Paraguay facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Republic of Paraguay República del Paraguay  (Spanish) Tavakuairetã Paraguái  (Guarani)
Flag  Seal
Motto: "Paz y justicia" (Spanish) "Peace and justice"
Anthem:  Himno Nacional Paraguayo  (Spanish)
Location of  Paraguay  (dark green) in South America  (grey)
Capital and largest city	Asunción 25°16′S 57°40′W / 25.267°S 57.667°W / -25.267; -57.667
Official languages	Spanish Guarani
Religion (2018)	96.1% Christianity —88.3% Roman Catholic —7.8% Other Christian 2.6% No religion 0.4% Other 0.8% Unknown
Demonym(s)	Paraguayan
Government	Unitary dominant-party presidential republic
• President	Mario Abdo Benítez
• Vice President	Hugo Velázquez
Legislature	Congress
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	Chamber of Deputies
Independence from Spain
• Declared	14 May 1811
• Recognized	25 November 1842
• Current constitution	20 June 1992
Area
• Total	406,796 km2 (157,065 sq mi) (59th)
• Water (%)	2.6
Population
• 2023 estimate	7,439,863 (104th)
• Density	18/km2 (46.6/sq mi) (210th)
GDP (PPP)	2022 estimate
• Total	$108.4 billion (94th)
• Per capita	$14,528 (98th)
GDP (nominal)	2022 estimate
• Total	$41.88 billion (98th)
• Per capita	$5,615 (104th)
Gini (2020)	43.5 medium
HDI (2021)	0.717 high · 105th
Currency	Guaraní (PYG)
Time zone	UTC–4 (PYT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC–3 (PYST)
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+595
ISO 3166 code	PY
Internet TLD	.py
Mixed European and Amerindian.

Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay (Spanish: República del Paraguay; Guarani: Tavakuairetã Paraguái), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. It has a population of around 7.4 million, nearly 3 million of whom live in the capital and largest city of Asunción, and its surrounding metro area.

Although one of only two landlocked countries in South America (Bolivia is the other), Paraguay has ports on the Paraguay and Paraná rivers that give exit to the Atlantic Ocean, through the Paraná-Paraguay Waterway.

Spanish conquistadores arrived in 1524, and in 1537 established the city of Asunción, the first capital of the Governorate of the Río de la Plata. During the 17th century, Paraguay was the center of Jesuit missions, where the native Guaraní people were converted to Christianity and introduced to European culture. After the expulsion of the Jesuits from Spanish territories in 1767, Paraguay increasingly became a peripheral colony, with few urban centers and settlers.

Following independence from Spain in the early 19th century, Paraguay was ruled by a series of authoritarian governments characterized by nationalist, isolationist and protectionist policies. This period ended with the disastrous Paraguayan War (1864–1870), during which the country lost half its prewar population and around 25–33% of its territory to the Triple Alliance of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. In the 20th century, Paraguay faced another major international conflict—the Chaco War (1932–1935) against Bolivia – in which Paraguay prevailed. Afterwards, the country came under a succession of military dictators, culminating in the 35 year regime of Alfredo Stroessner, which lasted until his overthrow in 1989 by an internal military coup. This marked the beginning of Paraguay's democratic era, which continues to the present.

Paraguay is a developing country, ranking 105th in the Human Development Index. It is a founding member of Mercosur, the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Lima Group. Additionally, the city of Luque, in metropolitan Asuncion, is the seat of the South American Football Confederation.

The majority of Paraguay's 7 million people are mestizo, and Guarani culture remains widely influential; more than 90% of the population speak various dialects of the Guarani language alongside Spanish. Paraguay's GDP per capita PPP is the seventh in south america. In a 2017 Positive Experience Index based on global polling data, Paraguay ranked as the "world's happiest place".

Etymology

The name Paraguay stems from Guarani paraguá "feather crown" and y "water" thus paraguaí "feather crown of waters".

Geography and climate

Geography

Paraguay map of Köppen climate classification

Landscape in the Gran Chaco, Paraguay

Paraguay is divided by the Río Paraguay into two well differentiated geographic regions. The eastern region (Región Oriental); and the western region, officially called Western Paraguay (Región Occidental) and also known as the Chaco, which is part of the Gran Chaco. The country lies between latitudes 19° and 28°S, and longitudes 54° and 63°W. The terrain consists mostly of grassy plains and wooded hills in the eastern region. To the west are mostly low, marshy plains.

Climate

The overall climate is tropical to subtropical. Like most lands in the region, Paraguay has only wet and dry periods. Winds play a major role in influencing Paraguay's weather: between October and March, warm winds blow from the Amazon Basin in the North, while the period between May and August brings cold winds from the Andes.

The absence of mountain ranges to provide a natural barrier allows winds to develop speeds as high as 161 km/h (100 mph). This also leads to significant changes in temperature within a short span of time; between April and September, temperatures will sometimes drop below freezing. January is the hottest summer month, with an average daily temperature of 28.9 degrees Celsius (84 degrees F).

Rainfall varies dramatically across the country, with substantial rainfall in the eastern portions, and semi-arid conditions in the far west. The far eastern forest belt receives an average of 170 centimeters (67 inches) of rain annually, while the western Chaco region typically averages no more than 50 cm (20 in) a year. The rains in the west tend to be irregular and evaporate quickly, contributing to the aridity of the area.

