Paraguay vs. Bolivia
Geography
| Paraguay | Bolivia | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Central South America, northeast of Argentina, southwest of Brazil | Central South America, southwest of Brazil |
| Geographic coordinates | 23 00 S, 58 00 W | 17 00 S, 65 00 W |
| Map references | South America | South America |
| Area | total: 406,752 sq km land: 397,302 sq km water: 9,450 sq km | total: 1,098,581 sq km land: 1,083,301 sq km water: 15,280 sq km |
| Area - comparative | about three times the size of New York state; slightly smaller than California | slightly less than three times the size of Montana |
| Land boundaries | total: 4,655 km border countries (3): Argentina 2531 km, Bolivia 753 km, Brazil 1371 km | total: 7,252 km border countries (5): Argentina 942 km, Brazil 3403 km, Chile 942 km, Paraguay 753 km, Peru 1212 km |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | none (landlocked) |
| Climate | subtropical to temperate; substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, becoming semiarid in the far west | varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid |
| 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 | rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills, lowland plains of the Amazon Basin |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Cerro Pero 842 m lowest point: junction of Rio Paraguay and Rio Parana 46 m mean elevation: 178 m | highest point: Nevado Sajama 6,542 m lowest point: Rio Paraguay 90 m mean elevation: 1,192 m |
| Natural resources | hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone | tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron, lead, gold, timber, hydropower |
| 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.) | agricultural land: 34.3% (2018 est.) arable land: 3.6% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 30.5% (2018 est.) forest: 52.5% (2018 est.) other: 13.2% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 1,362 sq km (2012) | 3,000 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | local flooding in southeast (early September to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June) | flooding in the northeast (March to April) volcanism: volcanic activity in Andes Mountains on the border with Chile; historically active volcanoes in this region are Irruputuncu (5,163 m), which last erupted in 1995, and the Olca-Paruma volcanic complex (5,762 m to 5,167 m) |
| Environment - current issues | deforestation; water pollution; rivers suffer from toxic dumping; tanneries release mercury and chromium into rivers and streams; loss of wetlands; inadequate means for waste disposal pose health risks for many urban residents | the clearing of land for agricultural purposes and the international demand for tropical timber are contributing to deforestation; soil erosion from overgrazing and poor cultivation methods (including slash-and-burn agriculture); desertification; loss of biodiversity; industrial pollution of water supplies used for drinking and irrigation |
| 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 | 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, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation |
| 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 | note 1: landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru note 2: the southern regions of Peru and the extreme northwestern part of Bolivia are considered to be the place of origin for the common potato, while southeast Bolivia and northwest Argentina seem to be the original development site for peanuts |
| Total renewable water resources | 387.77 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 574 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 | a high altitude plain in the west between two cordillera of the Andes, known as the Altiplano, is the focal area for most of the population; a dense settlement pattern is also found in and around the city of Santa Cruz, located on the eastern side of the Andes |
Source: CIA Factbook
