Paraguay Destinations Travel Guide
Language: Spanish, Guaraní
Currency: Guaraní (PYG)
Calling Code: 595
Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay (Guarani: Paraguái
Tavakuairetã), is an American landlocked country located in the
central area of South America departments. Its capital and most
populous city is Asunción.The form of government of Paraguay is the
republic ruled by the presidential system and is also organized as a
rule of law,It is a founding member of Mercosur along with
Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.
With an area of 406,752 km2,
it is the 5.0 least extensive country in South America. According to
the 2022 Paraguayan Census, it has more than 6,100,000 inhabitants,
of which 40% of the population lives in Gran Asunción. It is
bordered by Argentina to the southeast, south, southwest and west;
with Bolivia to the north and northwest; and with Brazil to the east
and northeast. Its territory is characterized by two different
regions separated by the Paraguay River, the Eastern, which is the
most populous, and the Western, which forms part of the Boreal
Chaco. Although it is a landlocked state, it has coasts, beaches and
ports on the Paraná and Paraguay rivers, which give it outlet to the
Atlantic Ocean through the Paraná-Paraguay Waterway.
The
Paraguayan Constitution declares it a pluricultural and bilingual
country, establishing Spanish and Guarani as official languages.
Paraguay has a literacy rate of 96% , and a life expectancy of 78,1
years according to the CIA World Factbook. It ranks 105th globally
in the human development index, with 0.717 points in 2021, being its
high HDI. For its part, the structure of the Paraguayan economy
consists of 11.4% in the agricultural sector, 33.5% in the
industrial sector, 47.5% in the services sector and 7.6% in tariffs.
Human presence dates back to the Neolithic, which dates back to
about 3200 BC.During the pre-Hispanic period it was inhabited by
indigenous peoples of the Tupí-Guarani and Mataco-Guaicurú groups.
The arrival of the Spaniards marked the beginning of the Spanish
domination of this territory, until the nineteenth century, when on
the morning of May 14 and 15, 1811 Paraguay gained its independence.
The history of the incipient nation was marked by an economy that
boomed in its early days, until the advent of two major
international wars that ravaged the country. Successive political
struggles for power, along with two civil wars, culminated in an
iron dictatorship that was finally overthrown and from there, the
democratic period was established that continues to this day.
Paraguay is mostly divided into two regions:
the
Oriente, east of the Río Paraguay, a hilly, fertile landscape where more
than 90 percent of all Paraguayans live.
the Paraguayan Chaco, west
of the Río Paraguay, a sparsely populated plain that is very hot in
summer.
Asuncion - Capital
Ciudad del Este - The most
famous shopping city in South America with the character of a bazaar,
near the Itaipu Dam.
Encarnación on the Río Paraná with an old town
that is worth seeing and is half sunken in the river.
Filadelfia, the
capital of the Mennonite colonies of the Chaco Plains.
Cerro Cora National Park is located in Amambay Department and contains a series of rock painting in several caves inside the park. Battle of Cerro Cora was fought within boundaries of the park.
Nacunday National Park in Paraguay is famous for its beautiful and majestic waterfall.
entry requirements
All EU and EFTA citizens can enter the country
without a visa for 90 days.
By plane
Air Europa currently
offers the only non-stop connection from Europe to Paraguay from Madrid.
Transfer flights usually go via Sao Paolo, including with TAM Airlines.
By train
There are no international rail connections to Paraguay.
By bus
From the neighboring countries Argentina and Brazil, the
bus is a popular means of transport. Asunción is approached by almost
all major cities in southern Brazil and Argentina. The bus connection to
Bolivia via the Chaco, on the other hand, is less recommended, since the
road is very bad and still often sinks into the mud in the humid summer.
Largest bus companies are NSA and La Encarnacena.
In the
street
The international driving license is recognized for 90 days.
Travelers traveling by land must ensure their passport is entry
stamped by Paraguayan immigration authorities at border crossings. This
is where personal initiative is required, since vehicles are often not
stopped at the larger crossings. If the stamp is missing, a fine is due
upon departure.
Brazil
The most important border crossings
are:
Puente Internacional de la Amistad (Ciudad del Este and Foz de
Iguazú)
Pedro Juan Caballero and Ponta Pora
Salto del Guaira and
Mundo Novo
A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for
certain regions when traveling to Brazil.
Argentina
It takes
45 minutes to drive from Asunción over the bridge to Puerto Falcón, on
the Argentine side is Clorinda.
Encarnacion and Posadas (ARG)
Bolivia
One gets to Bolivia on the Ruta Transchaco (9) near General
Eugenio A. Garay across the border.
By boat
A daytime ferry
across the river connects Asunción to Clorinda in Argentina via Chacoí,
then Puerto Falcón.
In the south of Asunción is Puerto Ita
Enramada, here the exit control is not signposted. There are water taxis
and car ferries to the Puerto Pilcomayo dock. On the way to the village
is a checkpoint of the Argentine border guards.
By plane
Domestic flights are available in Paraguay with the
military airline SETAM. These offer partly irregular and very
weather-prone flights to many smaller airports in Paraguay. The airline
TAM also makes a stopover in Ciudad del Este on two daily flights to and
from Asunción. Since small turboprop aircraft are used, luggage is
limited to 10 kg + 2 kg hand luggage, the passengers in the 24-seat CASA
C-212 are weighed.
There is also the possibility to rent an air
taxi:
Airmen S.A., Hangars DECSA, Aeropuerto Internacional Silvio
Pettirossi, Luque. Tel: (021) 645 990, Mobile: (0991) 203 971, (0981)
415 473, Fax: (021) 645 980, Email: airmensa@tigo.com.py.
Helitactica, headquarters: Shopping Villa Morra, 3er piso, San Roque
González e/ Mcal. Lopez, Asuncion. Tel: (021) 661 921, Mobile: (0971)
911 000, Fax: (021) 661 921, Email: comercial@helitactica.com.py.
By bus
The main means of transport in Paraguay is the bus. In the
larger cities there are city buses, so-called colectivos, whose route
network also includes suburbs or small towns that are further away.
Longer distances and trips to neighboring countries are served by
intercity buses, which are not only the cheapest but also by far the
most comfortable means of transport. There are different price ranges,
in the best ones the seats can be folded almost horizontally into a bed,
the legroom is far more than in European coaches. However, long-distance
buses in Paraguay are significantly worse and sometimes more expensive
than in neighboring countries such as Bolivia or Argentina.
In
the street
Driving in Paraguay takes some getting used to. Only the
country's main routes, which are subject to tolls (between 5,000 and
10,000 Gs each way), are asphalted and in reasonably good condition. In
smaller villages there are often only dirt roads, which are sometimes no
longer passable even for off-road vehicles after the usual rainfall in
the country. The general right-of-way rules are set according to the
road conditions: asphalt road before cobblestone road and cobblestone
road before dirt road.
Since street signs are not given much
attention by the Paraguayos, so-called "speed bumps" (Lomadas) are often
used to calm traffic in the cities, although these are not always
signposted. These speed bumps can either surveys or such. For example,
in Encarnación there may also be depressions in the street.
The
following rules should be observed, as non-compliance with them is
usually considered with a fine (multa):
When driving overland, it
should be noted that the dipped headlights must also be switched on
during the day!
Even if nobody seems to stick to it, seatbelts are
compulsory!
Speed limits should definitely be observed, as police
checks are frequent, especially in rural areas.
In the event of a
police check, the car documents (from the rental company), international
driver's license and passport must normally be presented.
First aid
equipment is not mandatory, but a working fire extinguisher and two (!)
warning triangles must be carried. It is best to have the car rental
company show you these before you leave.
There are a few other
peculiarities in Paraguayan traffic that could irritate Europeans who
are used to the rules:
In the big cities, each street has as many
lanes as cars can fit next to each other, markings are irrelevant.
"Threading" is not done according to the zip system, but the following
applies: whoever is further ahead gets to ride first.
The horn and
flashing headlights signal: "Here I come!" not "You may drive". These
are sometimes also used when the traffic lights have already switched to
red. That's why it's common to wait for the first few seconds of your
own green phase to see if someone on the other lane is "shot" at you.
From time to time traffic lights are only on the opposite side of the
street, here you have to be careful not to overlook them.
A gas
station attendant does the filling up, the driver stays in the car and
simply says how much he wants to fill up - full, a liter or for a
certain amount.
Although traffic in Paraguay is generally right-hand,
it is common to drive on the left on dual carriageways. Especially
drivers in old, slow vehicles seem to have a fondness for it; in such a
case, you can overtake on the right.
Liability insurance is not
required by law. In case of doubt, you are left with the costs of an
accident that is not your fault.
The minimum age to rent a car is
21 years; an international driver's license must be presented. Addresses
of car rental companies are listed in the city articles. If you want to
drive to the Iguazu Falls in a rental car, you should inquire with the
rental company beforehand whether you can drive it in Argentina.
The official languages are Spanish and Guarani. If you would like to
learn more about Guaraní, you can download a free language course in PDF
format here.
The Mennonite colonies in the northwest are
German-speaking, but in daily life a dialect similar to Low German is
spoken that is difficult for southern Germans, Austrians and Swiss to
understand. However, since High German is taught in the schools, as a
tourist you normally have no communication problems.
In some
areas, Italian and Japanese are also spoken.
The official currency in Paraguay is the Guaraní (character: ₲), but
in most shops in larger cities the dollar is also accepted as a means of
payment - for a percentage surcharge on the purchase price. It should be
noted that $100 bills with certain 2003 serial numbers will not be
accepted in stores, banks, or bureaux de change. Euros can easily be
exchanged. Some ATMs in Asunción offer the choice between Guaraníes and
Dollars when withdrawing, debit and credit cards can be used.
In
Nov 2021 there was ₲6800 for one US dollar and ₲7900 for one euro.
Outside of the larger cities, it is difficult to find ATMs or pay
with dollars or credit cards. The maximum limit for cash withdrawals is
usually ₲1.5-3 million per day.
Current exchange rates can be
found on the website of the Paraguayan Central Bank.
Popular
Paraguayan souvenirs include:
Ñandutí: finely woven cotton
tablecloths and towels with traditional patterns
Teréré mug: made of
cow horn, silver or rosewood with the corresponding drinking tube
Ao-Poí: embroidered blouses, shirts or dresses made of cotton
Leather
goods: e.g. B. bags, jackets, belts...
pottery
wooden carved
figures, icons or objects of daily use
The main food in Paraguay is beef - usually grilled or fried.
Sausages, poultry and the river fish surubí and dorado are also popular.
Mandioca is often served as a side dish. This root tastes similar to
potato and is prepared in the same way.
Common snacks include
chipa, a pastry made from cornmeal, eggs, and cheese, which tastes best
warm and fresh, and empanadas - dumplings filled with meat, fish,
cheese, corn, and the like.
Because of its favorable location,
bananas, pineapples, papayas and other tropical fruits grow in Paraguay.
These are offered cheaply on markets and in supermarkets and are a real
taste experience.
Yerba mate
Paraguay is the home of yerba
mate. The dried or ground leaves of the tree species Ilex Paraguayensis
are used for this. They are infused with hot water (mate) in winter and
with ice-cold water (teréré) in summer. You can buy special thermos
flasks and suitably shaped ice cream everywhere.
The word mate
has its origin in the Quechua language and originally referred to the
container made from a dry gourd (calabash). The origin of this drink
lies in the Guarani culture in the pre-Hispanic period. But it was not
until the 18th century, when the habit of drinking tea became
fashionable in Europe, that the habit of drinking mate became
established in South America and especially in Uruguay. The brown-green
bitter drink quickly became the companion of farm workers. Over the
years, mate has carved its place in the city, and today mate drinking is
common throughout Uruguay, as well as Argentina, Paraguay, and southern
Brazil. The meaning of mate depends on the place, the moment or with
whom you drink mate. It can be just a drink, or it can be the companion
of idle hours, groups of friends, family, colleagues. Or it is a symbol
of welcome for the visitor at the door of the house.
Mate is
generally drunk together and always uses the same container and
bombilla, passed from one person to another. This fact makes it
significantly different from the way other beverages like tea or coffee
are drunk. The bombilla is a drinking tube, generally made of metal,
which dates back to the 18th century in this form. At its ends are the
filter and the mouthpiece.
Preparation: Fill the vessel about 2/3
full with hot, non-boiling water, let it steep until the mate leaves are
swollen, then fill the vessel. The first infusion can be quite bitter,
the tea can be infused 2-4 times.
Paraguay has strict curfew laws. It's usually over after 1 or 2 a.m. Nevertheless, there are numerous nightclubs in the cities.
Especially in Asunción there is accommodation in every category and
for every budget.
In Paraguay as well as in many other countries,
e.g. B. Brazil, there are no stars for hotels, but categories. These are
officially awarded by the Ministry of Tourism. Many hotels give stars so
as not to confuse the international tourist. So-called
non-representative hotel ratings on the Internet should not be trusted.
Such sites are often put online for personal reasons, in order to harm
others!
Aparthotels with small, fully equipped kitchens are
particularly popular with long-term renters.
Inland,
accommodation is inexpensive and often very basic.
On the
weekends more and more people go to small farms where you can ride and
swim, sometimes carriage rides are offered.
Paraguay has one of the most liberal immigration laws in the world.
You have to prove an amount of money of currently around 5000 euros in a
bank account in Paraguay, then you can go to the immigration authorities
-
Dirección General de Migraciones, Caballero e/ Eligio Ayala, 3er
Piso, Asunción. Tel: (021) 446 066, (021) 492 908, (021) 446 673, email:
contacto@migraciones.gov.py. edit info
- apply for a residence/work
permit. However, that does not mean that you will get a job.
Compared to other Latin American countries, Paraguay is relatively
safe for tourists. If you stick to the usual rules and don't carry
jewelry, cameras and money too obviously with you, you usually have
nothing to fear. Pickpocketing does occur, this is often committed by
the poorer part of the population and serves primarily to "cover
expenses," i. H. Violence is relatively rare.
There are armed
robberies on public transport from time to time. Here you should not
defend yourself and hand over your mobile phone and money, as the
perpetrators can be quite aggressive.
If you want to report a
theft or robbery to the police, dial the emergency number 911 or go to a
police station. A log is then created here, which can be helpful if e.g.
B. the passport fell victim to theft.
Despite allegations of
corruption, the Paraguayan police are not as bad as their reputation,
especially when it comes to recovering stolen goods, and they have been
able to record greater success time and again.
Since the state health system primarily ensures basic care for the
population, foreigners will go to a private hospital in an emergency.
Here, as is usually the case abroad, the treatment must be paid for
immediately, i. H. A foreign health insurance makes sense in any case.
If you need special medication, you should bring a sufficient supply
with you, as supply cannot be guaranteed in the interior of the country.
