Paraguay

Overview

The landscape is demarcated by the Paraguay River. The west holds the jungle and scrub of the Chaco home to the indigenous Guarani Indians. This contrasts with the heavier populated east with fertile, forested countryside. The large number of national parks allows a large amount of birdlife to survive as well as other wildlife. One way of experiencing these is to take a boat trip and allow the parks and their denizens to gently pass by. There are some impressive waterfalls including the Guaira, Iguazú and Monday, the latter two being accessible from Ciudad del Este.

Concepción can be reached by river from the capital Asunción. Both the cities have historical roots with the latter having a particularly colourful political history.

History

Colonized for 3 centuries by the Spanish, since the 1500s, Paraguay has managed to keep a lot of it indigenous character and identity. Nowadays, the mestizos (Spanish + Amerindian) account for more than 90% of the country's 6 million inhabitants and Guarani is, side by side with Spanish, the country's official language. In the past, Franciscan and Jesuit missions mingled with the Guaranis' dream of Yvy maraë´y, a land without evil, and produced singular societies. The ruins of the Jesuit Missions of La Santisima Trinidad de Parana and Jesus de Tavarangue, UNESCO World Heritage sites, and several villages throughout the country, are witnesses to that peaceful past. But Paraguay also has a history of blood and tears. In the disastrous War of the Triple Alliance (1865-70), waged by the allied forces of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, the country lost two-thirds of all adult males and much of its territory. It stagnated economically for the next half century. In the Chaco War of 1932-35, large, economically important areas were won from Bolivia. The 35-year military dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner was overthrown in 1989, and, despite a marked increase in political infighting in recent years, democratic governors have been in power since then.