Paraguay

Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay (Spanish: República del Paraguay), is a small country in South America. It is landlocked, meaning that it is not next to the ocean. It is bordered to the North and East by Brazil, the West by Bolivia, and the South and Southeast by Argentina. The main languages are Spanish and Guaraní. Paraguay's population is about 6 million. The ethnic makeup of the population is the following: Mestizo (mixed European and Amerindian) 80%, European 20%, unmixed Amerindian 1-3%, Asian 1-4%. Over (20%) of the population lives below the poverty line. Paraguay has two official languages, Spanish and Guaraní. Guaraní is recognized as a national language. The capital city is Asuncion. Asuncion was founded in 1537 by a Spaniard named Juan de Salazar. Paraguay was a colony of Spain, but became independent in 1811. From 1865-1870 Paraguay lost land and most of its male population in the War of the Triple Alliance against Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. It gained land in the Chaco War against Bolivia in the 1930s. Paraguay's main religion is Roman Catholicism. The weather is humid in the east and dry in the west. Government and politics Administrative subdivisions Paraguay has 17 departments and one capital district (Distrito Capital). The departments are formed by districts. The departments are grouped in two geographic regions, separated by the Paraguay river: Occidental (Western) region or Chaco, to the north of the Paraguay river (departments: Alto Paraguay, Boquerón and Presidente Hayes) Oriental (Eastern) region, to the south of the Paraguay river (departments: Alto Paraná, Amambay, Caaguazú, Caazapá, Canindeyú, Central, Concepción, Cordillera, Guairá, Itapúa, Misiones, Paraguarí, San Pedro and Ñeembucú; the capital district is part of this region)