Most of the medicines offered in Paraguay are imported from neighboring
countries, rarely from North America or even Europe. Therefore, the mode
of action can be different from what you are used to, despite the same
ingredients.
vaccinations
In the summer of 2007, cases of
yellow fever became known in Paraguay for the first time in several
decades.
The standard vaccinations for polio, diphtheria and
tetanus should be refreshed before departure if necessary. Hepatitis A/B
and typhoid vaccinations are also recommended.
Insect repellent
Every year there are numerous cases of dengue fever, which is
transmitted by the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. So far there is
neither a vaccination nor a specific treatment option, so insect
repellent should also be used during the day.
There is no
increased risk of malaria in large parts of Paraguay. If you want to
travel north to the Chaco and the jungle on the Brazilian border, you
should take a prophylactic with you.
heat and sun
Especially
in summer, temperatures in the southern part of the country can rise to
45 °C and in the northern Chaco to over 50 °C. Sunscreen and hats
protect against sunburn, great exertion should be avoided in order not
to overload the body, and it is essential to regularly compensate for
lost fluids with water or tea. Those who have a "siesta" around midday
can avoid the greatest heat.
post
To Europe: The best way to post mail is in Asunción at the
Correo Central or at the airport. A letter or postcard to Germany costs
about 16,000 Gs.
To Paraguay: In Paraguay, there is no postal service
like in Europe. Important mail should always be sent by registered mail.
Thicker letters tend to get "lost" especially at Christmas time. If you
want to send valuables to Paraguay, forwarding agencies such as DHL or
UPS are ideal. In addition to the address, consignments should always be
clearly labeled with the recipient's telephone number, otherwise they
may be considered undeliverable.
phone
Land line: You can make
phone calls to Europe from any hotel, but this is expensive. Normally
you go to one of the many offices of the telephone company COPACO. You
can choose domestic calls from there, international calls are often
arranged. The country code from Paraguay to Germany is +49, to Austria
+43 and to Switzerland +41. There are also many shops marked "Cabinas"
or "Fax" where you can make phone calls and send faxes.
Cellular:
Handy is called Celular here, the largest cellphone providers are Tigo
and Personal, with a combined 85% market share. Vox and Claro share the
rest. The network coverage is generally relatively good, and LTE is even
offered in larger cities (especially Asunción). There is also a mobile
phone payment system, Tigo Money, which costs the user 4% of the amount
transferred.
For telephoning with a European card/number using
the roaming method, correspondingly high fees are incurred. For longer
stays, it makes sense in any case to get a suitable SIM card from one of
the providers mentioned above. With these, however, it is not possible
to make calls abroad as standard, but incoming calls are possible.
Paraguay is planning to join Mercosur roaming, which started in mid-2021
at no extra cost. When buying a SIM, the passport must be presented, and
since 2018 a fingerprint has been taken on the form from the regulatory
authority.
Internet
Internet cafes are becoming increasingly
popular. You can now find them in almost all shopping centers and on the
big streets. The fees are about one euro per hour. Most hotels,
especially urban ones, now offer WiFi (free/paid) or provide computers
with internet access.
The original name comes from the Paraguayan Guaraní toponym,
considering that the letter "Y" in Guaraní represents the sound [ɨ] (a
central closed non-rounded type guttural vowel) in the International
Phonetic Alphabet and, therefore, does not have the same pronunciation
in Spanish. No definitive conclusion has been reached about the origin
of the name Paraguay. The most common interpretations throughout
national history suggest
River that creates a sea.
Water of the
payaguaes (payaguá-y, payaguá-i): The Spanish soldier and scientist
Félix de Azara stated these two versions, the first referred to the
native payaguaes who lived on the banks of the river; and the other
refers to the fact that it was due to the name of a great chief called
'Paraguaio'.
River that passes through the sea (Great Pantanal):
Version by the Franco-Argentine historian and writer Paul Groussac.
River of the sea dwellers: The former Paraguayan president and
politician Juan Natalicio González supported this version.
Coronado
River: Interpretation by Brother Antonio Ruiz de Montoya.
In
Guaraní, the place name Paraguay refers to the area where the city of
Asunción is located, while Paraguái is the name of the national
territory.
The territory of Eastern Paraguay, made up of the area located
between the Paraná River to the southeast and the Paraguay River to the
northwest, was inhabited by various Indo-American ethnic groups that
were in a state of war among themselves. It is not yet known if the
lagids were the first to occupy the territory or if they were preceded
by the pampids (agaces, payaguás, etc.).
What is documented is
that towards the 15th century the Amazonian Avas commonly known as
Guaraníes managed to advance from the north and east thanks to their
numerical superiority and the possession of a more developed material
culture, since they practiced the horticulture of manioc, corn and
peanuts. The practice of slash-and-burn agriculture allowed them
surpluses to support a population in continuous demographic increase
that required new territories.
Thanks to their basic economic
organization and their demography, the Guaraní came to organize
themselves quasi-stately, with chiefs called mburuvichás or tuvichás.
There is talk of a pre-Columbian civilization in what is now Eastern
Paraguay. In fact, graphics have been found in various areas of
Paraguay, in what are now cities, such as Tacuatí and Paraguarí among
others; although it is not possible to specify exactly the ethnic groups
that carried them out.
What is now Eastern Paraguay consisted of
numerous semi-nomadic Amerindian tribes speaking mainly of the Avañe'e
or Guaraní language, who were renowned for their fierce warrior
traditions. They practiced a mythical polytheistic religion, which later
mixed with Christianity. At first, the Spaniards and other Europeans
were called karaý or caraí, a word that formerly in Guaraní referred to
someone who was supposed to be endowed with supernatural powers; Later
the word Karai-Guasu was resignified as a synonym for great lord.
The documented history of Paraguay began indirectly in 1516 with the
failed expedition of Juan Díaz de Solís to the Río de la Plata. After
Solís' death, the expedition sailed back to Spain, but one of the ships
was wrecked near the coast Brazilian. Among the survivors was Alejo
García, a Portuguese adventurer naturalized Spanish who led a contingent
of 2,000 Guaraní warriors that reached the borders of the Inca Empire
before 1533. García's entourage managed to obtain a considerable amount
of silver, but eventually his Indigenous allies murdered him along with
the other Europeans. However, news of the incursion into Inca territory
attracted other explorers such as Sebastián Caboto, who arrived at the
Paraguay River two years later.
In 1536, the arrival of Pedro de
Mendoza, the first advance of the Río de la Plata, took place, who after
fulfilling his objectives set in the capitulation signed with the crown
in 1534, was forced to return to Spain due to the illness that affected
him. afflicted Before leaving, he had let Juan de Ayolas leave with the
order to find a way to Upper Peru. Due to Ayolas' delay, Juan de Salazar
set sail on his search, which would be fruitless, and in 1537 he founded
Asunción.
After an interregnum, Domingo Martínez de Irala
prevails and takes the place left by Mendoza. He arrives in Asunción and
almost immediately must face an attempted Carian uprising in 1539, which
is discovered and defeated. In 1541 the remainder of the population of
Buenos Aires arrived in Asunción and it acquired the rank of city.
However, a huge fire almost destroyed the entire city in 1543.
The Spanish monarchy appointed Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca governor of
Paraguay (1542), but his power was usurped by Domingo Martínez de Irala,
who imprisoned him and deported him to Spain in 1545. Shortly before
Irala's death in 1556, he implements the indigenous encomienda system.
Between 1550 and 1590, Asunción was the center of Spanish
colonization in the Río de la Plata, with several founding expeditions
starting from this city, such as Villa de Ontiveros (1554), Ciudad Real
(1557), Nueva Asunción (1559), Santa Cruz de la Sierra (1561), Villa
Rica (1570), Santa Fe (1573), the refoundation of Buenos Aires (1580),
Concepción de Buena Esperanza (1585), Corrientes (1588) and Santiago de
Jerez (1593).
Hernando Arias de Saavedra was elected interim
governor in 1592, being the first Creole to reach such a high position.
In 1598, the viceroy of Peru appointed him titular governor. His
internal policy was aimed at the defense of the indigenous people in a
situation of encomienda and the exploration of the territory.
In 1607, Hernandarias wanted to remedy the situation of isolation,
distance and threat in which the cities of Guayrá, Santiago de Jerez,
Villa Rica and Ciudad Real found themselves, which were isolated from
commercial currents and cut off, for which he requested the king's
permission. division of said provinces with a governor for each of them.
The king requested a report from the viceroy of Peru, Marquis of
Montesclaros, who deemed it appropriate to create a new governorate by
adding the three cities of Guayrá to that of Asunción, each governorate
would have four cities.
The division was carried out in 1617,
thus resulting in the Governorate of the Río de la Plata, with Buenos
Aires as the capital, as well as Santa Fe, Concepción de Buena Esperanza
and Corrientes; while the Government of Paraguay would have Asunción as
its capital, plus the cities of Villa Rica, Santiago de Jerez and Ciudad
Real.
In 1628, bandeirantes incursions occurred in the area of
the new governorate, affecting several reductions and towns in Guayrá
and Itatín, whose areas were gradually depopulated since 1632. However,
the bandeirantes suffered a setback at the hands of the Guaraníes of the
Jesuit missions in the battle of Mbororé (1641). Even so, the
bandeirantes continued with several episodes of attacks, the destruction
of Villa Rica in 1676 being of greatest resonance.
The end of
this century and the next are characterized by the constant struggles
that the governors waged against the Guaicurúes of Chaco and the
Portuguese of Brazil.
The first half of this century would be marked by the so-called
communal revolution. Previously, this conflict already appeared between
1644 and 1650, when the residents of Asunción under the command of
Bishop Bernardino de Cárdenas confronted the Jesuits, which led to the
expulsion of the former by an army of Indians from the Missions.
Subsequently, the second communal revolution emerged in 1717 when the
residents of Asunción raised complaints of abuse of authority by
Governor Diego de los Reyes Balmaceda. For this purpose, the
investigating judge José de Antequera y Castro is sent, who finds the
accusations true and overthrows Balmaceda, taking over the government of
the province in 1721. The fight spreads between the Asuncion and the
Jesuits, until the viceroy of Peru , a sympathizer of the latter,
ordered Bruno Mauricio de Zabala to march to Asunción with a large army
of Indians, managing to occupy it in 1725. Antequera fled to Lima, where
he was arrested and sentenced to death in 1731. Spirits were not
pacified in Paraguay but until 1735, when Zabala marched again towards
Asunción, managing to defeat the community members in the battle of
Tavapy and imposing harsh sanctions on the province.
The
Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, created in 1776 with its capital in
Buenos Aires, integrated Paraguay into its jurisdiction, separating it
from the Viceroyalty of Peru. Thus, in 1782, Asunción was, in the
Municipality of Paraguay, the only population with the category of city.
The area south of the Tebicuary River and east of the Caaguazú mountain
range, for its part, corresponded to the Governorate of the Guaraní
Missions, constituted with the remains of the Jesuit Missions under
Spanish control.
In 1806 and 1807, the English Invasions
occurred, occupying the areas of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata
corresponding to the Eastern Band and a large part of Buenos Aires;
Troops from Asunción and Córdoba marched towards the capital and
successfully dislodged the invaders.
In 1810, the Spanish War of Independence allowed the Argentines to
establish the First Junta with the objective of forming a Congress of
all the provinces of the Viceroyalty of the Río de La Plata. The
Municipality of Paraguay refused to subordinate itself to the Junta,
later managing to defeat the army sent to make it independent. Months
later, the winning troops began the May Revolution of 1811. On June 17,
a Paraguayan congress appointed a government board chaired by Fulgencio
Yegros, and on October 12, a Treaty of Friendship, Assistance and
Assistance was signed with Buenos Aires. Trade.
The Second
National Congress met on September 30, 1813. There, a new form of
government was elected, the Consulate led by Yegros and José Gaspar
Rodríguez of Francia; and the name Republic was adopted. Shortly after,
Yegros left the government. Then, the Congress meeting on October 3,
1814 resolved to grant the title of temporary dictator of the Republic
of Paraguay to José Gaspar Rodríguez of Francia.
The Fourth
National Congress, meeting in May 1816, declared José Gaspar Rodríguez
de Francia perpetual dictator, a position he held until his death in
1840. His intensely personal regime and policy of self-sufficiency left
the country isolated and without alternatives in the institutions.
policies. In addition, it prohibited river traffic to Argentina, as
well as all foreign trade, and few people could enter or leave the
territory.
He introduced modern methods of agriculture and
livestock, and organized the army. Most of the large properties on which
food was grown and supplied to the population free of charge were
confiscated. He abolished the Inquisition, suppressed the faculty of
theology, tithes, and deprived the nobility of their privileges.
The French regime laid the foundations for a strong and directing State
to undertake the economic modernization of the country. Paraguay thus
established rigorous protectionism at a time when most other countries
were adopting the free trade system promoted by the United Kingdom. This
model, continued after the death of France by his successors Carlos
Antonio López and then Francisco Solano López, made Paraguay one of the
most modern and socially advanced countries in Latin America: the
redistribution of wealth was so extensive that many foreign travelers
reported that in the country there was no begging, hunger or conflicts.
Agrarian reform has made possible an equitable distribution of land.
Asunción was one of the first capitals on the continent to inaugurate a
railway network. The country had a growing industry and a merchant fleet
of ships built in national shipyards, a trade surplus and no debt.
José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia died without leaving any provision
regarding his succession. After a brief period of anarchy, a congress
reestablished a second consulate in 1841, composed in the same way as
the first, by a military man, the commander general of arms Mariano
Roque Alonso and a civilian, Carlos Antonio López (nephew of Rodríguez
de Francia).
In 1842, the General Congress formally declared the
independence of Paraguay from the Argentine Confederation. López was
elected president in 1844 and the country's first constitution was
proclaimed, enshrining a presidential regime. During his government,
Paraguay opened to trade. international. With the help of the army,
which he had considerably strengthened, he tried to have the country's
independence recognized by Brazil and Argentina.
Paraguay had maintained border disputes with Argentina and Brazil for
several years. While with Uruguay, the change of political command in
the government of that country - and in the middle of the civil war -
was the cause of the alliance with these two countries. It is in that
context that the War against the Triple Alliance was unleashed (
1864-1870) which was the deadliest war in the history of Latin America.
President Francisco Solano López was the Paraguayan leader during the
conflict, in which Paraguay fought against the forces of Brazil, Uruguay
and Argentina.
The Paraguayan Army, after an initial attack
towards the end of 1864, had to return to its borders a year later and
face the defense of its territory. After the final Paraguayan defeat in
1870, Brazilian troops occupied the country until 1876. Paraguay lost a
large part of its territory (199,992 km²) and was forced to pay a large
war indemnity. Industry and free public education disappeared, as well
as the so-called “stancias de la patria” (homeland ranches), which
supplied food to the population. The railway and telegraph line were
confiscated as a means of paying the war debt.
