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Sunset at Paraguay river, Paraguay
Sunset at Paraguay river.
Image: Diego Fernando Quintana
 
Paraguay Flag
Flag of Paraguay



Where in the world is Paraguay?
Location map of Paraguay
Destination Paraguay, a virtual guide to the landlocked country in central South America, bordered by Bolivia in northwest. The Pilcomayo river, a tributary of the Paraguay river, they both form sections of the border with Argentina in southwest. Parts of its southern borders are defined by the Paraná river, the second longest river in South America (the longest is the Amazon River). The Paraguay river and the Apa river form portions of Paraguay's border with Brazil.

Paraguay occupies an area of 406,752 km² making it is slightly larger than 1.5 times the size of the United Kingdom or slightly smaller than the U.S. state of California.

The country has a population of 6.8 million people (official estimates 2014); the majority of the nation's inhabitants live in the southern part of the country, capital city is Asunción, largest metropolitan area is Gran Asunción a conglomerate of several smaller cities around Asunción. Spoken languages are Spanish (official) and Guarani.


Republic of Paraguay | República del Paraguay


Country Profile



Background:
In the early 16th century Europeans arrived in the area inhabited by seminomadic Guarani-speaking tribes called Cayua or Caingua, "men of the forest". In 1537 the Spaniards founded Asunción which became the center of a Spanish colonial province. Paraguay declared its independence by overthrowing the local Spanish authorities in 1811.
In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance fought between Paraguay and the allied countries of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay (1865-70), Paraguay lost two-thirds of all adult males and much of its territory. It stagnated economically for the next half century. In the Chaco War of 1932-35, large, economically important areas were won from Bolivia.
The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo STROESSNER was overthrown in 1989, and, despite a marked increase in political infighting in recent years, relatively free and regular presidential elections have been held since then.
The country remains one of the poorest in the region with over 40% of its people living in poverty. Much of the land is in the hands of a tiny elite and successive governments have been slow to implement land reform.
In spring 2017 Paraguay's congress building was set on fire as election protests turned deadly after a vote to let President Horacio Cartes, from the right-wing Colorado Party, run again. President Cartes is one of Paraguay's wealthiest people and part of the tiny elite that controls just about everything in the country.
 
 

Official Name:
República del Paraguay
short form: Paraguay
int'l long form: Republic of Paraguay

ISO Country Code: py, pry

Actual Time: Mon-Mar-18  07:12
Local Time = UTC -4h

Country Calling Code: +595

Capital City: Asunción (pop. 612 000)

Other Cities:
Ciudad del Este, San Lorenzo, Capiatá, Fernando de la Mora, Encarnación.

Government:
Type: Constitutional Republic.
Independence: May 1811 (from Spain).
Constitution: June 1992.

Geography:
Location: Central South America, northeast of Argentina
Area: 406,752 km² (157,047 sq. mi.)
Terrain: East of the Paraguay River--grassy plains, wooded hills, tropical forests; west of the Paraguay River (Chaco region)--low, flat, marshy plain.

Climate: Temperate east of the Paraguay River, semiarid to the west.

People:
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Paraguayan(s).
Population: 6.8 million (2014)
Ethnic groups: Mixed Spanish and Amerindian (mestizo) 95%.
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%; Mennonite and other Protestant denominations.
Languages: Spanish, Guaraní.
Literacy: 91.6%.

Natural resources: Hydroelectric sites, forests.
Agriculture products: Cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), fruits, vegetables; beef, pork, eggs, milk; timber.

Industries: Sugar, cement, textiles, beverages, wood products, steel, metallurgic, electric power.

Exports - commodities: electricity , soybeans, livestock feed, cotton, meat, edible oils, wood, leather

Exports - partners: Brazil 31.7%, Russia 9.1%, Chile 7.1%, Argentina 7% (2015)

Imports - commodities: road vehicles, consumer goods, tobacco, petroleum products, pesticides, electrical machinery, tractors, chemicals, vehicle parts

Imports - partners: Brazil 25.4%, China 23.7%, Argentina 14.8%, USA 7.9% (2015)

Currency: Guaraní (PYG)


Government System
The government system is that of a representative democratic republic with a multi-party system and separation of powers in three branches. Chief of state and head of government is the president. The president is elected by plurality vote for 5 years. Congreso Nacional, the National Congress consists of the Chamber of Senators or Camara de Senadores and the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house, it is the bicameral branch that serves as the legislative body of Paraguay.

Note: External links will open in a new browser window.

Official Sites of Paraguay

República del Paraguay Gobierno
The Paraguay Government (in Spanish).

Presidencia de la República
Office of Paraguay's President (in Spanish).

Paraguay National Congress
Paraguay's bicameral Congress (Congreso) consists of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.
Honorable Cámara de Diputados
The lower house of Paraguay National Congress.
Honorable Cámara de Senadores
The upper house of the National Congress, it has 45 members, elected for a five-year term.

Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores
Ministry of External Relations (in Spanish).

Portal Paraguay
Paraguay's official government website.

