Paraguay (República del Paraguay)

 

Location

            Approximately the size of California Paraguay is surrounded by Brazil, Bolivia, and Argentina in south-central South America. It is enclosed by Bolivia on the north-west side, Brazil on its east side, and Argentina on the south-west side. Paraguay, along with Bolivia, is one of the few landlocked nations in South America. Its capital and the largest city in Paraguay is Asunción.

Geography

Paraguay is a nation approximately the size of California (157,047 sq. mi.) and is situated between 18° and 28°S. Most of the country lies below 450 m/1,500 ft and is divided administratively into 19 departments. Its population primarily resides in the eastern part of the country between the Paraguay River and the Paraná River. This area is mostly lowland that rises in the north-east to a plateau region. At one time this region boasted a vast and heavily forested area but the region is being steadily depleted of its woodlands. The area that separates Argentina from Paraguay is called, The Paraná, and it is just south of Iguaçu River. Also forming a border with Argentina is the Paraguay River. The western section of the Paraguay River is a dry plain, called the Chaco or Gran Chaco, a rather desolate and sparsely populated region which is very flat and level, but the greater part of the Chaco region is to the west. It is covered with marshes, lagoons, dense forests, and jungles. All the important cities which are Asunción, Villarrica, Concepción, and Encarnación are located in the eastern part of Paraguay.   

Climate

The climate of Paraguay has been called subtropical. The northwestern part of the country lies entirely within the tropics and has a typical tropical climate with hot summers, warm winters, and most of its rainfall in the hottest months between October and March.  The southeastern half of the country has temperatures a little lower during all months, but the summers are hot and wet enough to be called tropical. The Chaco, which extends into the adjoining regions of Bolivia and Argentina, is hottest part of the country. Occasionally in winter this region is affected by outbreaks of colder polar air from Antarctica; this cold air lowers the temperature for a day or so but frost is very rare. It has heavy rainfall in the summer and barely rains during the winter months. Rainfall throughout rest of the country is more evenly distributed during the year.

History

            Indians who spoke Guaraní—the most common language in Paraguay today were the country's first inhabitants. In 1526 and again in 1529, Sebastian Cabot, an Italian explorer, mapmaker and navigator, explored Paraguay when he sailed up the Paraná and Paraguay Rivers. But it was the Jesuits who first maintained an extensive establishment in the south and east of Paraguay from 1608 until they were expelled from the country by the Spanish dominions in 1767. In 1811, Paraguayans had a revolution and threw the Spanish out of their country and became a nominal republic under two consuls.

During the first 60 years of independence, Paraguay was governed by three dictators. The third dictator, Francisco López, waged war against Uruguay, Brazil, and Argentina from 1865 to 1870 which destroyed half the male population of Paraguay. In 1870, a new constitution was designed to prevent dictatorships and internal strife but failed to do so until 1912, a period of comparative economic and political stability. From The 1932 to 1935 the Chaco War with Bolivia gained Paraguay more western territory.

After World War II, politics once again grew unstable. This led to Alfredo Stroessner being dictator of Paraguay from 1954 to 1989. Over the course of those three decades Stroessner was accused of the torturing and murdering of thousands of political opponents.

In 1989 Stroessner was finally overthrown by army leader Gen. Andres Rodriguez, and went on to win Paraguay's first multi-candidate election in decades. In 1992, Paraguay's new constitution went into effect, and in 1993, Juan Carlos Wasmosy, a wealthy businessman, won a five-year term in free elections.

Government corruption has continued to plague Paraguay, but through it all the United States has remained a valuable ally despite problems with human rights violations. Most recently in Paraguay (Aug. 1, 2004) a fire at a large supermarket near the Asunción killed almost 400 shoppers and injured hundreds more. Security guards were to blame because they had barred the exits to prevent theft. The supermarket's owners have now been charged with manslaughter.

Important Dates

            The history of Paraguay is marked by a number of dates.

  • 1524 Aleixo García, a Portuguese Explorer, entered Paraguay.
  • 1526 Spanish navigator Sebastian Cabot sailed up the Río de la Plata
  • 1537 Domingo Martínez de Irala became governor of all Spanish territory in southern South America and settled in his new city, Asunción.
  • 1609 The Jesuits established their first Paraguayan mission.
  • 1767 The Jesuits were banished from the entire Spanish empire by King Charles III of Spain.
  • 1811 Paraguay declared its independence from Spain.
  • 1865-1870 Paraguay surrendered to the Alliance of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay.
  • 1932-1935 Paraguay won the Chaco War and gained 91,800 square miles from Bolivia.
  • 1955 The government started a $5 million road-building program.
  • 1957 The government stabilized Paraguay's money and improved its trade.  

Population

            Paraguay boasts perhaps one of the most racially homogenous populations of South America. With a population of approximately 6,191,368, almost 95% of its population is mestizos, people of Spanish and Native American (Guaraní) ancestry, largely due to the missions set up by the Jesuits. This large majority inhabits the eastern third of the country. The minority groups of Paraguay are; the Guaraní people, who inhabit mostly the eastern forest region of the country, Mennonites, individuals of pure Spanish ancestry who live mainly in the capital city, and immigrants from a variety of other countries like Japan and Canada. Almost 43% of the population lives in rural areas. The life expectancy for a Paraguayan male is approximately 72 years while it is 77 years for a female.

