Luis González Macchi
President

(pronounced "loo-EES gohn-ZAH-lace MAH-kee")

"We must seize this great opportunity to change the destiny of this country."

In the heart of South America lies the small Republic of Paraguay. This landlocked country is bordered by Bolivia on the north and northwest, by Brazil on the east, and by Argentina on the south and west. It has an area of 406,752 sq km (157,048 sq mi). The Paraguay River divides the country into two regions. The eastern region is the highlands area where 90% of the country's 5.9 million (July 2002 estimate) people live. It contains the densely forested Paraná Plateau, rolling foothills, marshes, and grasslands. The western region, known as the Chaco Boreal, is a vast, flat plain with rough grasses, cacti, and thorny shrubs. Meteorological extremes of drought and flooding have discouraged settlement...