Paraguay

Paraguay is a landlocked country in the heart of South America, between Bolivia, Brazil and Argentina. The Paraná–Paraguay Waterway, shared by five countries, gives it a route to the Atlantic. Asunción is the capital, and Spanish and Guaraní are both official; more Paraguayans speak Guaraní than Spanish.

The Guaraní lived in eastern Paraguay for at least a thousand years before Spanish explorers arrived. Juan de Salazar de Espinosa founded Asunción on 15 August 1537, and in the 17th century Paraguay was the center of the Jesuit missions. Paraguay broke from Spain on 14 May 1811, and José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia led the new state. In the war against the Triple Alliance of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay from 1864 to 1870 the country lost a large part of its territory. Paraguay won the Chaco War with Bolivia of 1932 to 1935.

Paraguay is a unitary presidential republic of a capital district and 17 departments. Exports of beef and soybeans, manufacturing and construction drive the economy. The Itaipu Dam on the Paraná River, shared with Brazil, produces more energy than almost any other dam and makes Paraguay a major exporter of hydroelectricity. The country helped found Mercosur, and the South American Football Confederation has its seat in Luque, near Asunción.

The ruins of the 18th-century Jesuit missions of La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná and Jesús de Tavarangue are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Ñandutí lace and ao po'í embroidery show the blend of Guaraní and Spanish crafts. Polkas, galopas and guaranias are played on the Paraguayan harp. Sopa paraguaya, a dense corn bread, and chipa, a ring-shaped bread of manioc starch and cheese, are everyday foods.