -26’ -37.8″
Highest mountain: Cerro San Rafael (850 m)
Total area: 406,750 km²
Mainland: 397,300 km²
National border: 3,920 km
Politics
Dependency: Spain until 1811
UN member since: 1945
Form of government: Presidential Republic
Economy
Export goods: Meat, wood, oils
BSP: $ 7.456 billion
GDP: $ 7.184.3 million
GDP purchasing power parity: $ 30,070,000,000
Economic growth: 3.1%
GDP share of agriculture: 23.8%
GDP share of industry: 22.6%
GDP share of services: 53.6%
Inflation rate: 5.5%
Unemployment: 16.6%
State budget revenue: $ 1442,000,000
State budget expenditure: $ 14.6 billion
National debt: 32.8%
Export: $ 3,285,000,000
Import: $ 4.043 million
Foreign debt: $ 3,688,000,000
Gold and currency reserves: $ 1,418,000,000
Electricity consumption: 4,069 million KWh
Oil consumption: 28,500 million m³
Cultivation area: 7.69%
Bovine: 10,640,000 pieces
Pigs: 2,954,000 pieces
Fishing: 28,000 t
Demographic data
Residents: 6.506.500
Residents in cities: 3,604,100
Average age: 21.3 years
0-14 years: 37.7%
15-64 years: 57.5%
> 65 years: 4.8%
Population growth: 2.45%
Birth rate: 29.1 / 1,000 residents
Death rate: 4.49 / 1,000 residents
Migration: -0.08 / 1,000 residents
Ratio men / women: 1.01
Fertility: 3.89 children / woman
Infant mortality: 24.78 ‰
Life expectancy men: 72.56 years
Life expectancy women: 77.78 years
Country codes and abbreviations
ISO 3166 Alpha 2: PY
ISO 3166 Alpha 3: PRY
ISO 3166 numeric: 600
Top Level Domain: py
IOC country code: PAR
UN / LOCODE: PY
Source: Abbreviationfinder
Communication
Telephone connections: 310,000
Cell Phones: 2,660,000
Radios: 1,070,000
TV: 1,470,000
Computer: 740,000
Internet users: 270,000
Transportation
Railway lines: 436 km
Paved roads: 16,887 km
Cars: 381,000
Merchant fleet (ships over 1,000 GRT): 21st
Health
Number of doctors: 8,160
Daily food intake: 2,600 kcal / resident
HIV- infected people: 26,000
Education
Illiteracy: 5%
History
Foundation: 1811
Last sovereign since: 1811
Religion
Main religious group: Christians
Crime
Prison inmates: 5,300
Military
Armed forces (troop strength): 19,000
Defense Spending: $ 60,200,000
GETTING THERE
Arriving by plane
Paraguay’s national airline is called TAM Airlines (PZ) (Internet: www.tam.com.py). No direct connections from TAM from Frankfurt / M., Vienna or Zurich.
Iberia (IB) flies to Paraguay via Madrid and São Paulo (Brazil).
Air passes
The TAM South American Airpass is valid on all routes of the participating airlines within Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile (with the exception of Easter Island), Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. The participating airline is: TAM (JJ). The pass is valid for stays of a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 45 days and is only available to passengers who are resident outside of South America in conjunction with an international round-trip ticket. A minimum of 2 and a maximum of 5 countries must be visited. A maximum of 8 flight coupons are allowed (9 if Iguazú is being flown to), with a maximum of 2 flight interruptions (stopovers) per country. The flight route must be specified in the ticket and firmly reserved. Flights may be rebooked, but the flight route may not be changed. Children under 12 years of age receive a 25% discount, infants under 2 years of age (without their own seat) 90% discount.
The Oneworld Visit South America Pass is valid on routes operated by participating airlinesAmerican Airlines, British Airways, LAN, Qatar Airways and the associated airlines within South America in the following countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Applicable only to passengers residing outside of South America. Valid for a maximum of 6 months from arrival in South America. The Airpass includes at least 3 coupons. The number of coupons is not limited. A coupon is required for each section of the route. The stopovers are limited to the number of coupons purchased. Children from 2 years of age: no discount. Infants under 2 years of age are free (no seat occupancy). The reservation of the entire route must be made before departure or the ticket is issued. A fee will be charged for each route change or change in the flight date. Cancellation fees: Refunds before departure, no reimbursement after departure.
Departure fee
Silvio Pettriossi (ASU): US $ 31 (mostly included in the flight ticket).
Guarani (AGT): US $ 10 (mostly included in the flight ticket).
Transit travelers are exempt from this.
Arrival by car
The roads from Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo (Brazil) to Asunción (past the Iguazú waterfalls) are paved. Good roads also lead from Argentina to Paraguay, from Buenos Aires to Asunción or over the San Roque González de Santa Cruz bridge in Encarnación on the Panraná River.
Bus: Daily bus connections to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Santa Fé, Rosario, Córdoba, Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Montevideo (Uruguay).
Arriving by train
The short stretch of rail line between the Argentine border town of Posadas and Encarnación is in operation; a weekly train to Posadas (Argentina) uses the train ferry. From here connection to Concordia and Buenos Aires.
Arrival by ship
Paraguay has 2500 km of navigable rivers with ferry connections between Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil. The Posadas (Argentina) – Encarnación (Paraguay) route is 321 km shorter than the route via Buenos Aires.
There is also a ferry connection between Corumba (Brazil) and Asunción.
ON THE GO
Traveling by plane
Domestic flights are offered by TAM Airlines (Internet: www.tam.com.py). TAM Airlines flies between Asunción and Ciudad del Este. Air taxis are ideal for the difficult-to-access Gran Chaco.
Note on air travel
Airport taxes
Silvio Pettriossi (ASU): US $ 4.
Guarani (AGT): US $ 4.
On the way by car / bus
The condition of the roads is not in good condition even on the main connections between the main cities. Only about 10% of the roads are paved. Unpaved roads in particular, but also roads in urban areas, are either only partially accessible during and after heavy rain or can no longer be used due to flooding. An expressway connects Asunción with the Iguazú waterfalls, the drive takes about 6 hours.
Buses are the cheapest means of transport in Paraguay. Express connections between the larger cities. For longer journeys, we recommend booking in advance, which can be made directly at the bus terminal. Almost all hotels provide bus tickets for their guests. The buses are air-conditioned and there is no smoking on board.Rental cars are available at the airport and from local tourist offices. Documents: National or international driver’s license.
Traveling in the city
Private companies operate buses and minibuses in Asunción. Almost all major lines stop in Oliva Street in front of the Asuncion Supercentro. There are two driving zones, the fare is collected by conductors.
On the go by train
The railways in Paraguay have been almost completely shut down for some time. There is the tourist steam train Tren del Lago, which runs between the Botanical Gardens in Asunción and Areguá on weekends. The short stretch of railway between the Argentine border town of Posadas and Encarnación is also in operation.
On the way by ship
River cruises to major attractions and through the Chaco are available.