Americas · South America
Paraguay
Republic of Paraguay
Geography and territory
Paraguay is a landlocked nation at the very heart of South America, one of only two countries on the continent, along with Bolivia, with no coastline. Covering 406,752 square kilometers, the country is bisected by the Paraguay River into two starkly different halves: the Eastern Region, home to the vast majority of the population, and the Western Region, better known as the Chaco. Though it borders no sea, Paraguay’s river system gives it access to the Atlantic via the Paraguay-Paraná waterway, a vital artery for trade with neighboring Brazil and Argentina.
The Eastern Region is a land of rolling hills, subtropical forest, fertile red soil, and abundant rivers, and it is here that most Paraguayans live and farm. The mighty Paraná River, which forms much of the border with Brazil and Argentina, is home to the Itaipu Dam, one of the largest hydroelectric complexes on Earth. The Chaco, by contrast, spans roughly 60 percent of national territory yet holds less than 5 percent of the population — a semi-arid expanse of thorn forest, palm groves, and scrubland that floods into wetland during the rainy season and bakes under a punishing subtropical sun in summer, with temperatures regularly topping 104°F (40°C).
Paraguay’s terrain is famously flat; its highest point, Cerro Peró, rises to just 842 meters, making the country one of the least mountainous in South America. What it lacks in elevation, it makes up for in water. The Paraguay, Paraná, Pilcomayo, and Apa rivers, together with the wetlands of the Paraguayan Pantanal and the Ñeembucú marshes in the south, form ecologically vital freshwater systems that support extraordinary biodiversity, from caimans and capybaras to jaguars roaming the northern Chaco.
History
Paraguay was among the first Spanish colonies in South America to break free of Madrid, declaring independence on May 15, 1811, largely without bloodshed. Long before that, Spanish settlers and Guarani women had intermarried extensively, forging a mestizo culture and a bilingual identity unlike anywhere else on the continent. Between the 17th and 18th centuries, Jesuit missionaries established a network of reducciones, self-sufficient Guarani communities renowned for their craftsmanship, music, and relative autonomy from colonial exploitation, whose ruins still stand today.
The defining tragedy of Paraguayan history is the War of the Triple Alliance (1864–1870), in which Paraguay stood alone against the combined forces of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. It remains the deadliest conflict in South American history: the country’s population collapsed from roughly 525,000 to fewer than 220,000, and its adult male population was nearly wiped out. Marshal Francisco Solano López, who led the country through the war, is remembered as a national hero and died fighting at Cerro Corá in 1870.
Six decades later, the Chaco War (1932–1935) against Bolivia, fought over the arid Chaco Boreal, cost tens of thousands of lives on both sides before ending in a costly Paraguayan victory. The 20th century’s other defining chapter was the long dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner, who ruled from 1954 to 1989 in one of Latin America’s most durable authoritarian regimes. Since his fall, Paraguay has built a functioning democracy, though its institutions are still maturing and political stability has been uneven at times.
Culture and society
Few countries anywhere match Paraguay’s linguistic character. Guarani, an indigenous language spoken by more than 90 percent of the population, holds equal official status with Spanish, an extraordinary distinction on a continent where native languages were largely suppressed. Most Paraguayans speak jopará, an everyday blend of Spanish and Guarani, and pride in this dual heritage runs deep across all social classes.
Music occupies a special place in Paraguayan identity, above all the Paraguayan harp, whose crystalline tone defines both the lively polca paraguaya and the guarania, a slower, more melancholic genre created by composer José Asunción Flores in 1925. “Pájaro Campana” (“Bell Bird”) is perhaps the country’s best-known musical export. The danza de la botella, in which a dancer balances a stack of bottles atop her head while performing intricate footwork, remains one of the country’s most striking folk traditions.
Paraguayan society is close-knit, hospitable, and centered on the extended family. Devotion to the Virgin of Caacupé, the country’s patron saint, culminates each December 8 in a pilgrimage that draws hundreds of thousands of the faithful to her basilica. Artisans are celebrated for ñandutí, an intricately delicate needle lace from the town of Itauguá, and for the pottery traditions of Itá and Tobatí, crafts passed down through generations of women.
Economy
Agriculture and livestock form the backbone of Paraguay’s economy, with soybeans as the dominant export crop; the country ranks among the world’s largest soy exporters. Vast pastures in both the Chaco and the Eastern Region have also made Paraguay a significant global exporter of beef, alongside corn, wheat, sugar, and rice.
Hydroelectric power is a defining national asset. The Itaipu Dam, built and operated jointly with Brazil, is one of the largest power plants on the planet and produces far more electricity than Paraguay itself consumes, allowing it to export the surplus. The smaller Yacyretá Dam, shared with Argentina, adds further capacity. As a result, Paraguay generates nearly all of its electricity from clean, renewable sources, a rare distinction worldwide.
