Paraguay Travel Guide

Paraguay is a country of South America, lined in the northwest and in the North by Bolivia, in the East by Brazil, in the South and in southwest by the Argentina.
His total surface represents 406 752 km2 and its territory, as that of Bolivia, has no access to the sea. Asunción is the capital of the country.
The río Paraguay divides the country into two very contrasted regions: on the West, Chaco or western Paraguay, in the East, Paraguay strictly speaking, or oriental Paraguay. Chaco contains a part of the alluvial plain which extends from Paraguay to Bolivia, on the West, in Argentina, in the South, and in Brazil, in the East. Green plains, swamps and forests of stunted shrubs recover this region. Oriental Paraguay corresponds mainly to the continuation of the tray(plateau) of Paraná. This tray(plateau), the height of which varies between 305 and 610 m, forms an important catchment basin which includes high Paraná, río Paraguay and río Pilcomayo, as well as lake Ypoa and of numerous spectacular falls such as the falls of Guairá.

The climate of Paraguay is subtropical. In the city of Asunción, the average temperatures vary between 17°C in July and 27°C in January. In the Chaco and in the other regions of the North, the temperatures often achieve 38°C.
The main resources of Paraguay live in its fertile soil and its forests, mineral resources being little numerous. However, the territory possesses reserves of limestone, copper, clay and oil. Besides, streams constitute a considerable hydroelectric wealth.
The population of Paraguay is estimated to 4 280 000 inhabitants. The paraguayan population contains three big categories: the Half-bloods, who constitute more than 90 % of the inhabitants, the Amerindians, essentially Guaranis, and the descendants of Europeans and Asiatics, to whom it is necessary to add the immigrants from Japan, from Italy, from Portugal or from Canada. More half of the Paraguayan lives in rural regions.

Paraguay consists of 17 departments, more that of the capital, Asunción. These departments (or provinces) divide into districts, themselves subdivided into municipalities and into rural districts. Asunción, Encarnación, Concepción, Coronel Oviedo, Caaguaz ú and Ciudad del Este constitute the main cities of the country.
If Spanish constitutes the official language, a big part of the population speaks the guarani.