Paraguay consists of 17 departments (Spanish: departamentos; singular – departamento) and one capital district (distrito capital).
Paraguay population, as recorded in 1983, was 5, 291, 020. The group between 15 - 64 years made the majority, comprising 56% of the entire population. The children between 0 - 14 years accounted for 39% of the population.
Paraguay is divided by the Río Paraguay into the eastern region, called Eastern Paraguay (Paraguay Oriental) and known as the Paraná region; and the western region, officially called Western Paraguay (Paraguay Occidental) and also known as the Chaco. The country lies between latitudes 19° and 28°S, and longitudes 54° and 63°W. The terrain consists of grassy plains and wooded hills in the east. To the west, there are mostly low, marshy plains.