Fauna

Wildlife in Paraguay include marsh deer, monkeys, armadillos, anteaters, otters, wild boars, tapirs, jaguars, ocelots, bats, and the coypu.

Government and politics

Paraguay is a representative democratic republic, with a multi-party system and separation of powers across three branches. Executive power is exercised solely by the President, who is head of state and head of government. Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of the National Congress. The judiciary is vested on tribunals and Courts of Civil Law and a nine-member Supreme Court of Justice, all of them independent of the executive and the legislature.

Administrative subdivisions

Paraguay has 17 departments and one capital district (Distrito Capital). The departments are formed by districts.

The departments are grouped in two geographic regions, separated by the Paraguay river:

• Occidental (Western) region or Chaco, to the north of the Paraguay river (departments: Alto Paraguay, Boquerón and Presidente Hayes)
• Oriental (Eastern) region, to the south of the Paraguay river (departments: Alto Paraná, Amambay, Caaguazú, Caazapá, Canindeyú, Central, Concepción, Cordillera, Guairá, Itapúa, Misiones, Paraguarí, San Pedro and Ñeembucú; the capital district is part of this region)

Alto Paraguay

Boquerón

Presidente Hayes

Amambay

Concepción

San Pedro

Distrito Capital

Guairá

Caazapá

Alto Paraná

Caaguazú

Canindeyú

Itapúa

Paraguarí

Misiones

Ñeembucú

Cordillera

Central

Brazil

Bolivia

Argentina

Economy

100% of Paraguay's electricity is produced using hydroelectricity, making it one of the cleanest in the world.

Graphical depiction of Paraguay's product exports in 28 color-coded categories, 2012

Paraguay is the sixth-largest soybean producer in the world, second-largest producer of stevia, second-largest producer of tung oil, sixth-largest exporter of corn, tenth-largest exporter of wheat and 8th largest exporter of beef.

The country also boasts the third most important free commercial zone in the world: Ciudad del Este, trailing behind Miami and Hong Kong. A large percentage of the population, especially in rural areas, derives its living from agricultural activity, often on a subsistence basis.

Industry and manufacturing

BBVA Paraguay

The mineral industry of Paraguay produces about 25% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and employs about 31% of the labor force. Production of cement, iron ore, and steel occurs commonly throughout Paraguay's industrial sector.

In the pharmaceutical industry, Paraguayan companies now meet 70% of domestic consumption and have begun to export drugs. Paraguay is quickly supplanting foreign suppliers in meeting the country's drug needs. Strong growth also is evident in the production of edible oils, garments, organic sugar, meat processing, and steel.

Culture

Paraguay's cultural heritage can be traced to the extensive intermarriage between the original male Spanish settlers and indigenous Guaraní women. Their culture is highly influenced by various European countries, including Spain. Therefore, Paraguayan culture is a fusion of two cultures and traditions; one European, the other, Southern Guaraní. More than 93% of Paraguayans are mestizos, making Paraguay one of the most homogeneous countries in Latin America. A characteristic of this cultural fusion is the extensive bilingualism present to this day: more than 80% of Paraguayans speak both Spanish and the indigenous language, Guaraní. Jopara, a mixture of Guaraní and Spanish, is also widely spoken.

Ovecha Ragué Festival

This cultural fusion is expressed in arts such as embroidery (ao po'í) and lace making (ñandutí). The music of Paraguay, which consists of lilting polkas, bouncy galopas, and languid guaranias is played on the native harp. Paraguay's culinary heritage is also deeply influenced by this cultural fusion. Several popular dishes contain manioc, a local staple crop similar to the yuca also known as Cassava root found in the Southwestern United States and Mexico, as well as other indigenous ingredients. A popular dish is sopa paraguaya, similar to a thick corn bread. Another notable food is chipa, a bagel-like bread made from cornmeal, manioc, and cheese. Many other dishes consist of different kinds of cheeses, onions, bell peppers, cottage cheese, cornmeal, milk, seasonings, butter, eggs and fresh corn kernels.

The 1950s and 1960s were the time of the flowering of a new generation of Paraguayan novelists and poets such as José Ricardo Mazó, Roque Vallejos, and Nobel Prize nominee Augusto Roa Bastos. Several Paraguayan films have been made.

Images for kids

• 

  José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, Paraguay's first dictator.

• 

  Political map of the region, 1864

• 

  Francisco Solano López

• 

  The Battle of Tuyutí, May 1866

• 

  Gran Chaco was the site of the Chaco War (1932–35), in which Bolivia lost most of the disputed territory to Paraguay

• 

  Paraguayan recruits during the Chaco war

• 

  Inauguration of former President Horacio Cartes, 15 August 2013

• 

  Nacunday National Park, Southern Paraguay.

• 

  Change in per capita GDP of Paraguay. Figures are inflation-adjusted to 2011 International dollars.

• 

  As one of the most important resort towns in Paraguay, San Bernardino, which was founded by German settlers in the 19th century, has one of the highest purchasing power parities in the country.

• 

  National roads of Paraguay.

• 

  Paraguay population density (people per km2)

• 

  A gathering in Caacupé

• 

  Main Catholic Chapel in Concepción, Paraguay

See also

In Spanish: Paraguay para niños