Diplomatic Missions
Embassy of Paraguay in Ottawa
Site of Paraguay's embassy in Canada.
Diplomatic Missions of Paraguay Abroad
Addresses of Paraguay's Diplomatic Missions Abroad.
Foreign Diplomatic Missions in Paraguay
Address list of Foreign Diplomatic Missions in Paraguay.

Maps

Map of Paraguay
Political Map of Paraguay.
Administrative Map of Paraguay
Administrative Map of Paraguay showing Paraguay's departments
and autonomous regions.

Google Earth Google Earth Paraguay
Searchable map and satellite view Paraguay.
Google Earth Google Earth Asunción
Searchable map and satellite view of Paraguay's capital city.

Map of South America
Reference map of South America.

Palacio de los Lopez, Asunción
Presidential Palace (Palacio de los Lopez) in Asunción.
Image: Jan Pešula

 
 
Paraguay News

La Nacion
Paraguayan News (in Spanish)
Noticias on line
Noticias on line, Paraguay News (in Spanish)
Paraguay-Rundschau
Paraguay News (in German)
Ultima Hora
National news (Spanish)

Paraguay.com
Paraguay related news.

Radio
Radio Urbana 106.9
Radio Urbana in Asuncion.

 

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Arts & Culture


Guarani Legacy
About the Guarani and their language.
Guarani Ñanduti Rogue
Guarani language and culture (in German, Portuguese, and Spanish)
Guarani Renda
About the Guarani language (in Guaraní and Spanish)
Society-GUARANI
About Paraguay's native people.

Museo del Barro
The Visual Arts Center shows the popular art, the indigenous art and the urban art of Paraguay.

FA-RE-MI
Music from Paraguay (in Spanish)
 
Gran-Chaco Medicine Man
Gran-Chaco Lengua Medicine Man.
Image: Wellcome Library
 

Business & Economy


Banco Central del Paraguay
The Central Bank of Paraguay (in Spanish)
Bolsa de Valores y Productos de Asunción S.A.
Paraguay Stock Exchange (in Spanish)
Cámara y Bolsa de Comercio
(in Spanish)

Transportation
Ferrocarriles del Paraguay
Paraguay Railroad.
 
 
 
Travel and Tour Consumer Information


Destination Paraguay - Travel and Tour Guides


Discover Paraguay: Asunción at the Paraguay River. It’s known for its grand López Palace, seat of the government housing the president’s offices. National Pantheon of Heroes (mausoleum). The Independence House Museum showcases pieces of history that date back to the independence from Spanish rule. Cabildo building, the Cultural Center of the Republic home to cultural events and touring art exhibits. Barro Museum and the Ethnographic Museum (pre-Columbian artwork).
Ciudad del Este (shopping) has a Museo Histórico and a Friendship Bridge that connects the town to Brazil.
Encarnación city with beaches at the Parana River. Cerro Cora National Park (largest protected area in Paraguay).

Secretaría de Turismo del Paraguay
Paraguay travel and tourism information (in Spanish).

VisitParaguay
Paraguay's tourism website under construction.

Paraguay ... País de Maravillas
Some (maybe outdated) general travel and tourism information on Paraguay (in Spanish).

Paraguay
The heart of South America.
 
Asunción
Asunción
The Municipality of Asunción (in Spanish)
 
 
 

Education


Universidad Católica "Nuestra Señora de la Asunción"
Private Catholic university in Asunción.
Universidad Columbia del Paraguay
Private university in Asunción, founded in 1943.
Universidad Nacional de Asunción
UNA is the oldest and most traditional university in the country.

 
 

Environment & Nature


Fundación Moisés Bertoni
Moisés Bertoni Foundation for sustainable development, through conservation of ecosystems with the active participation of the population (in Spanish).

The Nature Conservancy in Paraguay
Page with information about the work of Nature Conservancy in Paraguay.

Waterland Research Institute
A non-profit, inter-disciplinary, research, education, and conservation organization. The institute's primary concern and arena of activity is the Paraguay River Basin in South America, with particular emphasis on the Pantanal region and Upper Paraguay River Basin of Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay.
 
 
 

History


The Triple Alliance War (1864-1870)
The Paraguayan War is also known as the War of the Triple Alliance and the Great Warin Paraguay. The South American war was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay.
The Gran Chaco War (1928-1935)
The Chaco War was fought between Bolivia and Paraguay over control of the northern part of the Gran Chaco region.
WWW-VL History: Paraguay
Paraguay history resources.
 
 
 

Search


Yagua
Paraguay search engine and directory.

Open Directory Project: Paraguay

Sources and additional Information on Paraguay

BBC Country Profile: Paraguay

GlobalEDGE: Paraguay

The Heritage Foundation: Paraguay

OEC: Paraguay

Wikipedia: Paraguay

The World Factbook -- Paraguay
 
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Other Countries of South America:
Argentina | Bolivia | Brazil | Chile | Colombia | Ecuador | French Guiana
Guyana | Peru | Suriname | Uruguay | Venezuela

Countries of Middle and Central America:
Belize | Costa Rica | El Salvador | Guatemala | Honduras | Mexico | Nicaragua | Panama
 
 
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