Although there has
been controversy over the number of victims Paraguay suffered during the
war, it is estimated that between 60% and 70% of the country's total
population disappeared. The male population was decimated, as it is
estimated that up to 95% of them died in the defense of their homeland.
A good part died in combat, and the rest died from crimes and, above
all, disease, hunger and exhaustion. Of the country's 156,000 to 169,000
inhabitants at the end of the war, only approximately 28,600 were adult
men.
Until 1876, Paraguay—devastated in every sense—was practically a
satellite state of the Brazilian Empire. That same year, the definitive
Peace Treaty on the Triple Alliance War was signed. In addition, a
Treaty of Boundaries, Peace, Trade and Navigation was signed with
Argentina. That country recognized Paraguayan sovereignty over the
territory of the Chaco, from the Río Verde to Bahía Negra.
During
the government of Bernardino Caballero (1880-1886), institutions were
reorganized, railroad lines and the telegraph were extended. He was
succeeded by General Patricio Escobar, who continued his policy. His
opponents founded the first modern party in Paraguay in 1887, the
Liberal Party, which followed the tradition of the opponents of the
López government. That same year, supporters of the government founded
the Colorado Party, which vindicated the nationalist tradition and
Paraguayan action during the Triple Alliance War; This would retain the
government until the beginning of the next century.
In the
following years the Liberal Party led the country; However, it was
divided into factions, which led to constant political instability.
Successive revolutions led by both dissident liberals and Colorados led
to short periods of government, none of which managed to complete the
four years prescribed by the Constitution. The first to do so since
Escobar's presidency was Eduardo Schaerer, between 1912 and 1916; His
period of government was marked by great economic growth, caused by the
commercial advantages brought by the First World War. Then, supporters
of former President Schaerer, allied with the Colorados, led the country
into the Paraguayan civil war of 1922-1923, in which they were defeated.
Only after 1924 did a period of stability begin in which three
consecutive presidents completed their four-year terms.
Until the late 1920s, the Chaco Boreal was a territory inhabited by
sovereign indigenous communities. No country had effective control of
the territory except its borders. Paraguay, for geographical reasons,
was responsible for the western sector of the territory and Bolivia was
responsible for the eastern sector, although it was difficult to specify
specific limits. The problems of determining boundaries between Paraguay
and Bolivia already dated back to the viceregal era. Other causes also
include the alleged oil interests that would exist in the area, and an
access to the sea through the Paraguay River on the part of Bolivia -
which had lost its access to the sea during the Pacific War -, among
others.
After four years of isolated skirmishes between small
Bolivian and Paraguayan squads since 1928, the Paraguayan Army managed
to win the Battle of Boquerón in 1932 – the year in which the war
officially began – but the official declaration of war did not come
until 1933. on the part of Paraguay. After three years of conflict,
Paraguay took extensive territories but its intention to mark the border
from where the Paraguayan army forced the Bolivian army to retreat did
not prosper. The question of limits was established with the treaty of
July 21, 1938. Despite the Paraguayan triumph, the country was
devastated humanly and economically and the loss of its territory of
about 100,000 km², as well as 30,000 deaths among civilians and
military.
After the Chaco War (which ceased hostilities in
1935), until the beginning of Alfredo Stroessner's government (in 1954),
there was a period of great political instability in Paraguay: there
were at least ten presidents (most of them facto') in less than twenty
years, and a Paraguayan civil war that led to the death of around thirty
thousand Paraguayans, and hundreds of thousands of exiles who emigrated
abroad.
In 1946 a coalition government was formed between the
Colorado Party and the Febrerista Revolutionary Party. In January 1947,
the Colorado Party expelled the Febrerista Party from the government,
leading to a new civil war in which a coalition of the Liberal Party ,
the Febrerista Revolutionary Party and the Paraguayan Communist Party
rose up against the government. The Colorado Party achieved victory.
From then on, the full hegemony of this party was consolidated, which
would bring the then Colonel Alfredo Stroessner to power. The prevailing
system during the period 1947-1962 was a single party, in which the
Colorado Party was the only legal one.
General Alfredo Stroessner seized power through a coup in May 1954.
Elected to complete the unexpired term of his predecessor, he was
re-elected president six times, ruling almost continuously under a state
of siege.
Already in power, with the purpose of putting an end to
50 years of what he called anarchy but which was really a controversial
succession of constitutionalist presidents, among them President
Federico Chaves himself, democratically elected by the Colorado Party,
which he destroyed through his dictatorship to turn it into a simple
group of sycophants, Stroessner immediately suppressed constitutional
guarantees, kept the activities of political parties under control and
exercised harsh repression. He governed with the support of the Army and
the Colorado Party. In the latter he carried out a series of purges that
facilitated his control, with the aim of staying in power.
During the nearly thirty-five years of Stroessner's rule, political
freedoms were severely limited, and opponents of the regime were
systematically tortured, harassed, and persecuted under the banner of
national security and anti-communism. Although a 1967 constitution gave
institutional legitimacy to Stroessner's control, Paraguay became
progressively isolated from the world community.
Every four
years, the regime organizes elections, which each time result in the
re-election of the president. The Constitution is modified to allow a
presidency for life. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people are murdered
for political reasons, at least 20,000 people are tortured, 1.8 million
Paraguayans (approximately a third of the population) are exiled for
political or economic reasons.
He received strong support from
the United States, Brazil, then under a military dictatorship, and Chile
after the Pinochet coup. President Richard Nixon went so far as to
declare that Stroessner's regime was a "viable model of democracy for
Latin America." "Guided by the expert hand of General Stroessner,"
declared Gustavo Leigh, one of the members of the Chilean Junta that
supported Pinochet, at the opening of the third congress of the Latin
American anti-communist Confederation in 1977, "Paraguay was one of the
first to America in raising barricades to defend itself from the
communist germ, in an exemplary attitude for the American people. US
officers participate in training their Paraguayan counterparts in
torture techniques. The most famous, the pool, consisted of submerging
the opponents in a bathtub full of excrement, to the limit of their
strength.
The regime is also responsible for the forced and
brutal sedentarization of the Ache indigenous people beginning in 1967,
which was accompanied by murders and during which the indigenous people
were subjected to slavery-like working conditions and children were
stolen. In 2013, the Aché filed a complaint against the Paraguayan State
for crimes against humanity and genocide before the Argentine justice
system.
It completely modified the nature of Paraguayan politics at that
time, by controlling the Colorado Party, delimiting the role of the
opposition, and pleasing the Armed Forces. The government party also
became a network dedicated to the distribution of favors. Corruption
spread in this way in what is remembered as "the trilogy":
Government-party-armed forces. In a nation with enough historical
figures, Stroessner practically became the symbol of Paraguay: cities,
streets, buildings, the currency, the postage stamps, everything had his
name printed on it. When various groups attempted to come to power,
Stroessner ended their ambitions by either controlling or co-opting
their leaders. Between 1954 and 1989, some 8 million hectares (a third
of the country's agricultural land) were distributed among those close
to the government, mainly officials, some of whom amassed considerable
fortunes. The high concentration of wealth and land made Paraguay one of
the most unequal countries in the world during this period. It
subsequently enacted laws to persecute those who opposed its government,
achieving one of the worst records of human rights violations. in Latin
America.
In addition to the financial support received from the
United States, the Paraguayan State, thanks to its geographical
location, makes smuggling one of its main sources of income. From
alcohol to exotic animals, drugs and automobiles, the volume of
smuggling triples the official export figure.
In the 1950s,
great social inequality was experienced, such that more than 6% of the
Paraguayan population was made up of rural peasant laborers, while only
1,500 landowners owned 85% of the arable land. Stroessner received the
country in the middle of a political crisis, due to consecutive years of
political confrontations between different groups and coups d'état. He
in turn inherited a primary agricultural economy, an almost non-existent
industrial sector with a small internal market - at that time Paraguay
had barely one million inhabitants, mostly of rural origin - which
discouraged industrial businesses.
During the 1980s, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay returned to democracy
and the Paraguayan people took advantage of that political climate to
take to the streets to demonstrate. Such demonstrations were led by the
National Accord (PLRA, Febrerista) and the unions, but were violently
repressed, despite being peaceful. Therefore, Stroessner was abandoned
by his former allies, such as the United States, and the economy
worsened. In 1987, the Colorado Party Convention was held. His party was
planning to choose his eldest son, Gustavo Stroessner, as its candidate,
due to rumors that the elderly dictator was suffering from an illness,
but they chose him, initiating an internal crisis in his party, dividing
it into two factions: militants (Stronistas ) and traditionalists. In
the fraudulent elections of 1988 he obtained 88.8% of the votes. That
same year he received Pope John Paul II in Paraguay. Due to the
brutality of his dictatorship, the traditionalist faction of his party,
the military and especially the Catholic Church, began to demonstrate
their discomfort towards the regime, so they discreetly joined the
opposition to prepare the overthrow. of the dictator.
On February
3, 1989, the coup d'état was carried out by General Andrés Rodríguez,
chief of the General Staff, and his own son-in-law, against Alfredo
Stroessner. With him the longest dictatorship in Paraguayan history
ended. After dissolving Parliament, General Rodríguez called elections
for May 1 and announced the legalization of all parties, except the
communist party.
In May 1989 (three months after the coup d'état), Andrés Rodríguez
called elections and was subsequently elected president representing the
Colorado Party, which also held the election for deputies and senators.
As president, Rodríguez instituted political, legal and economic
reforms. On March 26, 1991, the Treaty of Asunción was signed, an
agreement by which Mercosur was created.
Paraguay has never
brought to justice those mainly responsible for torture and murder
during the dictatorship (only some police officers and one civilian have
been convicted).
In addition, the 1992 constitution (current
constitution) came into force, which established provisions for the
protection of political and civil rights, the independence of the powers
of the State, and the creation of electoral justice, among other
institutions, and declared the abolition of the death penalty. At the
end of that same year, Martín Almada - an opponent of the dictatorship -
and the newspaper Noticias - through the journalists Christian Torres,
Zulia Giménez, Alberto Ledesma and José Gregor, among others -
discovered the so-called "Files of Terror", documents that demonstrated
that Stroessner had participated in Operation Condor, an anti-communist
military agreement for the persecution of exiles, with the support of
the military dictatorships of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador
and Uruguay, which led to the torture, kidnapping and murder of
thousands of Paraguayans and citizens of the aforementioned countries.
During the term of Juan Carlos Wasmosy, the first civilian president
of Paraguay in almost forty years, the country suffered the worst
financial crisis in its history, with the bankruptcy of more than twenty
banks between 1995 and 1998. Political achievements were also affected.
obtained after the 1989 coup. Wasmosy removed General Lino Oviedo from
the army under the accusation of wanting to lead a coup against him in
April 1996, and in 1997, after Oviedo won the presidential race of the
Colorado Party, he had him imprisoned and tried by a military court for
the same crime. The conviction disqualified Oviedo from the 1998
presidential elections, and in his place Raúl Cubas was named candidate,
who, thanks to the support of Oviedo, who was very popular at that time,
He won the elections and three days after assuming the presidential
office he pardoned Oviedo, freeing him from prison. The opposition
contested the fact and obtained from the Supreme Court an annulment of
the pardon that Cubas did not comply with.
The territory of Paraguay is the eighth largest in South America and
the sixtieth largest on Earth. It is exclusively integrated into
American territory, and its surface totals 406,752 km². This amount does
not include any ocean strip, nor continental shelf since it is a
landlocked state.
Located in the center of South America,105
Paraguay is located between the parallels 19º 10′ and 27º 50′ south
latitude and the meridians 54º 10′ and 62° 50′ west longitude. The
Tropic of Capricorn crosses the territory , at the level of the town of
Belén (Department of Concepción), that is, as far as latitudes are
concerned, it passes almost exactly over the middle part of Paraguay.
The territory is 611 km from the Atlantic Ocean and about 819 km from
the Atlantic Ocean. km from the Pacific. It borders to the north with
Brazil and Bolivia, to the east with Brazil and Argentina, to the south
with Argentina and to the west with Bolivia and Argentina.
Borders with Argentina
The border between Argentina and Paraguay
is an international land boundary with a length of 1690 km that
separates the Argentine Republic from the Republic of Paraguay.
Diplomatic relations between these two neighbors were established in
1811, with the signing of an agreement on Friendship, Assistance and
Trade. Both countries were at war during the War of the Triple Alliance
between 1864 and 1870 (with Paraguay alone against Argentina, Brazil,
and Uruguay), and have not warred against each other since.
Argentina has an embassy in Asunción and 2 Consulates General, one in
Ciudad del Este, and the other in Encarnación. Paraguay has an embassy
in Buenos Aires and 7 consulates: one in Clorinda, in Corrientes, in
Formosa, in Posadas, in Resistencia, in Rosario and in Puerto Iguazú.
Both countries are full members of Mercosur, the Union of South
American Nations, the Organization of American States, the Organization
of Ibero-American States, the Rio Group, Group of 77, Latin American
Economic System and Latin American Integration Association. Both are
co-owners of the Yacyretá Hydroelectric Dam.
In border cities,
such as Posadas-Encarnación, Clorinda-Nanawa/Asunción, Formosa-Alberdi,
Ciudad del Este-Puerto Iguazú, among other cities; There is a great
commercial exchange between these cities, in addition to other types of
exchanges at a sociocultural level. Around half a million Paraguayan
citizens reside in Argentina, making this the largest foreign community
in Argentina. On the other hand, nearly one hundred thousand Argentine
citizens live in Paraguay, making it one of the main destinations for
Argentine immigrants to live.
Borders with Brazil
The border
between the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Republic of Paraguay
is a continuous international boundary that delimits the territories of
both neighboring countries. Throughout its entire length of 1,367
kilometers, it crosses a variety of terrain, from large urban areas to
inhospitable deserts and wetlands. It begins at the Triple Border
landmark between Foz do Iguaçu and Presidente Franco, and ends at the
trifinio on the border with Bolivia. , near the Paraguayan city of Bahía
Negra. On the border between Brazil and Paraguay, there is the Itaipú
Hydroelectric Power Plant, which is the largest hydroelectric dam in the
world that generates energy. The International Friendship Bridge is
located on this border, connecting the cities of Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil)
and Ciudad del Este (Paraguay). The dry border has a total length of 438
kilometers, while the river border is 929 kilometers. The latter is made
up of the Paraguay, Paraná and Apa rivers, and the Estrella stream, and
has a total of 23 islands of which 13 belong to Brazil and 10 to
Paraguay.
The establishment of the border occurred after the War
of the Triple Alliance, when in 1872 a peace treaty was signed with
Paraguay, which also contained its limits with Brazil, and which
according to Hélio Viana, respected the agreements of the colonial era.
and claimed from Brazil the lands occupied and explored by the
Portuguese and Brazilians.