Currency

            The monetary unit of Paraguay is the Guaraní. As of 2003 the exchange rate of the Guaraní per US dollar was 6,424.34. This number has steadily increased over the past five years.

 

Education

            Although during the colonial era education was largely limited to the upper class things are much different in Paraguay today. The nation’s literacy rate is 94% (2003 est.). In Paraguay elementary education is free and obligatory for children from 6 to 14 years of age.  After elementary school children attend primary school education which lasts for six years. Lower secondary education lasts for three years and upper secondary education, which is voluntary lasts for another three years. Upper secondary education is divided into general (humanistic and scientific), commercial, technical, and professional branches. Higher education is provided by public and private universities, teacher training institutions, and other university-level professional institutions.  Two major institutions of higher  learning in Paraguay include the National University of Asunción (founded in 1890) and the Catholic University of Our Lady of Asunción (1960).

Language

            Paraguay is a bilingual country.  It has two official languages which are Spanish and Guaraní. Guaraní is spoken by approximately 90% of the people and is used in most folk poems and songs and in books and periodicals. Spanish, also called the language of business and government, is only understood by approximately 75% of the population, and not that widely used. Portuguese is also spoken, but predominant in the area near the Brazilian border.

Religion

The official religion of a large majority of Paraguayans (90%) is Roman Catholic, but freedom of worship is extended to other faiths. There are a number of small Protestant groups and the Mennonite group is the largest.

Agriculture

            Agriculture has been the foundation of the economy throughout Paraguay's history. This trend continued unabated in the late 1980s as the agricultural sector generally accounted for 48 percent of the nation's employment, and 98 percent of its export earnings. Paraguayan agriculture is largely comprised of strong food and cash cropss base with livestock as a smaller segment, and a vital timber industry.  From the early 1970s to the early 1980s, growth in agriculture grew rapidly, during a period when cotton and soybean prices soared and cropland under cultivation expanded due to agricultural colonization; but during the mid- to late 1980s growth in agriculture slowed. Agricultural output was routinely affected by weather conditions like, the floods of 1982 and 1983 and severe droughts in 1986. Today’s agricultural industry of Paraguay is doing better. Its main crops are cotton, sugarcane, soybeans, corn, wheat, tobacco, and cassava, while its food animal industry produces mostly beef, pork, eggs, and milk. As stated earlier timber is also one of the nation’s major “cash cows”. With a labor force of about 2.5 million, agriculture makes up about 45% of all the labor in the entire nation while agricultural activities, most of which are for export, account for about 21.1% of GDP.

Trade

            Trade is a major part of the economic infrastructure of Paraguay. Some of Paraguay’s major trading partners are Argentina, Bermuda, Brazil, Chile, Hong Kong and the United States. Paraguayans export soybeans, feed, cotton, meat, edible oils, and electricity which bring in $2.727 billion per year.  As far as imports, Paraguay imports $2.77 billion in items each year. They import road vehicles, consumer goods, tobacco, petroleum products, and electrical machinery.  It has been said that Paraguayans prefer imported goods. It is for that reason that an underground economy, which is not included in the national accounts, may equal the formal economy in size. The bulk of alternative activity centers on the unregistered sale of imported goods is in computers, sound equipment, cameras, liquor, and cigarettes.

 

Food

            Paraguayan cuisine consists of a mixture of Spanish and Guaraní dishes. Meat dishes as well as tropical and subtropical foodstuffs play an important role in the Paraguayan diet. While grains, like maize, and cassava are incorporated into almost every meal. A few popular dishes are locro, a maize stew, mbaipy so-ó; a hot maize pudding with meat chunks, and sooyo sopy, a thick soup made of ground meat and served with rice or noodles.  A popular dessert, made of manioc flour, eggs and cheese is called Chipas. This dessert is sold on partically every street corner of Asunción. Tea or mate is also consumed in large quantities. Two other beverages that Paraguayans enjoy, but are usually prohibited are mosto (sugar-cane juice) and caña (cane alcohol).

Landmarks

            Paraguay has a number of landmarks that visitors and inhabitants alike can enjoy.  Two natural treasures that attracted thousands each year are Monday Falls and “The Three Borders”. Monday Falls is made up of three separate falls. They are surrounded by lush vegetation and are approximately 133 feet high. This site is usually visited by car. “The Three Borders” is another popular tourist attraction. Approximately 23km from the Iguassu Falls this site offers a panoramic view of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. Two museums that are quite popular are the Bertoni Museum and The Natural History Museum. The Zoo is also popular. The Natural History Museum and Zoo offers a number of programs that are supposed to center around environmental education. Two other great places to visit while in Paraguay are the Jesuit Missions and Ciudad Del Este City, one of the largest shopping centers in all of South America.

Cristal Williams