Paraguay has a market economy marked by a large informal sector. The informal sector features both re export of imported consumer goods to neighboring countries as well as the activities of thousands of micro enterprises and urban street vendors. Paraguay is a landlocked country surrounded by Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia. The country is divided into two unequal portions by the Paraguay River, the third largest river in the western hemisphere.

Area: 407,000 sq km

Population: 5.58 million

Capital: Asuncion

People: 95% Mestizo

Language: Guarani, Spanish and Castilian

Religion: 97% Roman Catholic, 3% Mennonite and other Protestants

Government: Constitutional Republic

GDP: US$19.8 billion

Major Industries: Soybeans, cotton, timber, oilseed crushing, milling, brewing, textiles, hides & skins, meatpacking, and sugarcane

Major Trading Partners: Brazil, the Netherlands and Argentina,