The border between Brazil and Paraguay
has been one of the main trafficking routes for firearms and drugs in
South America, in addition to smuggling of stolen goods and vehicles,
especially due to transit in the Triple Border (border point between
Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay). This historically occurred due to the
geographical difficulty in controlling the region by the border
authorities of both countries, something that has been mitigated with
the joint effort of Brazilian and Paraguayan law enforcement forces.
On the Paraguayan side of the border, there are a large number of
Brazilian immigrants, and these are popularly known as "brasiguayos."
Borders with Bolivia
The border between Bolivia and Paraguay is
the 750 km long limit that separates the territories of Bolivia and
Paraguay.
It extends from the triple border of Argentina, Bolivia
and Paraguay (near the town of La Esmeralda on the Pilcomayo River) in a
north-northeast direction towards the summit of the Capitán Ustares
hill, where it turns east, to the town of Fortín Galpón, in which it
follows a line south with the Paraguay River, where it ends at the
triple limits of Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay.
It is demarcated
by 11 markers (Landmark I to Landmark X plus the tripartite landmark).
Markers I to Most of these have names, and are near a military
detachment on the Paraguayan side.
There is a border post near
the Paraguayan town of Infante Rivarola.
The current layout of
the border has existed since 1938 and was established by a treaty
concluded in Buenos Aires after the end of the Chaco War (1932-1935)
between both countries.
The Paraguay River divides the country into two large geographic
regions, with different geology and topography. While the Eastern Region
or Paraná has 39% of the national territory, and consists of ferralitic
and mostly acidic soils on ancient crystalline rocks, presenting an
undulating landscape of hills with abundant rainfall (up to 1700
mm/year), the Western Region o Chaco, with 61% of the national
territory, geologically young with neutral to alkaline soils,
constitutes an extensive semi-arid to subhumid alluvial plain with
sediments from the Andes.
In the Paraguayan Chaco, altitudes
range between 91m in the southeast and 390m in the northwest. The Bajo
Chaco (humid Chaco) is a floodplain, influenced by the Pilcomayo and
Paraguay rivers (annual rainfall of 910 to 1,300 mm); the Chaco Boreal
(dry Chaco) with an average rainfall of 403 to 910 mm. Its territory is
formed by a seabed that emerged in the Quaternary era, this region is
populated by extensive scrublands and palm groves, estuaries, lagoons
and streams. The average annual temperature is around 25 °C.
The
Eastern Region is subdivided into two subregions, the largest
corresponds to the Paraguay River basin itself, and a smaller one
corresponds to the Paraná River basin. Tropical and subtropical forests
and rainfall predominate. Their altitudes range from more than 611 m
above sea level. n. m. (meters above sea level) in the northeastern area
up to 65 m above sea level. n. m. in the southwest. In this region the
average annual temperature varies between 20 and 24 °C. It is the
smallest but most populated and fertile region.
Most of the Paraguayan territory is located between 104 and 507 m of
elevation, which correspond to large areas of the departments of Alto
Paraguay, Boquerón, Presidente Hayes, Concepción, San Pedro, Paraguarí
and Itapúa, mainly. The lower elevation areas, with averages below 104 m
in height, are mainly located in the southeast of the departments of
Presidente Hayes, Central, Paraguarí, Ñeembucú, Misiones and Itapúa. In
general, the slopes of the terrain are gentle, so water erosion is
limited.The high points are located in the vicinity of Pedro Juan
Caballero in the northern center of the eastern region.
The
geomorphology of the western region has a repetitive undulating of the
terrain from north to south, which allows the genesis of at least
sixteen tributaries of the Paraguay River. Each of these rivers presents
low-slope conditions, therefore favoring the formation of meanders. A
smaller portion of this region drains directly into the Pilcomayo
River.They are relatively flat lands of a plateau crossed by sparse
currents favored by ripples. The highest elevation terrains lie to the
west of this region and their lowest points correspond to the eastern
boundary of this region on the Paraguay River. The region forms part of
the Chacopampean Plain, and presents a shallow inclination heading
southeast with an average elevation of 130 m above sea level.
The
relief of the Eastern Region is a result of the Brazilian Plateau
extending northwards to the Amazonian plain and eastwards to the
Atlantic Ocean. This plain possesses several hills, some ranges of
reduced height and valleys through which flow rivers and streams. The
average elevation of the region is 286 m. Three mountain systems are
present in this region: the Sierra de Amambay, the Maracayú and the
Caaguazú. The highest heights are located in the Ybytyruzú range, where
Tres Kandu hill stands out with 842 m above sea level.
Paraguay has no coastline but its two main rivers, the Paraguay and
the Paraná, which form part of the Río de la Plata basin, communicate it
with the Atlantic Ocean. The Paraguay is born in Mato Grosso (Brazil)
and after a journey of about 2695 km, it empties into the Paraná River
through three arms: Atajo, Humaitá and Paso de Patria
The valley
of the Alto Paraná forms an undulating plain, which rises westward. This
area has numerous water courses, all draining into the Paraná, which
flows through a deep gorge and is dammed at the Itaipú power plant.
In addition to rivers, Paraguay possesses wetlands and lakes. The
set of wetlands of Lake Ypoá, consisting of four lakes, and Lake
Ypacaraí, are the largest lakes in Paraguay. In addition, Paraguay has a
considerable amount of estuaries such as the Paraguayan Pantanal, and
has registered six wetlands in the Ramsar Convention, whose areas add up
to a total of 793,910 ha
Paraguay promotes strategies for environmental protection and mainly
the defense of species that serve to defend ecological processes, with
the aim of making resources available for future generations. The
Secretariat of the Environment of the Republic of Paraguay (SEAM), now
the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MADES), and the
United Nations Development Program (UNDP), with Global funds implements
the Wild Paraguay Project.
Among the protected wildlife areas are
the following: Defensores del Chaco National Park, Teniente Enciso
National Park, Río Negro National Park, Cerro Chovoreca Natural
Monument, Cabrera-Timane Nature Reserve, Tinfunqué National Park, Paso
Bravo National Park, Serranía San National Park Luis, Bella Vista
National Park, Cerro Corá National Park, San Rafael Managed Resources
Reserve, Caaguazú National Park, Ybytyruzú Managed Resources Reserve,
Ybycuí National Park, Ypoá National Park, Yabebyry Wildlife Refuge,
Acahay Massif Natural Monument, National Reserve Kuri'y, Ñacunday
National Park, Ypacaraí Lake National Park, Köi Hills and Chororí
Natural Monuments.
The Köppen climate classification divides Paraguay into practically
three climate types: the humid subtropical climate (Cfa), predominant in
the south of the Eastern Region; the tropical savannah climate (Aw),
predominant in the Chaco (Western Region) and northern Eastern Region;
and the semi-arid warm climate (BSh) to the northwest of the Chaco
(Boquerón department).
The mean annual temperature round between
20 and 25 °C in the country, increasing from south to north. Rainfall is
variable depending on the region. For example towards southeastern
Paraguay, precipitation is abundant in all months (>1700 mm/year).
Towards the centre-northern region of the Oriental Region, and the
tropical region of the Chaco, precipitation decreases considerably
during the winter season (1300 mm/year). In the semi-arid region of the
Chaco, precipitation is practically nil in the winter season (<800
mm/year). Generally, in summer falls the greatest rainfall accumulation
of the year.
Extreme maximum temperatures in summer can exceed 40
°C (record 45 °C in 2014), and minimum temperatures in winter can fall
below 0 °C (record −7.5 °C in 2000). The seasons are not well defined
due to the reigning heat given much of the year and the proximity to the
tropic of capricorn. The temperature difference between the warmest and
coldest month is approximately 10 °C.
The Paraguayan summer is hot and humid. Both nights and afternoons
are very warm throughout the country, and due to the high humidity, the
sensation of heat exceeds the actual temperature. Average highs exceed
30°C from November to March. This is the rainiest season of the year, in
which precipitation generally occurs through isolated storms and
downpours. The dominant influence on the climate is the warm north wind
that blows from Brazil, although from time to time "southern winds"
usually blow, bringing more pleasant temperatures, generally with the
passage of isolated storms.
The Paraguayan winter is
characterized by being mild and irregular, as there can be days of
intense cold (minimums below 0 °C) as well as hot days of more than 30
°C. The average winter temperature is between 15 and 20 °C, being cooler
towards the south of the country. A typical winter day is usually cool
between night and morning, then mild in the afternoon. It is the least
rainy season of the year, but precipitation can still occur in the form
of drizzle or short storms caused by the polar fronts coming from
Argentina. Fog and mist banks usually occur in this season due to the
high ambient humidity, a factor that tends to increase the feeling of
cold. The dominant influence on the climate is the cool southerly wind
that blows from Argentina, although from time to time "northern winds"
usually blow, bringing warmer temperatures for a few days.
On
average, frosts in the central-north of the eastern and western region
occur one to two times a year and every other year inclusive, while
towards the south of the eastern region the average increases to 3 times
a year; This occurs in conjunction with the polar-type cold fronts
coming from Argentina, between the winter months of June, July and
August. Frost can occur in practically the entire national territory,
although it usually occurs in those areas where a humid subtropical and
warm semi-arid climate predominates.
Autumn and spring are
transitional and unstable seasons, with great variations in temperature,
between cool and hot, in which even severe storms can occur. Normally at
the beginning of autumn and late spring, the weather is similar to
summer.
Climate change places Paraguay among the most vulnerable countries to climate change, and certain regions of the country are more exposed than others to the consequences, so they are prone to suffer greater damage. This vulnerability responds to the massive deforestation that places the country as one of the largest destroyers of forests at the regional level, the weakness of state entities, little control and monitoring, soil degradation due to the radical change in land use, and extreme poverty. The high The deforestation rate is strongly related to different microclimatic alterations that develop at the local level: the modification of the hydrological balance that causes the alteration of rainfall, linked in turn to the increase in thermal sensation and alteration of the winds, as well as the increase in risk of erosion and desertification.
Paraguay has a high wealth of fauna and flora because the six
ecoregions that converge in its territory register notable
biodiversity.
The different ecoregions are very differentiated,
the west is characterized by being a semi-arid region, the northeast is
characterized by the immense flood zones that make up the Pantanal,
while along the banks of the Paraguay River subtropical wetlands
develop, characterized by large bodies of water such as Lake Ypoá. In
the northern part of the Eastern Region there are the subtropical
savannahs of the Cerrado, while in the east of the country up to the
banks of the Paraná River the Atlantic Forest develops, one of the most
diverse and biologically rich forests on the planet. Finally the
southern zone, characterized by plains with a more temperate climate.
In the last five decades, the country lost almost 90% of the
original forest cover of its territory, mainly due to the expansion of
livestock and agricultural activities. It is estimated that between 1945
and 1997, 76.3% of the forest cover forest of the Eastern Region was
transformed into land for agricultural production.
Paraguay has
less strict environmental rules in the Chaco than in Brazil. The owners
can clear approximately 50% of their forest, while in Brazil only 20%
can be (legally) cleared, therefore, the pressure of livestock farming
on the virgin forest advanced towards Paraguay. The loss of forests In
Alto Paraguay alone, the most ecologically intact department, it was
220,000 hectares in 2008 alone.
In March 2009, it was estimated
that in the departments: Boquerón and Alto Paraguay, between 1000 and
1500 hectares were deforested per day, while the "Zero Deforestation"
bill - which was going to prohibit deforestation in the Alto
Paraguay—was rejected by the Chamber of Deputies of Paraguay.
Paraguay has a wide variety of tropical and subtropical plant and
animal species. According to records from the Ministry of the
Environment of Paraguay (SEAM), it is estimated that in the country
there are between 8,000 and 13,000 species of plants, of which 800 are
tree species. As for animal species, there are an estimated 100,000 of
them. invertebrates and 1,498 vertebrates. Among these quantities, 81
species of flora and 128 species of fauna are recognized, considered in
danger of extinction mainly due to the destruction of their habitats and
poaching.
Paraguay is one of the greatest exponents of the faunal
wealth of South America. It has more than 100,000 species of
invertebrates, 200 species of fish, 60 of amphibians, 100 of reptiles,
700 of birds and 167 of mammals.
Among the dominant plant species
in the Chaco are lapachos, quebrachos, urundey, timbó, guayacán, palo
santo, samuhu, guayaibi, the caranday palm, several lauraceae, among
others.
In the Chaco fauna, nocturnal life predominates, the
abundance of cryptic habits (life hidden under different elements),
diapause and dormancy. This is because invertebrates present the highest
diversity and greatest abundance of individuals. In wetlands, fish are
not abundant, except in the Pilcomayo and Paraguay river basins.
Compared to other temperate subtropical areas, its mammal fauna is not
very diverse.
The Eastern Region has a great variety of birds
such as the vulture, the chimango, the hawk, the owl, the macaw, the
bell bird, the calandria, and the Pitogüe. There are several species of
thrushes, the swallow, the hummingbird family and the kingfisher, among
others. It also has mammals such as the howler monkey, the jaguar, the
puma, the wild cat, the tapir, the wild boar, the anthill and the
tatúes.
The most common fish are the surubí, the dorado, the
croaker, the stingray, the stingray, the catfish, the pati and the
piranha. Reptiles such as the alligator, iguana and chameleon are also
found in the aquatic ecosystem. Other notable reptiles in this region
are the coral snake and the ñandurire, which is the smallest of all
vipers.
In March 1999, the political situation became even more complicated
after the assassination of the vice president and long-time Oviedo
rival, Luis María Argaña. The opposition blamed General Oviedo for the
incident. The Congress Square was filled with protesters against the
government, which led the Chamber of Deputies to judge Cubas the next
day. Furthermore, the shooting of eight protesters by unknown persons
during the Paraguayan March made it clear that the Senate would vote to
remove Cubas. The president resigned on March 28 and went into exile in
Brazil. The same day Oviedo fled to Argentina, where he obtained
political asylum, and then continued to Brazil.
Senate President
Luis González Macchi, an opponent of Cubas, was sworn in as president on
the day of Cubas' resignation. As president he attempted to form a
coalition government to encourage cooperation within Paraguay and repair
the economy that was damaged by the political crisis. However, the
coalition did not last long, as the PLRA left the coalition in 2000,
leaving the government without a majority in Congress. González Macchi
became very unpopular because of the serious economic crisis and
encountered serious problems in Congress, because few legislators were
willing to vote in favor of his bills. However, just a year after coming
to power, he faced impeachment, accused of having embezzled $16 million
for himself. However, he managed to stay in power thanks to a "clan war"
within the Colorado party. Very unpopular, he tried to appease the
discontent by agreeing to suspend the privatization process. He declared
a state of emergency in July 2002. The repression of demonstrations
against his government resulted in several deaths and hundreds of
arrests.
