Transport in Paraguay
Template:Short description Paraguay's transportation system ranges from adequate to poor, largely depending on the region of the country. The country has a network of roads, railroads, rivers, and airports, but significant infrastructure and regulation improvements are needed.[1]
Roads
Estimates vary on the total extent of Paraguay's road system, from more than Script error: No such module "convert". to less than Script error: No such module "convert".. The discrepancies seem to be the result of differing standards regarding what constitutes a road. Thousands of kilometers of unpaved rural roads exist. Paraguay has about Script error: No such module "convert". of paved, major feeder roads. [2] The core network connects Asunción, Encarnación, and Ciudad del Este, on the border with Brazil, where it connects later with the Port of Paranaguá. In 2024, the first duplicated highway in Paraguay was created, the PY-02.[3] The Trans-Chaco highway is only partially finished, the paved portion ending at Mariscal Estigarribia. Bolivia's portion of the highway, in contrast, is entirely paved. For trade purposes, the paved highways from Ciudad del Este to the Brazilian port of Paranaguá are particularly important. Additionally, the roads connecting Paraguay to Buenos Aires are adequate.[1]
Route 15 has been one of the central points in the country's road advancement. This highway (currently under construction) is expected to become an international logistics center by becoming part of the Bi-Oceanic Corridor, and being the shortest passage between the Chilean ports of Antofagasta and Iquique on the Pacific Ocean and the Brazilian port of Santos on the Atlantic Ocean.[4] In February 2022, Paraguay inaugurated 275 km of the road (about half of the route), connecting Carmelo Peralta (Alto Paraguay), on the border with Brazil, to Loma Plata (Boquerón), in the center of the country.[5] In 2025, another 224 km were already being paved between the cities of Mariscal Estigarribia and Pozo Hondo, on the border with Argentina, with completion scheduled for 2026, basically completing the road.[6]
| Classification | Length | |
| Km (mi) | % | |
| National Routes | 4,444 (2,761) | 7.6 |
| Departmental Routes | 5,333 (3,314) | 9.2 |
| Minor roads | 13,419 (8,338) | 23.1 |
| Not inventoried minor roads* | 35,000 (21,748) | 60.1 |
| Total: | 58,196 (36,161) | 100 |
* Estimated
Source:[7]
Railways
Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". The government owns the country's sole railroad company, including a Script error: No such module "convert". line from Asunción to Encarnación. An effort to privatize the company in 2002 failed when no buyer could be secured because of the steep investment required to make the line profitable. Currently, only a small section of the line is open. It is used for tourist traffic. Paraguay's railroads operate on a standard 1.435-meter gauge.[1]
The total length of rail in Paraguay is Script error: No such module "convert".. Script error: No such module "convert". of that is standard gauge at Template:RailGauge. Another Script error: No such module "convert". is narrow-gauge at Template:RailGauge, and Script error: No such module "convert". of the total railway is privately owned.
Inland waterways
Paraguay has Script error: No such module "convert". of inland waterways. The Paraguay and Paraná are the country's two main rivers. The Paraguay River, with headwaters at Mato Grosso, Brazil, flows southward, converging with the Paraná in southwestern Paraguay, and then flowing to the Río de la Plata estuary in Argentina, the entrance for the great majority of ships servicing Paraguay's ports.[1]
Ports and harbors
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Villeta, located on the Paraguay River south of Asunción, serves as Paraguay's primary port. Asunción, long the country's only modern port, Encarnación (on the Paraná River), and San Antonio serve as the country's other major ports. Paraguay's ports are split between state and private ownership. The country's twenty private ports, however, are far more efficient, handling nearly 90% of soybean exports.[1]
Merchant marine
Total: 110
Container ship: 3
General cargo: 25
Oil tanker: 5
Other: 77 (2021)[8]
Airports
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As of 2013, Paraguay has 799 airports but only 15 with paved runways.[8] The airport serving Asunción, Silvio Pettirossi International Airport, is the country's major airport for international and domestic flights. Another airport is Guaraní International Airport, located near Ciudad del Este and the Brazilian border, but it has been unable to compete with the nearby international airport at Foz do Iguaçu in BrazilScript error: No such module "Unsubst".. Improvements in technology are needed to bring Paraguay's airports up to international standards. Paraguay privatized the state-owned Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas in 1994.[1]
See also
References
- ↑ a b c d e f Paraguay country profile. Library of Congress Federal Research Division (October 2005). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ↑ Red Vial de Paraguay
- ↑ Obras de la ruta PY02 ahorran más de 1 hora de viaje en el tramo Ypacaraí –Caaguazú
- ↑ En Brasil destacan avance del Corredor Bioceánico y sus vetanjas para el comercio internacional
- ↑ Primer tramo del Corredor Bioceánico ya es una realidad que cambiará la historia del Chaco
- ↑ Último trecho da Rota Bioceânica no Paraguai ainda sem pavimentação já começa a receber imprimante asfáltico
- ↑ Organización Administrativa y Sistemas de Gestión del Mantenimiento. Dirección de Vialidad de Chile (November 1997). Template:Webarchive
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
External links
Template:CIA World Factbook Template:Paraguay topics Template:Americas topic Template:National Roads in Paraguay