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GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
Central South America, northeast of Argentina
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Map
references: South America
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Area:
total
area: 406,750 sq km
land
area: 397,300 sq km
comparative
area: slightly smaller than California
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Land
boundaries: total 3,920 km, Argentina 1,880 km, Bolivia
750 km, Brazil 1,290 km
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Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
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Maritime
claims: none; landlocked
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International
disputes: short section of the boundary with Brazil, just
west of Salto del Guaira (Guaira Falls) on the Rio Parana,
has not been determined
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Climate:
varies from temperate in east to semiarid in far west
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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
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Natural
resources: hydropower, timber, iron ore, manganese, limestone
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Land
use:
arable
land: 20%
permanent
crops: 1%
meadows
and pastures: 39%
forest
and woodland: 35%
other:
5%
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Irrigated
land: 670 sq km (1989 est.)
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Environment:
current
issues: deforestation (an estimated 2 million hectares
of forest land have been lost from 1958-1985); water pollution;
inadequate means for waste disposal present health risks for
many urban residents
natural
hazards: local flooding in southeast (early September
to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October
to June)
international
agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but
not ratified - Nuclear Test Ban
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Note:
landlocked; buffer between Argentina and Brazil
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