In May 2000, he had to face an attempted coup d'état,
which, although it failed, weakened the power of the president. The
following year, he had to face an impeachment attempt against him by the
National Congress. This initiative by the opponents failed just like the
coup attempt the previous year. Despite being politically weakened, he
was able to maintain his government until completing the period left by
Cubas. The liberal Julio César Franco won the August 2000 election to
fill the vice-presidential vacancy, although two years later he resigned
to run for office. 2003 elections.
In 2003, Nicanor Duarte Frutos
was elected president, who in the economic order achieved a rebound in
the Paraguayan economy and GDP growth, initiating a recovery from the
country's economic crisis. However, at the beginning of 2006 there was a
new political crisis, due to a controversial resolution of the Supreme
Court of Justice, which enabled Duarte Frutos to exercise the presidency
of the Colorado Party. Subsequently, Duarte Frutos began a failed
campaign to modify the Constitution in order to achieve re-election.
On August 1, 2004, the greatest civil tragedy in the history of
Paraguay occurred, with the Ycua Bolaños Tragedy, in which more than 300
people died and the same number were injured in a fire in a supermarket
in the capital.
After more than 60 years in power, the Colorado Party lost the
presidency to former bishop Fernando Lugo in 2008. This presidential
term, during which Paraguay joined the Union of South American Nations
(Unasur), was interrupted by the crisis politics of 2012 that began
after a political trial in which Lugo was removed from the presidency,
accused of poor performance in his duties. Then, Federico Franco, until
then vice president of the Republic, assumed the presidency. The Unasur
governments were They spoke out in rejection of what they considered a
breakdown of the democratic order and refused to recognize the new
government. As a consequence, Paraguay was suspended from the Mercosur
and Unasur meetings, pending the results of the 2013 general elections
in which businessman Horacio Cartes was elected president.
After
the 2013 elections, and with the inauguration of Horacio Cartes (for the
Colorado Party), the sanctions imposed on Paraguay by Mercorsur and
Unasur were lifted. In March 2017, demonstrations (known as the Second
Paraguayan March) occurred in response to a constitutional amendment
that would allow Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes to run for
presidential re-election (considered a violation of the constitution),
in which protesters even arrived until setting fire to the Paraguayan
Congress building, in addition to dozens of injuries and even one death,
after receiving a shotgun blast from the police.
In 2018,
businessman Mario Abdo Benítez became president, for the Colorado Party,
with more than a million votes achieved in the race. During his
government mandate, the COVID-19 Pandemic occurred globally, leaving the
country with nearly 20,000 deaths and a severe health crisis, in which
the intensive care (ICU) beds have not been enough. as well as a severe
economic crisis, as a result of the quarantine decreed and the closure
of borders in border cities, with thousands of bankrupt companies;
Consequently, protests occurred nationwide in March 2021.
In the
last presidential elections in 2023, Santiago Peña was the winner for
the Colorado Party.
The Republic of Paraguay, organized in the form of a Unitary State,
was fundamentally modified by the 1992 Constitution, which ensures the
division of powers. According to this latest constitutional text, it
constitutes a social State of law, unitary, indivisible, and
decentralized, adopting representative, participatory and pluralistic
democracy for its government, based on the recognition of human dignity.
The Executive Power is exercised by the President of the Republic. In
addition, there is a vice president who, in case of impediment or
temporary absence of the president or definitive vacancy of said
position, replaces him with all his powers. The president and vice
president are jointly elected by popular vote, on the same ballot, for a
five-year term, with no possibility of re-election.
The president
is the head of state and government of Paraguay. It has, among other
powers, the power to appoint and remove at will the ministers of the
Executive Branch, who are the heads of the administration of their
respective portfolios, in which, under the direction of the President of
the Republic, they promote and execute the policy relating to the
matters within its jurisdiction. The meeting of all the ministers, at
the call of the president, is called the Council of Ministers. The
purpose of the cabinet or council of ministers is to coordinate
executive tasks, promote government policy and make collective
decisions.
The government of each department is exercised by a
governor and a Departmental Board, elected by direct vote of the
citizens residing in the respective departments, in elections coinciding
with the general elections, and they serve for five years in office. The
governor represents the Executive Branch in the execution of national
policy. The government of the Municipalities is in charge of a mayor and
a Municipal Board, popularly elected.
The Legislative Power is
exercised by Congress, composed of a Chamber of Senators (upper house),
of 45 members, and a Chamber of Deputies (lower house), consisting of 80
deputies. Elections for Congress are held on closed lists (you do not
vote for each candidate for deputy or senator, but for a list presented
by each political party), simultaneously with the presidential election.
Deputies are elected by department, while senators are elected at the
national level, both for a period of five years, and can be re-elected.
The Judicial Branch is in charge of the administration of justice
and is exercised by the Supreme Court of Justice, and by the other
courts and tribunals established by law. The Supreme Court is the
highest court in Paraguay. The Senate, with the agreement of the
president, appoints its nine members or ministers, based on shortlists
presented by the Council of the Judiciary, after selection based on
suitability, with consideration of merits and aptitudes.
Paraguay maintains different relationships and associations with
different countries. It is part of several international organizations
as a full member, such as Mercosur (Southern Common Market) and the
Union of South American Nations (Unasur).
The country also
maintains relations with supranational entities, such as the European
Union (EU), with which it develops its political, economic and
commercial relations at a bilateral level and also within the framework
of regional relations between the EU and Mercosur.
A peculiarity
of Paraguay's foreign policy is being the only country in South America
that maintains active relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan).
Paraguay is a full member and participant of the Inter-American
Conference on Social Security (CISS), the Community of Latin American
and Caribbean States (CELAC), the United Nations (UN) and the
Organization of American States (OAS).
Paraguay formally
maintains a brotherhood with the Republic of Colombia, which arose from
the Colombian offer of its nationality to all Paraguayans, in the event
of the country's disappearance within the framework of the Triple
Alliance War, an offer that did not materialize, but ended generating a
bilateral friendship agreement that establishes facilities to acquire
the citizenship of each country on a reciprocal basis.
The Armed Forces of Paraguay form a non-deliberative, non-partisan
institution, subordinated to civil control whose commander in chief is
the president of Paraguay, constituted by the Paraguayan Army, the
Paraguayan Air Force and the Paraguayan Navy. It is made up of nearly
20,000 active personnel and more than 100,000 inactive personnel
(reservists, and/or those who have completed the S.M.O).
As in
other countries, it is structured into an Air Force, an Army (with three
Corps, six Infantry Divisions and three Cavalry Divisions) and finally a
Navy (3850 members, with Naval Aviation, Marine Infantry) which is
large. considering that it is one of the countries in the world without
a coast or direct access to the sea. Military service is mandatory for
18-year-old males and consists of one year of service, as dictated in
the National Constitution. Currently, a Law was promulgated that
regulates the "Conscientious Objection Law" and that establishes the
mandatory nature of substitute civil service to replace the military.
For its part, the National Police of Paraguay is a civil institution
dependent on the Executive Branch, whose Secretary of State is the
Ministry of the Interior, in charge of the internal security of the
Nation.
Sexual minorities face certain legal and social challenges not
experienced by other residents. Homosexuality has historically been
treated as taboo within Paraguayan society. Both male and female sexual
activity is legal, however gay couples and households headed by same-sex
couples are not eligible for all of the social and legal protections
available to heterosexual married couples. Even lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender (LGBT) people may face expired legal penalties in other
countries.
Public opinion shows a strong conservative tendency
with respect to homosexuality, demonstrating a majority rejection of the
rights of sexual minorities, even in comparison with other South
American countries. The Catholic Church exerted a strong influence
opposing homosexual unions in the country, however, during Pope Francis'
visit to Paraguay in 2015, representatives of LGBT community
organizations were invited to a reception along with other social
leaders.
Paraguay is one of the most conservative countries in
South America, where issues such as LGBT issues and abortion, to name a
few, are largely avoided by both politicians and Paraguayan society in
general, due to the great influence it has. the Catholic Church in the
country, which in turn is the country with the most faithful in Latin
America in percentage terms.
Paraguay is a unitary State that tends towards decentralization, in
the manner established by the Constitution and the laws. For the
purposes of the political and administrative structuring of the State,
the national territory is divided into departments and districts.
The 17 departments of Paraguay constitute the first administrative
political division of the country. The Eastern Region concentrates 14 of
them and the Western Region 3. Added to them is the capital Asunción,
which is a district, but for census purposes it is considered a
department. In addition, the country has 263 municipalities that are
equivalent to districts, including Asunción. These make up each of the
subdivisions of a department - except Asunción, which is independent of
any department - and are in turn divided into urban and rural areas.
The National Constitution of 1992 recognizes the departments and
districts' political, administrative and regulatory autonomy for the
management of their interests, and autarky in the collection and
investment of their resources.
Paraguay has a moderately diversified economy. Over the past four
decades, Paraguay has had the highest growth in South America, with an
average of 7.2% annual growth since 1970. In 2010 and 2013, Paraguay
experienced the largest economic expansion in Latin America, with
historic growth of GDP of 14.5% and 13.6% respectively. In 2011, the
Central Bank of Paraguay presented the new structure of the country's
GDP, which includes the generation of electrical energy from the
Binational Entities Itaipú and Yacyretá, which in both cases belong 50%
to Paraguay. After this incorporation, the value of the GDP increased 9%
and reached 20,042 million dollars, compared to the 18,314 million
reached at the end of 2010.
Poverty affects 26.1% of the
country's population, according to reports from the Central Bank of
Paraguay, in 2017. The Paraguayan economy, although it is still below
the regional average in several areas, is one of the most thriving in
South America. South; Its nominal GDP per capita for 2018 is 6,206
dollars, exceeding that of countries on the subcontinent such as
Bolivia, Venezuela, Guyana, and on par with countries such as Ecuador
and Colombia.
Since the 1990s, the country has been intensively
developing the industrial and tertiary sectors. Currently, the secondary
sector contributes 33% of the GDP, while the primary sector contributes
12% and the tertiary sector, 54%. 12% of GDP growth corresponds to
agriculture and livestock; 33.4% to industry (including construction and
public utilities); and 55.1% in the services sector. The seven most
important export products; soybeans and their derivatives (42% of total
Paraguayan exports), making it the sixth largest producer of soybeans.
Corn, wheat, sesame, sunflower oil and sugar also appear. In relation to
the cultivation of stevia in Paraguay, it is highlighted that there was
a planted area of 2300 hectares with a production of 3680 tons in 2014
according to estimates from the National Directorate of Censuses and
Statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (cited by
Acosta, 2015 ). Among non-basic services, the most relevant sectors in
the generation of wealth are commercial and financial, with an
approximate share between both of 28%.
It is the world's largest
exporter of electrical energy, the sixth largest exporter of soybeans,
the second largest producer of Stevia, the sixth largest exporter of
corn, the tenth largest exporter of wheat, the eighth largest exporter
of beef in the world, it has the third largest river fleet in the world
(2,600 barges with 200 tugboats), after the United States and China.
First world exporter of organic sugar, third world producer and exporter
of Yerba Mate (ilex paraguariensis). Likewise, it presents itself as one
of the countries with the highest growth rates, where the peak was
reached in 2010 with 14.5%, finishing third worldwide behind Qatar and
Singapore.
The market economy is distinguished by a large
informal sector, featuring the re-export of low-cost imported consumer
goods from countries such as China to neighboring countries, as well as
the activities of thousands of microenterprises and urban street
vendors. However, in the last 10 years, the Paraguayan economy has
diversified drastically, with the energy, auto parts, construction and
clothing industries. A large percentage of the population, especially in
rural areas, lives from agricultural activity, often subsistence. Due to
the importance of the informal sector, it is difficult to obtain precise
economic measures. The economy grew rapidly between 2003 and 2013 due to
growing global demand for commodities combined with high prices and
favorable weather to support the expansion of commodity exports in
Paraguay.
According to the World Innovation Index, carried out
by the World Intellectual Property Organization, in 2022, Paraguay was
ranked 91st in innovation among 132 countries in the world; while in
2023 it ranked 97th.
The industrial sector produces approximately 25% of Paraguay's GDP
and employs approximately 31% of the workforce (October 2005).
Production grew by 2.9% in 2004, after five years of declining
production.
Paraguay's mining industry produces about 25% of the
country's gross domestic product (GDP) and employs about 31% of the
workforce. The production of cement, iron ore and steel is part of
Paraguay's industrial sector. The growth of the industry was further
driven by the maquiladora industry, with large industrial complexes
located in the eastern region of the country. Paraguay established many
incentives aimed at attracting industries to the country. One of them is
the so-called "maquila law" by which companies can move to Paraguay,
enjoying low tax rates.
The pharmaceutical industry is replacing
foreign drug suppliers in meeting the country's needs. Paraguayan
companies now account for 70% of domestic consumption and have also
begun to export medicines. Strong growth is also evident in the
production of edible oils, dairy, clothing, organic sugar, meat
processing and steel. In addition to the large industries producing
yerba mate, beer, tobacco, rum and alcohol distillers. However, capital
for new investments in the industrial sector of the economy remains
scarce.
Paraguay has been considered a poor country in mineral
resources. As of 2009, that idea has been discarded as a result of the
discovery of large reserves of uranium and the announcement in 2010 of
the discovery of what would be the largest reserve of titanium in the
world. Gold, nickel, cobalt and chrome.
After 57 years, within the framework of Resolution No. 1090/19, and
in compliance with Law No. 5552/2016, the Ministry of Public Works and
Communications presents the classification and recategorization of
national routes throughout the Paraguay's road network, expanding from
12 to 22 national routes, which would receive their name with the
letters PY with their corresponding numbering. This recategorization is
expected to be carried out gradually. Since 1962, the extension of the
national routes reached an extension of 3588 km, and while from this new
decree the extension of the national routes would reach 8762 km, both in
paved, gravel, cobbled and in some cases still with dirt roads.
In Paraguay, around 90% of the 65,000 km of interurban routes are dirt
and gravel roads, while in urban centers it is asphalt and cobblestone.
Public transport is the most used at the urban and interurban level. The
service is provided through buses (also called buses) that cover a good
part of the country's territory. Long-distance and international buses
are dispatched from the Asunción Bus Terminal that connects with all the
departments of Paraguay and several cities in South America, where bus
companies make daily trips to Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay
and Peru.
Within the Metropolitan Area of Asunción, there is the
Silvio Pettirossi International Airport, which has flights to different
cities in America. This is the main airport in the country, followed by
the Guaraní International Airport, located in Minga Guazú and serving
Ciudad del Este, which has direct flights to Asunción, Buenos Aires and
São Paulo.
On the other hand, the Paraná - Paraguay waterway is a
river transportation strategy along the water system of the same name,
from Brazil to Uruguay, passing through Paraguay.
Paraguay had
1,150 km of railways distributed in different branches throughout the
territory; all of them without being linked to each other. The largest
one corresponded to the F.C.P.C.A.L. (Carlos Antonio López Railway) that
linked the Cities of Asunción with Encarnación; and at the same time it
made possible the connection with the Argentine railway system through
the San Roque González de Santa Cruz international bridge. Currently the
only section of the railway that is in operation is an international
line on the border with Argentina, between Encarnación and Posadas that
crosses said bridge.