Cross-border commerce, centered on Ciudad del Este near the Brazil-Argentina-Paraguay tri-border area, has long been an important economic engine. With a GDP of about $49.3 billion, Paraguay’s economy remains one of the smallest in South America, but it has posted solid growth in recent decades. Persistent challenges include unequal land distribution, a large informal labor sector, deforestation in the Chaco, and the need to build industries that add value to raw agricultural exports rather than shipping them unprocessed.
Food and cuisine
Corn and cassava, staples inherited from Guarani foodways, anchor Paraguayan cuisine. Sopa paraguaya, despite its name, is not a soup at all but a dense, savory cornbread baked with cheese, onion, and milk, the country’s signature dish, said to have originated by happy accident in the kitchen of 19th-century president Carlos Antonio López. Chipa, a cheesy cassava-starch roll flavored with egg, is another everyday staple, eaten at any hour and especially around Easter.
Other beloved dishes include mbejú, a crisp cassava-starch griddle cake filled with cheese; sopa so’o, a hearty beef and rice soup; borí borí, a soup studded with cornmeal-and-cheese dumplings; and chipa guazú, a moister, fresh-corn cousin of sopa paraguaya. Asado a la estaca, large cuts of beef staked upright and slow-roasted beside an open fire, is the centerpiece of family gatherings and festive occasions.
No description of Paraguayan life is complete without tereré, the national drink: yerba mate steeped in ice-cold water, often infused with medicinal herbs like mint, lemon verbena, or horsetail, and sipped from a shared guampa throughout the day. Unlike the hot mate favored in neighboring Argentina and Uruguay, tereré is a year-round, all-day social ritual especially prized in the punishing Chaco heat. Cocido quemado, a caramelized, sugar-toasted yerba mate infusion, is another everyday favorite.
Tourism and landmarks
The ruins of the Jesuit missions are Paraguay’s foremost historical treasure and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At Trinidad and Jesús de Tavarangue, in the Itapúa department, carved stone churches, plazas, and workshops bear witness to the remarkable Guarani-Jesuit communities that flourished here in the 17th and 18th centuries. Asunción, the capital, blends colonial landmarks such as the Casa de la Independencia and the López Palace with a revitalized riverside promenade and historic neighborhoods like Loma San Jerónimo.
In the far north of the Chaco lies the Paraguayan Pantanal, an extension of the vast wetland shared with Brazil and Bolivia, offering exceptional wildlife viewing: jaguars, tapirs, capybaras, caimans, anacondas, and hundreds of bird species thrive here. Encarnación, known as Paraguay’s summer capital, draws crowds to its riverside beaches on the Paraná and hosts the country’s liveliest carnival, complete with samba troupes and elaborate parade floats.
Nature and history combine elsewhere too: Salto Cristal, Paraguay’s tallest waterfall, and Cerro Corá National Park, site of Marshal López’s last stand, are popular day trips. San Bernardino, on the shores of Lake Ypacaraí, remains the country’s classic lakeside resort town, packed with hotels, restaurants, and water sports each summer.
Fun facts about Paraguay
- Paraguay is the only country in Latin America where an indigenous language, Guarani, is spoken by the overwhelming majority of the population and holds full official status alongside Spanish.
- The Itaipu Dam, shared with Brazil, was for decades the world’s single largest producer of hydroelectric power, and building it required moving enough iron and steel to construct hundreds of Eiffel Towers.
- The War of the Triple Alliance (1864–1870) killed an estimated 60 to 70 percent of the population, ranking among the worst demographic catastrophes in modern history.
- Ñandutí, Paraguay’s iconic lace, takes its Guarani name from the words for “spiderweb,” a nod to its impossibly fine, radiating patterns.
- Tereré, ice-cold herbal mate, is sipped communally from a single shared cup nearly everywhere in Paraguay, at almost any hour of the day.
- Paraguay has never lost a war it fought defensively, winning the Chaco War outright and resisting the Triple Alliance to the point of near-total exhaustion.
Bordering countries of Paraguay
Frequently asked questions about Paraguay
What is the capital of Paraguay?
The capital of Paraguay is Asunción.
What is the population of Paraguay?
Paraguay has a population of approximately 7,013,078 people (7.0 million).
What language is spoken in Paraguay?
The official language of Paraguay is Spanish and Guarani.
What currency is used in Paraguay?
The currency of Paraguay is the Paraguayan Guaraní (PYG).
How big is Paraguay?
Paraguay covers an area of 406,752 km².
What type of government does Paraguay have?
Paraguay is a unitary presidential republic.
Which countries border Paraguay?
Paraguay shares land borders with Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia.
What is the highest point in Paraguay?
The highest point in Paraguay is Cerro Peró (842 m).
