Paraguay at a Glance

• Population: approx. 5.4 million


• Capital city: Asunción, approx. 600.000 inhabitants


• Language: Spanish und Guaraní


• Religions: 90% Catholics, protestant folds, Mennonites


• Form of government: Presidential Republic

Economy

Paraguay holds Germany in high regard, due partly to the strong German element in the country. Due to the relatively large number of German nationals (some 10,000) and citizens of German descent (about 120,000), consular services are in considerable demand.

In terms of Technical and Financial Cooperation, Germany is one of Paraguay's main economic partners. For Germany, Paraguay is relatively important as a buyer of motor vehicles, machinery, chemical products and foodstuffs.

There are currently three long-term experts from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) and one expert from the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) in Paraguay. They work in agriculture and forestry, rural development, environment, resource conservation, geo-scientific exploration of resources and state modernization.

Culture and Science

Cultural relations are wide-ranging. The main focus of cultural promotion measures is still on the school sector. Some 8,800 pupils learn German at 50 Paraguayan schools. Except for those in the capital, these are mainly schools in the colonies of German immigrants who are part of an ongoing integration process. Including state schools and the two cultural institutes, there are some 11,500 German learners. In the Mennonite colonies in central Chaco, German is the lingua franca.

The private German-Paraguayan cultural institute in Asunción has come to be respected for its events, which make a tangible contribution to Paraguay's cultural life. As a Goethe Centre, the cultural institute works closely with the Goethe Institutes in the region. Also private, the cultural institute in Encarnación plays an important role in its region.

In the university sector, bilateral cooperation is particularly pronounced in science and technology, for example visits by German academics or study and research trips by Paraguayans to Germany, mostly supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

Links

www.pla.net.py/embalem/ (German Embassy in Paraguay)
www.ahkasu.com.py (German-Paraguayan Chamber of Commerce and Industry)
www.icpa-gz.org.py (Goethe Center Asunción)