Paraguay

We explain everything about Paraguay and its physical and cultural characteristics. In addition, how is its economy, religion and the history of this country.

Paraguay is a democratic, sovereign and multicultural state.

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Paraguay is a national state whose official name is Republic of Paraguay . It is located in South America, and limits with Argentina to the south, with Bolivia to the north and with Brazil to the east. Its capital is the city of Asunción. This is the fifth smallest country and the least populated room in South America.

Paraguay is a democratic, sovereign and multicultural state . It is an ancient colony of the Spanish Empire, like almost the rest of the continent, and was among the first Latin American countries to achieve its independence in the nineteenth century.

At present, the Nation is governed by a presidential republican system and is a founding member of Mercosur together with Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. In addition, he is a member of Unasur.

A consensus has not been reached with respect to the etymological origin of the name of Paraguay. Some theories argue that it comes from the Guaraní language, and could mean “river that is born” or “river that comes from water.” Other theories believe that it could have origin in the Guaraní word “Payagua” that refers to the original inhabitants who lived in the region when the European conquerors arrived.

See also: Argentina

Characteristics of Paraguay

Some characteristics of this country are:

Its population is 6,700,000 inhabitants. Most concentrate in the Eastern region, to the east of the Paraguay River.
It has an area of 406,000 km².
Its capital is Asunción, which has 2,800,000 inhabitants.
Like Bolivia, it is a country that has no exit to the sea.
The temperate climate and the flat relief predominates. The eastern region is very rainy, while the western one is more dry.
Important rivers such as Paraguay, Paraná and Pilcomayo travel through their territory.
It is a bilingual nation with two official languages, Guaraní and Spanish.
Its main economic activities are agriculture, energy generation, industry and commerce.

Extension, population and capital of Paraguay

The city of Asunción is the capital of Paraguay.

Paraguay has an extension of 406,000 square kilometers so it is one of the smallest countries in South America. It has a population of 6,700,000 inhabitants, and a population density of 16.5 inhabitants per square kilometer.

The population is characterized by a marked concentration in the east of the country . The eastern region is the one with the highest population density, in areas close to the capital (Asunción) and in the border provinces with Brazil. The western region, on the other hand, has less than 5 % of the population in almost 61 % of the national territory.

The capital of Paraguay is the city of Asunción . Its metropolitan area has a population of 2,800,000 inhabitants, which represents 41.7 % of the country’s total.

A “trifinio” is a geographical point where three borders from different countries converge. The triple border between Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil is one of the 157 trifin that exist in the world. The cities closest to this trifinio are Ciudad del Este (Paraguay), Foz do Iguazú (Brazil) and Puerto Iguazú (Argentina)

Climate, relief and hydrography of Paraguay

Paraguay is divided into two large geographical regions separated by the Paraguay River:

The Eastern or Paraneña region . It is located east of the Paraguay River and covers 40 % of the country’s territory. It has a subtropical climate without dry season, so it presents warm summers and fresh winters, and abundant rainfall throughout the year. It has a predominantly flat relief, furrowed by important rivers such as Paraguay, Paraná and Pilcomayo.
The western region or Paraguayan Chaco . It is located west of the Paraguay River and covers 60 % of the country’s territory. It has a warm arid climate, with very warm summers and fresh winters. Precipitation are much lower than in the eastern region, and have a marked dry season in winter. The relief is flat, but its hydrography is much more scarce than in the eastern region, with much less caudal and extensive rivers.

The characteristic bioma of the eastern region is the Paranaense jungle, which has a wide variety of tree and animals. In the western region, vegetation and fauna are adapted to heat and aridity conditions and have specimens such as the jaguar and armadillo between typical animals, and thorny trees and cactus.

Paraguay culture

Paraguay - Tereré — The cold terew or mate is the Paraguayan national drink.

Paraguay is a multicultural and bilingual nation, and It has two languages Officers : the Spanish, inherited from the Spanish colony during the conquest and spoken by the rest of the countries of South America except Brazil; and the Guaraní, indigenous language spoken and written by 87 % of the inhabitants of Paraguay, which has an Academy of the Guaraní Language.

In Paraguayan music, guitar and harp predominate, especially in folklore. Typical folk rhythms are the Paraguayan song (Polca) and Guarania .

Gastronomy also presents abundance of native elements like the Paraguayan soup (which is not liquid even though it is called soup) made with corn, cheese and onion, the tereré or mate cold, which is the national drink of the country, and the chipá (made of cassava and cheese starch).