Paraguay does not have large oil or natural gas deposits. Despite
numerous extraction attempts, the reserves found would be insufficient
for commercial exploitation. Since it does not have reserves, Paraguay
depends entirely on imports to satisfy domestic demand. The state
subsidizes the import and sale of diesel, while gasoline, alcohol, LPG
and other fuels are freely imported.
Until 1970, all the
electrical energy used in the country came from thermoelectric plants.
In 1970, meanwhile, the Acaray hydroelectric plant was inaugurated, in
order to transform the country into an electricity exporter to Brazil
and Argentina. The Yguazu Dam was built in 1977, a water accumulation
dam to be used in cases of need to supply water to the Acaray Dam, it
releases an average volume of water of one hundred cubic meters daily,
with a maximum of 200 cubic meters, but in several hours.
In
1984, the Itaipu power plant, the second largest hydroelectric dam in
the world, began operating. This power plant was the result of
cooperation between Paraguay and Brazil and made Paraguay one of the
largest energy exporters. The dam has 20 turbines and an installed
capacity of 14,000 MW shared equally between Paraguay and Brazil. In
2004, Paraguay consumed 16% of its share of energy and exported the rest
to Brazil.
The other important dam is Yacyretá, equipped with 20
turbines and an installed capacity of 3100 MW. Paraguay and Argentina
share energy generated in Yacyretá although almost all of Paraguay's
energy is exported to Argentina.
100% of the electrical energy
consumed in Paraguay is generated through hydroelectric plants, making
it one of the countries with the cleanest energy in the world. The
country has an installed electrical capacity of 8,110 MW, which produces
63,000,000,000 kWh (sixty-three billion kilowatt-hours) annually
(according to 2016 data), with internal consumption of only
15,000,000,000 kWh ( fifteen billion kilowatt-hours) annually, selling
the rest of what is not consumed to Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay,
making Paraguay the world's largest exporter of electrical energy.
The National Electricity Administration (ANDE) controls the entire
electricity market including generation, distribution and
transportation. It operates 2,100 miles of transportation lines and 670
miles of distribution lines. More than 92% of the country has
electricity coverage.
In Paraguay, freedom of expression and freedom of the press are protected by the National Constitution. According to a study carried out in 2009 by the Reporters Without Borders Organization, Paraguay occupies the best positions in quality and freedom of the press, even surpassing Brazil and occupying the same places as Chile, Uruguay, France and the United States.
The national newspapers are published in Asunción and are distributed throughout the national territory, while the regional ones are published in their respective departments. The main newspapers are: La Nación, ABC Color, Última Hora, Crónica, Popular, Extra and ADN Paraguayo. In total, the circulation of newspapers and magazines reaches 100 copies per 1,000 inhabitants. Most of the most popular newspapers in the country have their digital website.
The main television channels are transmitted both over the air and on
cable, DTT and satellite. They are broadcast from the City and the
metropolitan area of Asunción, and to a lesser extent from the interior.
From the public sector there are Paraguay TV and TV Cámara, and from the
private sector there are SNT, RPC, Sur TV, Telefuturo, Unicanal, NPY,
Paravisión, Latele, C9N, ABC TV, Tigo Sports, LOBOTV, Canal 5 Días,
Canal PRO, HEi, Venus Media, Troplicalia and GEN. The number of Pay TV
subscribers (videocable, DTT or satellite) is around 600,000
subscribers, the majority in Greater Asunción and the other main cities
in the interior.
The state media is made up of Radio Nacional de
Paraguay and Paraguay TV, whose programming includes educational,
cultural and informative content.
The state entity that acts as regulator of the national
telecommunications system in the administrative, technical, planning,
programming, control, supervision and verification part is the National
Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL).
Most of the fixed
telephone lines, provided by the state-owned Copaco, and which reach
around 300,000 subscribers, are installed in Asunción, Encarnación,
Ciudad del Este and in the main cities of the interior. Each city or
urban area has its telephone prefix. For example, in the case of Gran
Asunción the prefix is 021, in Ciudad del Este it is 061, in Encarnación
it is 071, etc.
Internet service is provided by numerous private
companies and also by the state-owned Copaco. It is provided through
ADSL, WiMAX, 3G, 4G and Cable technologies. The number of users with
Internet access in Paraguay is around 70%, and the majority of
Paraguayans access the Internet through cell phones.
Paraguay has
four cell phone provider companies: Telecel S.A. (Tigo), Núcleo S. A.
(Personal), América Móvil (Claro) and Hola Paraguay S.A (Vox). In 2018,
these companies had 7.4 million lines enabled in the country. According
to a study by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 2009,
in Paraguay there were 928 mobile phones per thousand inhabitants, which
places it above Colombia (885), Chile (881) and the United States with
876 cell phones per thousand inhabitants. Currently the number of lines
exceeds the population.
Public institutions:
National Council of Science and Technology
(Paraguay)
Paraguayan Space Agency (AEP)
Paraguayan Institute of
Agricultural Technology (IPTA)
Civil institutions:
Institute
of Agricultural Biotechnology (INBIO)
Center for Analysis and
Dissemination of the Paraguayan Economy
According to the 2022 Paraguayan Census, the country has 6,109,644
inhabitants. The population density is 15.02 inhabitants/km², the third
lowest in America after Bolivia and Canada. The percentage of men and
women is practically similar, made up of 50.4% men and 49.6% women. The
urban population reaches just over 60% of the total inhabitants. The
average age of the Paraguayan is 27 years, which highlights a large
youth population (from 0 to 15 years in the first place, and then from
15 to 29 years).
The distribution of the Paraguayan population
throughout the territory is very irregular. The vast majority of people
live in the Eastern Region: generally in cities near the national
capital, border cities to other countries, or cities located on
important routes in the country. This region is where the largest urban
areas of Paraguay are located, such as Gran Asunción, Gran Ciudad del
Este, Gran Encarnación, Caaguazú, Coronel Oviedo, Pedro Juan Caballero,
etc. On the other hand, in the Chaco or Western Region (which covers
about 60% of Paraguayan territory), the rural population predominates,
since there are no large cities but rather small towns. The majority of
its population is located in the south of the Chaco, and in the Central
Chaco, where the Mennonites generally settle (less than 5% of the
country's total population).
The War of the Triple Alliance
(1864-1870), in which Paraguay faced the Triple Alliance (Brazil,
Argentina and Uruguay), led Paraguay to an unprecedented demographic
disaster, to the point that it is estimated that half (or more) of the
Paraguayan population perished during the war (many of them were young
adult men). According to several historians, Paraguay before the war
reached half a million inhabitants. After the war, a census was carried
out in which 116,351 inhabitants were counted, of which only about 10%
were young adult men. Therefore, Paraguay remained practically stagnant,
both demographically and economically, until the end of the 19th
century.
Just beginning the 20th century, during the first years,
Paraguay reached the population it had before the War, and it increased
progressively, although modestly compared to neighboring countries.176
An important point in the recovery of the Paraguayan population , in
addition to European immigration and neighbors to Paraguay, was the high
birth rate of the population. This effect in countries marked by
devastating wars is known as a baby boom. To this day, Paraguay retains
a mostly young population structure.
However, recently the adult
population over 65 years of age has increased at the same time as the
youth population has decreased, a trend that is currently seen in first
world countries, due to the decrease in birth rates and improvements in
the quality of life.
There is no official data on the ethnic composition of the Paraguayan
people, because the National Institute of Statistics of Paraguay does
not include the concepts of race or ethnicity in census surveys.
However, it does have statistics on the country's indigenous population.
.
The majority of Paraguayans call themselves "mestizo"
(European-Spanish and indigenous-Guaraní mixture); while between 20 and
30% of Paraguayans are Caucasian (white). In Paraguay, the definition of
white is more cultural than biological or physical, since the majority
of the population dominates the Guaraní language, which is why a large
number of biologically white people consider themselves mestizo in
exaltation of their country's Guaraní past. , which leads to internal
sources stating that the percentage of mestizos is 95%. According to the
2011 Latinobarómetro, Paraguayan Caucasians represent 30% of the
population, while according to Francisco Lizcano it is around 20%.
The Paraguayan population is the result of a heterogeneous mixture:
mestizos, criollos, Spanish immigrants, Italians, Germans, indigenous
people of Guaraní descent and pampid indigenous people, etc. After the
War of the Triple Alliance (1864-1870), in which The original Paraguayan
population was practically exterminated, the country was repopulated
with the help of immigrants, especially from European and neighboring
countries; which were not many, but were important due to the small
number of inhabitants of the country at the time. Because of this,
according to studies, the current average Paraguayan individual is
genetically: 55.0% European; 38.0% Amerindian; 8.0% African (Fuerst et
al, 2016).
The arrival of Europeans to Paraguay in the last
century, mainly men; caused an increase in the European autosomal
background, simultaneously with a decrease in the Native American. The
low African ancestry is consistent with historical data that recorded
the arrival of a restricted number of Africans to Paraguay during the
transatlantic slave trade compared to surrounding regions .
Lately, the immigration of Asians (Koreans, Taiwanese, Japanese), and
Arabs (Syro-Lebanese) to the country, in addition to neighboring
countries, stands out. In the south of the country, especially in the
department of Itapúa; There is a large population of immigrants and
descendants of Slavs, mainly Ukrainians, Russians and Poles. Most of the
Mennonite community is located in the central region of Chaco.
On
the other hand, the indigenous population of Paraguay is 140,206 people
(2.3% of the population) according to the 2022 census. As well as it has
the lowest percentage of Afro-descendants, known as Afro-Paraguayans or
Kambás - in Guaraní - (8,013 registered people).
During the viceregal era, the indigenous people constituted about 60%
of the population around the year 1760. In those times, the majority
lived in the so-called Guaranític missions, reductions created by the
Company of Jesus to evangelize the natives. However, in 1767 the Jesuits
were expelled from the Empire by Charles III, so the indigenous people
had to disperse and were assimilated by the rest of the population. With
constant wars, deaths from diseases, famines and miscegenation, the
reduction of its original population would occur over the years.
According to the 2022 indigenous census, there are 853 communities or
villages inhabited by 19 indigenous peoples distributed across fourteen
departments and the country's capital, grouped mainly into five
linguistic families (Guaraní, Lengua Maskoy, Mataco Mataguayo, Guaicurú,
and Zamuco).
In 2022, 140,206 indigenous people were censused,
corresponding to 2.3% of the Paraguayan population, lower than most
other Latin American countries, but higher than previous Paraguayan
censuses. The largest linguistic group corresponds to the Guaraní
family, with 73,607 members, followed by the Mascoyana family (30,208),
the Mataco Mataguayo (20,403), the Zamuco (4,733), the Guaicurú (2,182)
and other minorities. linguistics (6,374). In total there are 19
officially recognized Amerindian peoples: the Mbyás (27,835), the Ava
Guaraníes (22,235), the Nivaclés (17,845), the Paí Tavyterás (15,609),
the Enlhet Norte (9,222), the Enxet Sur (8,070), the Angaités (6,909),
the Sanapanás (3,470), the Guaraní ñandévas (3,133), the Aché (2,596),
the Ayoreo (2,394), the Western Guaraní (2,199), the Qom (2,182), the
Makás (2,129), the Ybytosos (2,126), the Toba Mascoy (2,025), the Guanás
(512), the Manjuis (429) and the Tomárahos (213).
Paraguay, due to its Mediterranean condition and distance from the
ocean, had never been a receiving country for immigrants, compared to
its neighbors, such as Argentina or Brazil. The majority of the
Paraguayan population was autochthonous, that is, the majority were
indigenous and mestizos, and only a minority was white or creole.
During the 20th century, Paraguay began to receive a large number of
immigrants, especially Europeans who fled from the wars that occurred in
Europe at that time, seeking better living conditions and peace,
sometimes facilitated by the State, a time in which they sought
repopulate the country after the War of the Triple Alliance. Various
groups of immigrants who settled in Paraguay were Spanish, Germans (some
of whom are Mennonites), Italians, French, Poles, Ukrainians, among
others.
With the construction of the Itaipú dam, the country
experienced accelerated economic growth during the 1970s, which caused
massive migration to the Eastern Region. This internal migration was
accompanied by external migration coming mainly from Brazil, and a
considerable proportion from South Korea and the Middle East (mostly
Lebanese Syrians and Taiwanese). The country stopped its high emigration
rate to stabilize and obtained a positive immigration rate for the first
time in the 20th century.
Growing political instability and a
stagnant economy towards the mid-1980s accelerated temporary emigration
to Argentina, thus reversing the migration balance. Likewise, at the
beginning of the 2000s, cases of emigration to Spain and the United
States increased, where 7% of the total emigrants per year went.
Currently, the migration balance remains neutral (around 0%), the
emigration of Paraguayans abroad being compensated by the arrival of
foreigners to Paraguay.
During the entire year 2011 (and until
February 2012), the National Institute of Statistics (INE) received
100,000 applications for settlement from Europeans. Of that amount,
until January 2012, residences of 16,000 Poles were registered. , 15,200
Germans, 5,140 Spaniards, 3,000 Italians and 2,200 French. To these data
must be added the arrival of 5,700 North American citizens, 9,200
Japanese immigrants and 23,000 South Koreans.
According to
official source (INE-2002), the foreign population in Paraguay was 3.4%.
At that time the foreign population amounted to 173,176 inhabitants;
being 81,592 inhabitants. of Brazil, 63,153 inhabitants. from Argentina,
27,679 from other countries and 752 not reported. According to the
Directorate of the Migration Cabinet (2018), it states that registered
foreigners living in Paraguay amount to just over 400,000 inhabitants.
Practically half of them They are of Brazilian nationality (about
200,000 inhabitants) - many of them without settlement -, followed by
Argentines (60,000 inhabitants), Koreans (20,000 inhabitants), Taiwanese
(15,000 inhabitants), and important minorities of Syrian-Lebanese,
Japanese , Mennonites, Chileans, Uruguayans, Colombians, Bolivians, etc.
The registration of foreigners is difficult to specify because many have
dual nationality.
On the other hand, Paraguay has one of the
highest levels of emigration in the region. It is estimated that around
one million Paraguayans reside abroad. The main destinations of
Paraguayan emigrants are: Argentina (550,000 Paraguayan residents),
Spain (80,000), Brazil (30,000), the United States (30,000), and small
minorities in Chile, Japan, etc.
Paraguay has always been characterized as a largely rural country for
much of its existence. However, the urban population surpassed the rural
population for the first time towards the end of the 20th century,
according to data from the 1992 census.
However, urbanization is
not the same throughout the country: for example, Asunción (100%
urbanized), Central (87% urbanized), contrast with other departments
such as Caazapá, which barely has 21% of its total population urbanized.
