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Paraguay is a country located in the center of South America and has an area of 406,752 Km2. It borders Argentina to the south, southeast and southwest, with Bolivia to the northwest and north, and with Brazil to the northeast and east. It is a country rich in resources thanks to its biodiversity, mining, fishing, livestock and agriculture. In addition, among its main natural resources are minerals such as limestone, gold, magnesium, iron, wood and its rivers. However, its wealth in resources and the importance of these for the development of a capitalist society causes a great environmental impact due to: water pollution, deforestation and inadequate waste management.
If you want to know what are the natural resources of ParaguayDo not forget to read this interesting article by Green Ecologist in which many of them will be shown.
Biodiversity of Paraguay
Generally, it is said that there are two great regions of Paraguay: the Eastern Region and the Western or Chaco region, which in turn are both subdivided into different ecoregions. So it can be said that Paraguay has a great variety of ecosystems and rich biodiversity, having present in its territory some 20,000 species of plants, 164 species of reptiles, 258 species of fish, 1,336 species of vertebrates, 100,000 of invertebrates and approximately 700 species of birds.
Here you can meet +80 endangered plants in Paraguay and 34 endangered animals in Paraguay.
Mining
Paraguay presents a great geological potential, although the mining sector is the one that contributes the least to the country's economy. In Paraguayan territory you can find mineral resources such as magnesium, limestone, gypsum, semi-precious stones, marble, iron, steel, dolomite, clays, among others, in addition to some petroleum derivatives.
Other explorations that have been carried out have been for deposits of diamonds, natural gas, titanium, oil, bauxite, uranium and niobium.
Water resources
The Paraguayan country presents rivers, lakes and estuaries that in their entirety belong to the River Plate Basin. On the one hand, there is the Paraguay river, being one of the natural limits of Paraguay, which originates in Brazil with an extension of 2,600 km, an average depth of 5 m, and has an average width of 500 m. In addition, there are also important rivers such as Pilcomayo, Aquidabán, Apa, Tebicuary and the Paraná, the latter being the most abundant and turbulent with an extension of 4,500 km and a width of 60 m. On the other hand, there are the Verá, Ypoá and Ypacaraí lakes as the main inland water bodies, adding to them the Bajo Chaco, Yacaré, Patiño and Neembucú estuaries. The Pantanal in the north of the Chaco also stands out.
farming
Agriculture is the economic base of Paraguay contributing, approximately, to a third of all the annual production of the country. The main products from agricultural production are soybeans, cassava, wheat, cotton, peanuts, and sugar cane. Fruits such as melon, banana, orange, pineapple, watermelon and strawberry. Furthermore, it should be noted that most of the land used for cotton production is in the Eastern Region, just as wheat is only grown in the Eastern Region.
Cattle raising
The livestock in Paraguay represents 7.8% of the country's annual production, the most important being the cattle breeding, the figure of 9.8 million of these animals is estimated annually, with slight variations. The most common cattle are criollo, criollo crossed with Hereford and zebu crosses. In addition, Paraguayan livestock contributes significantly to the world meat market.
The most suitable region for livestock is the Chaco Region or also called Occidental, also coming from a large amount of dairy products that are mainly marketed in the national market.
Fishing
Paraguay has a great fishing activity thanks to the rich fish fauna present from which subsistence, commercial and sport fishermen sustain themselves. In fact, the families of the riverside populations practically depend on fishing for their subsistence.
Normally, the annual amount of catch was of several tons, however, at present it is taking a decrease due to the increase of fishermen, to the canalization of wetlands and hydroelectric dams. It is also convenient to point out that fish are not only an economic resource, they also have great ecological importance since they are part of the aquatic trophic chains.
Wood
To finish commenting on the main natural resources of Paraguay, we will mention the mother resources. In Paraguay it is estimated that there are more than 300 tree species, of which approximately 40 of them use for industrial purposes for the construction of furniture, houses, coal or paper.
However, the country has lost almost all of its forests in the last 50 years due to the extension of land used for agriculture and livestock, as well as the illegal traffic in wood.
If you want to read more articles similar to Natural resources of Paraguay, we recommend that you enter our category of Other environment.