Homeland symbols of Paraguay

Paraguay - Flag — The Paraguay flag presents two branches of palm and olive in the middle strip.

The homeland symbols of Paraguay are:

The Paraguay flag . Adopted in 1842, it presents three stripes of red, white and blue colors (from top to bottom) and a shield in the intermediate strip: two crown and olive -shaped olive branches, around a yellow star. On the back, however, it has a different shield, which shows a lion accompanied by a frigio hat and the registration “peace and justice.”
Paraguay’s national anthem . It was written by Uruguayan Francisco Acuña de Figueroa. His music was composed of an uncertain author, and subsequently rebuilt by Paraguayan Remberto Giménez in 1933. He was adopted as a national anthem in 1934. Although his official title is a Paraguayan national anthem, he also has a name in Guaraní: Tetã Paraguai Momorãhéi.
Paraguay shield . It was created in 1820. The registration appears the “Republic of Paraguay”, a palm branch and an olive tree and a five -pointed yellow star in the center. It is represented in the national flag. On the reverse the shield carries the inscription “Peace and Justice”, a yellow profile of profile and a spike with a red frigio hat.

Economic Activities of Paraguay

Paraguay is a producer and exporter of agricultural products such as soybeans.

Among the most important economic activities of Paraguay are:

Agriculture . It is one of the most important economic activities of the Paraguayan economy. Paraguay is one of the main producers and exporters of agricultural products such as soybeans, wheat, corn, vaccine meat, pork and dairy.
Industry . The manufacturing industry plays an important role in the Paraguayan economy. Industries such as food and drinks, textiles, petrochemistry, electronic products and automotive industry stand out.
Hydroelectric energy production . Paraguay is known for its great production of hydroelectric energy. The Itaipu dam, shared with Brazil, is one of the world’s largest hydroelectric plants.
Trade . Paraguay is an important regional commercial center, especially in border cities such as Ciudad del Este.

The official currency of Paraguay since the independence of the country is the Guaraní.

History of Paraguay

José Gaspar Rodríguez - Paraguay — José Gaspar Rodríguez de France was the first independent ruler of Paraguay.

There are indications of Neolithic settlements in the current Paraguayan territory from 3000 a. C. At the time of the arrival of the Spanish conquerors in the 16th century, the predominant groups in the region were the Avá (Guaraníes). His first meeting with the Europeans was in 1524 with the Portuguese expeditionary Alejo García, who collaborated with the Spaniards.

In 1537, survivors of the first foundation of Buenos Aires sought refuge in the region and founded a fort that later became the city of Asunción del Paraguay. Thus began the colonial stage.

The exit to the sea through the Paraguay River, which leads to Paraná in the direction of the Río de la Plata, was very valuable for the transfer to Europe from resources from the Viceroyalty of Peru. This advantage was lost when the region was divided into two governorates, that of Paraguay and that of Buenos Aires, since the latter remained control of the Río de la Plata.

Since the beginning of the 17th century, the Jesuit missionaries established “reductions” that regulated the life of indigenous populations. In 1767 the Jesuits were expelled and in 1776 Paraguay became part of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata.

In 1811 the independence of Paraguay was proclaimed as part of the South American Revolutionary Movement. The Paraguayan insurrection was peaceful, through the call to a congress. Initially it was tried to add to Paraguay to the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, but the rivalry between the Buenos Aires and Asuncenas elites did not allow it.

Paraguay was declared Republic in 1813 and began his independent government under the command of José Gaspar Rodríguez de France, who ruled as dictator between 1814 and 1840.

At the end of the 19th and early twentieth centuries, Paraguay fought two wars against border countries. In the War of the Triple Alliance against Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay (1864-1870), Paraguay was defeated and suffered great human and territorial losses . In the Chaco War (1932-1935), Paraguay beat Bolivia.

Since 1954 he ruled in the country a dictatorship headed by General Alfredo Stroessner, characterized by the violation of human rights and overthrown in 1989 by a military coup. In 1993, free elections were held and since then, except in 2008-2013, Paraguay has been governed by the Colorado Party.

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References

UN (2019) The Guaraní language, pride of a country. https://news.un.org/
Portillo, S. (2022) Natural regions of Paraguay. https://www.ecologiaverde.com/
Website of the Undersecretariat of State of Economics of Paraguay. https://www.economia.gov.py/
“Paraguay” https://es.wikipedia.org/
“History of Paraguay” https://es.wikipedia.org/
Information about Paraguay. http://www.paraguay-travel.de/
Official page of the Ministry of Tourism of Paraguay. https://visitparaguay.travel/