Only six of the seventeen departments are largely urbanized, in which
their urbanized population exceeds 50%.
It is estimated that just
over 60% of Paraguayans live in urban areas (cities or districts). There
are currently 16 cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. Some of them
are Asunción, with 522,287 inhabitants, followed by Ciudad del Este,
with 301,815 inhabitants, Luque (277,301 inhabitants), San Lorenzo
(257,530 inhabitants), Capiatá (236,828 inhabitants), Lambaré (179,800
inhabitants) , Fernando de la Mora (176,943 inhabitants), Encarnación
(134,059 inhabitants) and Pedro Juan Caballero (120,576 inhabitants).
In total, the population of Asunción, added to its metropolitan
area, gives a population of more than 2,500,000 inhabitants: it is one
of the largest urban areas in South America.
An increase in life expectancy has been recorded in recent years due
to the sharp drop in infant mortality, as well as the increase in the
number of elderly people over 80 years of age. In 2007, the number of
people over 85 years of age represented 17% of the total deaths in 2007,
compared to 14% in 2000. Infant mortality is 23 per 1,000 births, having
reduced 29% from 1990 to 2008.193 Life expectancy for men is 72 years,
while for women it is 78 years. According to the World Health
Organization (WHO), in 2009, Paraguay had an average life expectancy of
75 years, placing the country in fifth place in Latin America.
The main causes of death for Paraguayans are heart disease, respiratory
diseases (pneumonia and tuberculosis), parasitic diseases and cancer.
In 2008, the government established universal free public health
services. The Ministry of Health has 12 specialized hospitals, 15
regional hospitals, 137 health centers and 477 health posts. The IPS
(Institute of Social Security) maintains a central hospital, 7 regional
hospitals, 22 health centers and 70 health posts. Military healthcare
has a central hospital, 3 divisional hospitals, 35 health centers and 26
infirmaries. Police Health has 1 central hospital and 22 infirmaries.
The National University of Asunción maintains the Hospital de Clínicas
and the Neurospiquiátric Hospital. The Catholic University maintains two
hospitals, one in Asunción and the other in Villarrica.
There are
approximately 10,200 beds between the public and private sectors in the
country, half of them are in Greater Asunción. The number of doctors is
eight to ten doctors per 10,000 inhabitants, when the WHO recommends one
per 1,000 as ideal. The main problem is the poor distribution of doctors
nationwide, since they are concentrated in the main metropolitan areas.
During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Paraguay practically doubled the
intensive care (ICU) beds in its public health system, going from 306
ICU beds by March 2020, to 764 ICU beds by June 2021, not including the
more than 200 ICU beds from the private sector.
Paraguay's educational system is made up of four levels: initial,
primary, secondary and higher. In Paraguay, primary education is
mandatory, requiring nine years. Secondary education, for its part,
requires three years. There are 8,295 basic schools: 7,104 public, 590
subsidized and 601 private (data from 2008). As for public schools, the
Ministry of Education (MEC) enabled 300 in the last five years, the
majority in rural areas. With approximately 1,750,000 students at the
three educational levels (primary, secondary and tertiary), the gross
enrollment rate reached 76% in 2007, causing the educational Human
Development Index to reach the index of 0.884.
GDP spending for
the area of education is 4.3%, one of the lowest in Latin America. The
literacy rate is 96%. Literacy in Paraguay is curious, since you learn
to read and write in Spanish in schools, but the majority express
themselves better in Guaraní, as it is the mother tongue.
There
are 53 universities in Paraguay (8 national and 45 private). The
largest are the National University of Asunción, the Autonomous
University of Asunción and the Nuestra Señora de la Asunción Catholic
University.
According to data from the 2022 Census, 4% of the
population does not have any type of education and is practically
illiterate. On the other hand, the majority of the Paraguayan population
only has passed the sixth grade of basic school (50.6 %), evidencing the
low educational level of the country. While those who have completed
high school and/or are university students barely reach 9.8% of the
population.
Paraguay is a predominantly bilingual nation, as the majority of the
population uses Spanish and Guarani. The 1992 Paraguayan Constitution
declares it a pluricultural and bilingual country, establishing Spanish
and Guarani as official languages.Spanish is understood by nearly 90% of
the population as a first or second language, while Guarani by 77%. of
its inhabitants, and its use is regulated by the Academy of the Guarani
Language.
As for the Spanish Language, according to the 2020
Report "Spanish: A Living Language" of the Cervantes Institute, in
Paraguay 68.2% of the population (4,946,322 inhabitants) has a good
command of the Spanish language. The remaining 31.8% (2,306,350
inhabitants) belong to the Limited Competence Group, which has a sparse
command of the Spanish language; Only 7.93% of them are monolingual in
Guarani and do not understand Spanish, a figure that has decreased in
the last thirty years.
The most outstanding characteristic of the
Paraguayan culture is the persistence of the Spanish language along with
the Guarani language, these being the two official languages of the
Nation; and the pidgin (mixture) of these languages is known as yopará
(jopara in the Guarani language). For this reason, the country is often
cited as one of the few truly bilingual nations in the world.In addition
to Spanish and Guarani, there are 19 other languages of indigenous
origin that are spoken by about 50,000 indigenous Paraguayans.
Portuguese is also spoken by about 300,000 "brasiguayos", most of whom
are located on the border with Brazil. Other minority languages include
German, Ukrainian, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, etc.
According to
data from the National Population and Housing Census of 2012 conducted
by the Directorate General of Statistics, Surveys and Censuses (today
National Institute of Statistics), the most spoken languages in
Paraguayan households most of the time are: .3% Spanish and Guarani (or
Yopará); only Guarani at 34% and only Spanish at 15.3%; The departments
where Guarani is most widely spoken at home, according to EPH 2017 data,
are: San Pedro (78.87%), Caazapá (77.39%) and Concepción (71.34%) %);
while where Guarani is least spoken are: Asunción (8.95%), Central
(15.9%) and Alto Paraná (37.75%). In these latter departments Spanish
predominates.
Despite the official rank of the Guarani language in
the country and despite the high number of Guarani-speakers, the
Castilian language remains mostly used in government matters, in
official documents, judicial processes, administrative processes,
professional, in business, in the in the media and in education—classes
are taught mainly in Spanish—Guarani is relegated to being used in a
more colloquial setting, for use among family and friends not pure
bilingualism
Among bilinguals there is usually a preference for
Guarani in intimate (or trusting), personal and family situations.
Guarani is used more in rural areas than in urban areas. On the other
hand, in Asunción and other major cities, more Spanish and Yopará
(Spanish mixed with Guarani) are spoken
According to the 2002 census, 90.0% of the population is Catholic and
7.3% is Protestant (6.2% Evangelical, 1.1% other Christian). The
Catholic religion is predominant due, in large part, to to the process
of evangelization carried out by missionaries to the indigenous people
and other inhabitants of the country during the 16th, 17th and early
18th centuries.
Also present are indigenous religions, Jehovah's
Witnesses, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jews,
Muslims, Buddhists, and members of Bahaism. Among Protestant groups the
Unification Church is criticized but also among The most recognized
stand out: the Pentecostal evangelicals, mainly those of the Family
Worship Center, a church that has more than 20,000 people and more than
100 temples, and the Christian Congregation in Paraguay, which has about
300 churches. Other notables are the Mennonites, who mainly settle in
the Chaco and some experts relate it to the separation of Church and
State, from the 1992 National Constitution that establishes the
Paraguayan State as non-denominational.
The largest religious
manifestation in Paraguay takes place between November 28 and December
8, the day of the Virgin of Caacupé, when thousands of Paraguayans go to
venerate her at her basilica. Pilgrimages are also made to the Virgin of
Itacua. On Good Friday, in the city of San Ignacio Guasu, the Tañarandy
procession takes place, in which the Passion of Christ is remembered
with thousands of lamps and candles that illuminate the night of faith.
Paraguay has the particularity of being one of the few officially
bilingual nations, and of maintaining a native language (such as
Guaraní), in a good state, since it is passed from generation to
generation without its loss. The country has a majority mestizo
population (about 75%) and relatively homogeneous and autonomous (in
appearance and culture); since, despite the use of the Guaraní language
predominating in a large part of the Paraguayan population, the people
do not look, dress or behave like indigenous people. The terms mestizo
and ladino are not used in the Spanish of Paraguay, and there are no
concepts of cultural or racial mixing in this country, unlike other
American countries.
Paraguayans have several very notable customs
such as Paraguayan soup, the only country with "solid soup", the
national drink (tereré): along the streets and avenues of the cities you
will find yuyeros or sellers of refreshing plants, good for the
digestion, which helps quench thirst in the hot Paraguayan climate.
Paraguayan society is one of the most conservative in the region, while
it is also one of the most religious (practically 98% of the population
is Christian, of which 89% is Catholic and the rest Protestant).
The Guarani Jesuit Missions had relevance in the approach of the local
native and mestizo to the European cultural manifestations, which he
adopted and adapted to his way of feeling; as well as the phenomenon of
miscegenation itself, where in the family nucleus composed of an
Aboriginal mother and a European father it was allowed to cultivate
elements of both cultures.
The most popular instruments of Paraguayan music are the harp and the
guitar.The latter is represented by Agustín Barrios "Nitsuga Mangoré",
the Paraguayan guitarist and composer of internationally renowned
classical music.On the other hand, is Ermelinda Pedroso Rodriguez
D'Almeida, known as Pearl, the most famous Paraguayan singer in Brazil.
She was consecrated as a radio and television singer in the 1970s, with
the success of Fernando. Over the course of his professional career, he
sold more than 15 million albums, won 11 gold albums, two platinum, one
double platinum, among other awards.
The indigenous genres are
the Paraguayan polka and the guarania, characterized by a slow song that
was developed by José Asunción Flores around the 1920s. Eladio Martinez,
Mauricio Cardozo Ocampo, Teodoro S. Mongelós, Félix Fernández Galeano
among others.This generation coincides with the irruption of the radio
and phonograph industry which make their creations widely disseminated.
One of the most famous broadcasters of Paraguayan music internationally
was Luis Alberto del Paraná
In the 1970s and 1980s a genre called
Nuevo Cancionero emerged where the name of Maneco Galeano appeared.Since
then, Paraguayan music has been marked by various currents of renewal
that seek to introduce rhythms and harmonies from jazz, pop, rock, bossa
nova and other Latin American styles, such as chamamé, malambo,
chacarera, nuevo cancionero and others. Artists such as Rolando
Chaparro, "Lobito" Martinez, Oscar Cardozo Ocampo, Victor Riveros, Aldo
Meza, Pearl, Hugo Ferreira in addition to contemporary pop groups such
as Paiko, La Secreta and others feature in the new songbook.
For
the Paraguayan dance there are some live polkas and galloping polkas.
The polka in general is a dance performed by pairs consisting of a man
and a woman.The galopadas in particular are danced by a group of women
called galoperas who turn in a circle, swinging from side to side with a
cantaro or vase in their hands.
There is another variant of urban
Paraguayan music in which fewer instruments are used: a harp, a requinto
and a distinctive guitar. It is sung in harmonies to three voices, where
the harpist usually makes the third voice. The themes are sung
predominantly in Spanish, although the most famous songs are sung in
Guarani and some are also performed in Yopará.
Berta Rojas, with
her album Legado won two Latin Grammy Awards in its 23rd edition, the
first in the category “Best Classical Music Album”, becoming the first
Latin Grammy for Paraguay, and the second award in the category “Best
contemporary classical work/composition» by Anido's Portrait: I.
Chacarera, composition by Sergio Assad, who was commissioned by the
guitarist to write a work in tribute to Maria Luisa Anido
In the
present era, Paraguayan artists such as Kchiporros, Underground,
Salamander, Flou, Tobacco Pipe, Revolver, Paiko and others stand out.
Paraguay, being a Spanish-speaking country, receives a lot of influence
from Latin music, such as reguetón; however, the most popular musical
trend is the cachaca and the Mexican (norteña) and Colombian (vallenato)
types of cachaca and cumbia, represented by musical groups such as
Bronco, Lalo and the Barefoot, Grupo Ternura, Refuge of Love, Frequency
Trio, Los Roller's de Encarnación and others. In the areas bordering
Brazil, Brazilian funky is popular.
Paraguayan literature has two aspects: that produced in Spanish and
that created in Guaraní—without detracting from the country's literature
in other native languages. However, it must be said that the first has
had greater development and diffusion than the second.
The 19th
century is a barren field in Paraguayan literary creation. The strict
censorship of Doctor Francia's dictatorship was a contributing factor to
the stagnation of literary development. To date, only a few authors
dedicated primarily to poetry in Guaraní are known, such as Natalicio
Talavera, and some isolated literary milestones, such as the creation of
the magazine La Aurora. The aggravating circumstance of the War of the
Triple Alliance meant the interruption of these incipient literary
activities. Thus, with the country dedicated to its reconstruction
during the last quarter of the 19th century, the first important
Paraguayan productions would appear in the 20th century. The first novel
written by a Paraguayan was called Gualberto's Night Trip or The
Reflections of an Absentman, written by Colonel Juan Crisóstomo
Centurión, published in New York in 1877.
At the beginning of the
20th century, Ignacio A. Pane, Arsenio López Decoud, Juan E. O'Leary,
Juan Silvano Godoy and Ricardo Brugada stood out; they turned poetry
towards more universal assumptions, but the national political
environment ended up weighing them down, which harmed notably to its
inspiration and, therefore, to its themes and forms. Modernism had
poetic expressions with specific weight in Paraguay, with Raúl Amaral
and Enrique Marini Palmieri as exponents, although the Secular Song of
Eloy Fariña Núñez is the most notable contribution; In other latitudes
the compositions of Fortunato Toranzos Bardel are equally or more
modernist. Part of it led to Mundonovism and nativism, well represented
by the strengthening of poetry written in Guaraní, especially by Narciso
R. Colmán, Natalicio González and Manuel Ortiz Guerrero.
There
are writers who stood out for their contribution to Guaraní literature,
whether in stories, poems, verses and novels: Constante José Aguer,
Néstor Amarilla, Narciso Ramón Colman, Mabel Coronel Cuenca, Julio
Correa, Susy Delgado, Félix Fernández Galeano, Rigoberto Fontao Meza,
David Galeano Olivera, Félix Giménez Gómez, Darío Gómez Serrato, Anselmo
Jover Peralta, Silvano Mosqueira, Clementino Ocampos, Manuel Ortiz
Guerrero, Ignacio A. Pane, Antonio Ruiz de Montoya, Natalicio Talavera
and Javier Viveros. Most of the works written in Guaraní were set to
music through the different genres found in Paraguayan music.
