Portal:Paraguay

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Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. It has a population of around 6.1 million, nearly 2.3 million of whom live in the capital and largest city of Asunción, and its surrounding metro area.

Spanish conquistadores arrived in 1524, and in 1537 established the city of Asunción, the first capital of the Governorate of the Río de la Plata. During the 17th century, Paraguay was the center of Jesuit missions, where the native Guaraní people were converted to Christianity and introduced to European culture. After the expulsion of the Jesuits from Spanish territories in 1767, Paraguay increasingly became a peripheral colony. Following independence from Spain in the early 19th century, Paraguay was ruled by a series of authoritarian governments. This period ended with the disastrous Paraguayan War (1864–1870), during which the country lost half its prewar population and around 25–33% of its territory. In the 20th century, Paraguay faced another major international conflict—the Chaco War (1932–1935) against Bolivia—in which Paraguay prevailed. The country came under a succession of military dictators, culminating in the 35-year regime of Alfredo Stroessner, which lasted until his overthrow in 1989 by an internal military coup. This marked the beginning of Paraguay's current democratic era.

Paraguay is a developing country, ranking 105th in the Human Development Index. It is a founding member of Mercosur, the United Nations, the Organization of American States, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Lima Group. Additionally, the city of Luque, in metropolitan Asunción, is the seat of the South American Football Confederation.

While it is the only landlocked country in South America besides Bolivia, Paraguayan ports are able to access the Atlantic Ocean via the Paraná–Paraguay Waterway. The majority of Paraguay's 6 million people are mestizo, and Guarani culture remains widely influential; more than 90% of the population speak various dialects of the Guarani language alongside Spanish. Paraguay's GDP per capita PPP is the seventh-highest in South America. In a 2014 Positive Experience Index based on global polling data, Paraguay ranked as the "world's happiest place". (Full article...)

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Carmen Casco de Lara Castro (17 June 1918 – 8 May 1993) was a Paraguayan teacher, women's and human rights advocate, and politician. She established one of the first independent human rights organizations in Latin America and fought for both women's equality and an end to state-sponsored terrorism under the dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner. She was influential in passing legislation for pay equity and maternity rights, as well as securing the repeal of laws curtailing basic human rights.

Born into an influential family, Casco was educated as a teacher and taught from the end of the 1930s to 1965. Having relatives sent into exile and witnessing the devastation of two wars, she was propelled into working to alleviate the suffering of those who were more marginalized than she. Initially she began working on issues involving women and political prisoners. When elected to serve on the 1967 Constitutional Assembly, she worked to have basic human rights added to the Paraguayan Constitution. One of the founders of the Commission for the Defense of Human Rights of Paraguay, she became its president and served in that capacity until her death. Unable to prosecute those who abused others' liberties, the organization focused on providing aid to victims but also compiled information on those who had been forcibly "disappeared". (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various Paraguay-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Paraguayan Legion soldiers in 1866 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 2Gran Chaco was the site of the Chaco War (1932–35), in which Bolivia lost most of the disputed territory to Paraguay (from Paraguay)
Image 3Provisional flag, 1812 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 4Inauguration of former President Horacio Cartes, 15 August 2013 (from Paraguay)
Image 5Grazing cattle, Paraguay (from History of Paraguay)
Image 6Nacunday National Park, Southern Paraguay (from Paraguay)
Image 7Bernardino Caballero (from History of Paraguay)
Image 8Köppen climate classification (from Paraguay)
Image 9Political map of the region, 1864 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 10Railway station in Asunción (from History of Paraguay)
Image 11Paraguay population density (people per km²) (from Paraguay)
Image 12Map of Paraguay and surrounding regions, 1756 CE (from History of Paraguay)
Image 13Cirilo Antonio Rivarola (from History of Paraguay)
Image 14Estadio Defensores del Chaco (from Paraguay)
Image 15Independence leaders Caballero, Yegros, Francia (from History of Paraguay)
Image 16Paraguayan marines at Ancon Marine Base (from Paraguay)
Image 17The Paraguay Squadron (Harper's Weekly, New York, 16 October 1858) (from History of Paraguay)
Image 18Paraguay after the war with main battle sites (in yellow). Gran Chaco not included as it was still a disputed territory. (from History of Paraguay)
Image 19Provisional flag, May–June 1811 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 20A half-naked Paraguayan soldier on sentry duty at Solano López's headquarters (from History of Paraguay)
Image 21José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, Paraguay's first dictator (from Paraguay)
Image 22Provisional flag, 1812 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 23Pedro Juan Caballero demands shared power from governor Velasco on the night of May 14, 1811. (from History of Paraguay)
Image 24Allied warships in the port of Asuncion, 1869 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 25Locations of Jesuit reductions (from History of Paraguay)
Image 26Belgrano's campaign against Paraguay (from History of Paraguay)
Image 27Sebastian Cabot (from History of Paraguay)
Image 28Carlos Antonio López (from History of Paraguay)
Image 29José Félix Estigarribia (from History of Paraguay)
Image 30Guaraní ceramics (from History of Paraguay)
Image 31Jesuit reduction of Trinidad (from History of Paraguay)
Image 32Eduardo Schaerer (from History of Paraguay)
Image 33Paraguay (from History of Paraguay)
Image 34Domingo Martinez de Irala (from History of Paraguay)
Image 35The Battle of Tuyutí, May 1866 (from Paraguay)
Image 36Flag from 1842 to 1954 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 37Francisco Solano López (from Paraguay)
Image 38A gathering in Caacupé (from Paraguay)
Image 39Main Catholic Chapel in Concepción, Paraguay (from Paraguay)
Image 40Development of life expectancy (from Paraguay)
Image 41A Payagua chief (from History of Paraguay)
Image 42Asunción Cathedral, built in 1845 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 43Map of Paraguay province around 1600 CE (from History of Paraguay)
Image 44Paraguay 1890 anniversary stamp (from History of Paraguay)
Image 45Flag from 1812 to 1826 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 46Monument of Juan de Salazar de Espinosa in Asuncion (from History of Paraguay)
Image 47As one of the most important resort towns in Paraguay, San Bernardino, which was founded by German settlers in the 19th century, has one of the highest purchasing power parities in the country. (from Paraguay)
Image 48López as a military leader, 1866 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 49Flag from 1826 to 1842 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 50Lithograph of José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, a 19th-century ruler of Paraguay, with a mate and its respective bombilla (from History of Paraguay)
Image 51Palace of Lopez, started in 1857, now the Palace of the President (from History of Paraguay)
Image 52
Eastern Paraguay (Paraneña)

Western Paraguay (Chaco)
(from Paraguay)
Image 53Paraguayan soldiers in Chaco (from History of Paraguay)
Image 54Francisco Solano López during his trip to Europe, 1854 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 55Collage of images of the Paraguayan War (from History of Paraguay)
Image 56Ovecha Ragué Festival (from Paraguay)
Image 57Territorial disputes between Paraguay and its neighbors, 1864 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 58Colonial era crucifix (from History of Paraguay)
Image 59Ruins of Tavarangue reduction (from History of Paraguay)
Image 60Asunción, the capital of Paraguay. (from History of Paraguay)
Image 61Chaco war map (from History of Paraguay)
Image 62Political map of the region, 1864 (from Paraguay)