The most emblematic historians were: Efraím Cardozo, Julio César Chaves, Ciriaco Duarte, Francisco Isidoro Resquín, Francisco Gaona, Blas Garay, Juan Natalicio González, Alejandro Hamed, Juan Carlos Herken Krauer, Pedro Lozano, Fulgencio R. Moreno, Juan E. O 'Leary, Carlos Pastore, Margarita Prieto Yegros, Guido Rodríguez Alcalá, Ruy Díaz de Guzmán, Alfredo Seiferheld, Juan Stefanich, Manuel Antonio Talavera, Jorge Thompson and others.
The first film screening in Paraguay was in June 1900, with the
Current Views, at the National Theater (later Municipal) in Asunción.
The first films were made by the Argentine Ernesto Gunche in 1905. The
first Paraguayan to record a short film was Hipólito Carrón, with Alma
paraguaya, 10 minutes long, which he made in 1925, during the pilgrimage
to Caacupé.
In 1932, Argentine photographer Roque Funes recorded
the first feature-length documentary in Paraguay, titled In the Hell of
Chaco. In 1937, the first story film Paraguay, Tierra de Promisia was
filmed, an unfinished Paraguayan-Argentine co-production. In 1954, the
first officially co-production of Argentina and Paraguay was made:
Codicia, directed by the Italian Catrano Catrani. With The Trueno
Between the Leaves (1958), by the Argentine Armando Bó, a series of
co-productions between Argentina and Paraguay began, such as: La sangre
y la seed (1959) and En la via (1959, unpublished), both by Alberto Du
Bois; The little donkey of Ypacaraí (1962), by Armando Bó; as well as
Argentine films with Paraguayan participation such as Sabaleros (1959)
and India (1960), by Armando Bó; or Thirst (1961), by Lucas Demare.
Several co-productions were also produced with Brazil, including O
Amante de Minha Mulher (1978), by the Italian Alberto Pieralisi; O
Último Cão de Guerra (1979), by Tony Vieira; A Cafetina de Meninas
Virgens (1981; known in Paraguay as Kapanga), by Agenor Alves and
Guillermo Vera Díaz; and O Amigo Dunor (2005), by José Eduardo Alcázar.
In 1969, the Paraguayan director Carlos Saguier made the 40-minute
medium-length film, El Pueblo. In 1978, the first feature film of
entirely Paraguayan production was released, with government support and
in 35 millimeters: Cerro Corá, a warlike fiction, which was also the
first national box office success, under the direction of Guillermo Vera
Díaz. With the appearance of video, numerous short films were made in
the '80s and '90s, as well as the co-productions Miss Ameriguá (1994,
with Sweden and Chile), by Luis R. Vera; and The Touch of the Oboe
(1998, with Brazil), by Cláudio MacDowell.
Among the main
achievements of the 21st century are: María Escobar (2002), by Galia
Giménez; Requiem for a soldier (2002), by Galia Giménez; Miramenometokei
(2002), by Enrique Collar; Paraguayan hammock (2006, with Argentina,
France, Holland), by Paz Encina; Carimea (2006), by Ray Armele; Red
Earth (2006, documentary), by Ramiro Gómez; Coupling (2006), by Agu
Netto and Rafael Kohan; Gunter's Winter (2007), by Galia Giménez; The
reflection (2008), by Gustavo Delgado; Sofía's gift (2008), by Leticia
Coronel and Hugo Cataldo; Misprint (2008), by Nilfe Vera y Aragón;
Serviette Universe (2010), by Luis A. Aguirre; 18 and a half cigarettes
(2010, with Spain and Mexico), by Marcelo Tolces; Ninth (2010), by
Enrique Collar; Cuchillo de palo (2010, documentary with Spain), by
Renate Costa; Felipe Canasto (2010), by Darío Cardona; Capital Week
(2010), by Hugo Cataldo; Che pykasumi (2011), by Ermes Medina Valiente;
Tren Paraguay (2011, documentary), by Mauricio Rial; 1811, Jirones de
Gloria (2011), by Ramón Ramoa Salcedo; Libertad (2012), by Gustavo
Delgado; 7 boxes (2012), by Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schémbori;
Reading according to Justino (2013, with Argentina), by Arnaldo André;
End of the line (2013), by Gustavo Delgado; The sugar of the orange tree
(2013), by Galia Giménez; Costa Dulce (2013, with Holland), by Enrique
Collar; Empty Cans (2014, by Coronel Oviedo), by Hérib Godoy; Cicada
Moon (2014), by Jorge Bedoya.
Since 1990, the International Art
and Culture Film Festival - Paraguay has been held, created and directed
by Hugo Gamarra. The Coronel Oviedo Cultural Society has also held the
National Short Film Competition since 2005; and the Arasá Short Film
Awards have been held in Caacupé since 2014.
In addition to the
National Audiovisual Directorate, the National Secretariat of Culture;
There are entities: Organization of Paraguayan Audiovisual Professionals
(OPRAP), which since 2012 has organized the National Audiovisual
Congress - Tesape; Paraguayan Chamber of Film and Television Production
Companies (CAMPRO), Inter Artis Paraguay, Egeda Paraguay, Audiovisual
and Photographic Archive of Paraguay (AAFP), Academy of Cinematographic
Arts and Sciences of Paraguay, House of Visual Arts Ignacio Núñez Soler,
National Directorate of Intellectual Property (DINAPI).
The gastronomy derived from the Carioan Guaraní-Spanish fusion is the
most characteristic of Paraguayan cuisine, added to the contributions of
historical migratory groups, such as Italian cuisine and German cuisine.
The city of Asunción is the epicenter of the distinctive gastronomy that
extends in current Paraguay and its areas of influence. In Paraguayan
society, the exchange of knowledge develops between mestizos, criollos
and Guaraníes, from the viceregal era to the present , the first
antecedent being contact with the Cario-Guarani in the 16th century.
In an average Paraguayan home, a typical lunch could be puchero
(concentrated beef and vegetable soup), soy, beans, rice stew or
noodles, all accompanied with tropical fruit juice. Also very popular
are noodles, Milanese, gnocchi, ravioli, pizza, roast and various types
of empanadas.
Among some traditional foods, the most popular is
the chipa, which comes in two forms: one is the chipa piru or chipita
that has a shape similar to a donut, and the other comes in the form of
bread or ring. Both are made from starch. Asado is also typical on
Paraguayan tables; it is generally consumed on Sundays or at special
events, always accompanied by manioc. Delicious foods are made from
cassava, such as pastel mandi'o, which is an empanada made from cooked
cassava. Other typical foods of the country are: mbeyú, kavuré,
Paraguayan soup, chipa guazú, payaguá mascada, chipa cuerito, vorí vorí,
locro, soy, batiburrillo, sausages (such as choripán, butifarra,
missionary chorizo), piracaldo, so'o apu 'a (meatballs), mandi'o
chyryry, tykue'i so'o, etc.
Among the typical infusions are mate
and tereré; The first is an infusion based on hot water, yerba mate and
medicinal weeds such as anise, chamomile, dill, boldo, burrito, etc.,
while the second is based on water, ice, yerba mate and refreshing
roots/weeds such as saffron, urusu he'e, agrial, batatilla, among many
others. In general, tereré is more consumed and, more than to calm the
heat, it serves to socialize. The mate is prepared in a stainless steel
thermos along with the matero, while the tereré requires a plastic jug
or thermos that is complemented by the guampa; For these two infusions,
the metal or nickel silver bulb is used. Last but not least, there are
hot-cold thermoses for uses intended for these drinks, and they are
commonly sold in personalized format, whether lined in leather or other
types of rustic design.
Apart from tea and coffee, another
infusion widely consumed during breakfast or snack is cooked mate or
simply "cooked"; This yerba mate-based drink is usually taken pure
(cocido negro) or mixed with milk (cocido con leche). Although cooked
mate is commercially exploited in soluble sachets, there are still those
who prepare it in its most orthodox form, known as cocido quemada. A
variant of tereré, which replaces the medicinal plants characteristic of
traditional tereré, is Russian tereré; This drink based on citrus juices
originates from the Slavic community in southern Paraguay and is popular
only in that region of the country.
The National Secretariat of Tourism (Senatur) is in charge of
promoting and developing tourism activity in Paraguay. Since the
mid-2010s, the increase in tourist flow was approximately 10%. Paraguay
was ranked tenth in the classification of South American countries in
terms of tourism income.
Despite the challenges that the country
still must face in the area of tourism, the progress of recent years
offers a favorable outlook, considering that in 2015 the entry of
1,214,613 foreign tourists to the country was recorded, which
represented an increase of 87% compared to the figure for 2014 (Senatur
data). Argentine and Brazilian tourists are the ones who visit the
country the most, generally for shopping tourism, rural tourism and also
to visit relatives.
Paraguay leads shopping tourism - especially
border cities - as well as rural tourism - expeditions to the Chaco, or
eco-adventures in the interior of the country - and visits to historical
and modern monuments - the Palacio de los López in Asunción, the Itaipú
hydroelectric plant in Hernandarias, the Jesuit Ruins in Itapúa, etc.—.
Commercial tourism has spread widely and Ciudad del Este is the
location chosen by tourists in the region for their purchases, this
being the main economic income of the city. In Asunción there are
various gastronomic services, hotels and first-class shops, preserving
to this day the majority of its historic buildings, combined with wide,
tree-lined avenues that have the largest infrastructure of shopping
centers, bars, cinemas, casinos, theaters and places of leisure in the
country.
On the other hand, the Encarnaceno Carnival, the most
important in the country, attracts approximately 50,000 tourists.
Encarnación at the beginning of the 2010s, has built the waterfront on
the edge of the enormous Paraná River, thus transforming its coasts into
beautiful beaches in river waters, replacing the constant demands for
sea beaches from foreign countries, it has also become the center most
important tourist (summer) center in the country for having first-class
hotel services, shopping and cultural centers and sports competitions.
Near this city are the Jesuit Ruins of Jesús and Trinidad, declared a
World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993.
In general terms, architecture in either of its streams had a
presence in Paraguay during at least, a moment in its history. The
vernacular architecture is represented by the typology of the Culata
Jovai house, typical of rural housing in Paraguay and in the wide
Guarani area of South America, prepared to cope with a semitropical
climate. During the colonial era (1537-1811) and even after the
independence era, Asunción was still a semi-rural community and urban
cores did not yet exist in Paraguay. The architecture of this period
possessed characteristics of an eminently popular manifestation, with
few significant buildings. During the government of José Gaspar
Rodríguez de Francia (1813-1840), little progress was made in the
erection of buildings and urban planning of Paraguay, as well as in the
capital. It is in the government of Carlos Antonio López that the
gradual imposition of cultural patterns that would relegate the colonial
tradition begins, such as facade architecture, monuments and other
Europeanized features that would continue to be introduced by his son
Francisco Solano López in the period 1862-1 1870.
After the
Triple Alliance War, restoration of some historic buildings continued as
well as the culmination of unfinished works. The restoration was carried
out with the help of European immigrants, who imprinted their stamp on
the nation’s urban landscape with their remarkable eclecticism of
Italian character, a current that uniformed the landscape of urban
centers such as Concepcion, Villarrica and also Asuncion. Between 1900
and 1940 an anti-academicist reaction emerges with Enrique Clari, the
top representative of Catalan modernism who also stood out for his
interesting handling in art nouveau. To a lesser extent other streams of
international presence developed, such as the Art-Deco whose most
representative work is the Marcopolo Building. Modern architecture has
been introduced in Paraguay since the 1940s, while in the 1950s and
1960s it received a renewing blow with the Modern Movement.
The most practiced and most popular sport is soccer. The Paraguayan
national team was twice champion of the Copa América, in 1953 and 1979.
It also won a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, being the
only one in the country so far. He also participated eight times in the
Soccer World Cup, with his best participation in 2010, reaching the
quarterfinals for the first time. On the other hand, Paraguay is the
headquarters of the South American Football Confederation (Conmebol), in
the city of Luque, one of the most powerful confederations in world
football.
The most popular clubs are Olimpia, locally nicknamed
"The Dean", for having the most titles at the national and international
level, it is also the first to be founded. The other team is Cerro
Porteño nicknamed "El Ciclón", it is the second team with the most
titles at the national level. Libertad nicknamed "El Gumarello" is
another of the most important clubs in the country, being the third team
with the most official championships. Other relevant clubs are Guaraní,
Nacional, Sportivo Luqueño, Sol de América, among others. The best-known
players are Arsenio Pastor Erico, José Luis Chilavert, Catalino Rivarola
Méndez, Fabián Balbuena, Roque Santa Cruz, Salvador Cabañas, Carlos
Gamarra, José Saturnino Cardozo, Gustavo Gómez, Romerito, Roberto
Cabañas, Francisco Javier Arce Rolón, among others.
In addition,
Paraguay stands out in indoor soccer thanks to its three world
championships won; futsal has already managed to participate in four of
the six editions of the FIFA Futsal World Championship.
After
soccer, the sport with the most fans is the rally, whose most
traditional event is the Trans-Chaco Rally that has been held since
1971. The amateur sport with the greatest growth in the country in
recent years has been rugby. Other sports practiced are basketball,
field hockey, volleyball, handball, rowing, golf, artistic roller
skating and swimming, whose main representative is Benjamín Hockin.
In tennis, Víctor Pecci won the Roland Garros Tournament in the
junior category in 1973 and the runner-up in the professional category
in 1979, Rossana de los Ríos repeated Pecci's performance in 1992 with
the junior Roland Garros title. In the Davis Cup Paraguay competed for
the first time in the 1931 edition, and then competed again only in
1982. Their best result was reaching the quarterfinals of the World
Group four times in 1983, 1984, 1985 and 1987.
In addition to national holidays, Paraguay has two holidays that
affect important institutions. April 30, Teacher's Day is a holiday for
educational institutions and December 31 is a bank holiday established
by the Central Bank of Paraguay. Some holidays that fall on work days or
during the week are usually moved to Monday, in order to promote
domestic tourism.
Throughout the year, popular festivals are held
in towns and cities in honor of various saints. The main characteristic
of all this is that each district has its own celebration for a certain
saint. In these popular festivals, traditions are recreated (games,
gastronomy, myths, legends, dances, songs, etc.), which reach their
greatest splendor in the San Juan festival, held between June and July.
During the festivals in honor of saints, the Jineteada and the Torín are
held.
In 1812, the tricolor Paraguayan flag was hoisted for the first time
with the three stripes of equal size, just as in the present. In 1842,
it was decided to add the national coat of arms to the flag, on the
obverse the official coat of arms of Paraguay, while on the reverse the
Treasury shield. Thus, the flag of Paraguay is one of only three in the
world whose two sides are not equal.
The national anthem of
Paraguay was written by the Uruguayan poet Francisco Acuña de Figueroa
in 1846. It is not known who composed the music to the poem; The truth
is that Remberto Giménez revised the lyrics and music in 1933. It is the
current version.
On the other hand, the Passionflower is the
Spanish meaning of the national flower of Paraguay, the mburucuyá.