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Paraguay (/ˈpærəɡwaɪ/; Spanish pronunciation: [paɾaˈɣwaj] (listen)), officially the Republic of Paraguay (Spanish: República del Paraguay; Guarani: Tetã Paraguái), is a 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 7 million, nearly 3 million of whom live in the capital and largest city of Asunción, and its surrounding metro. Although one of only two landlocked countries in South America (Bolivia is the other), Paraguay has ports on the Paraguay and Paraná rivers that give exit to the Atlantic Ocean, through the Paraná-Paraguay Waterway.

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, with few urban centers and settlers. Following independence from Spain in the early 19th century, Paraguay was ruled by a series of authoritarian governments characterized by nationalist, isolationist and protectionist policies. This period ended with the disastrous Paraguayan War (1864–70), during which the country lost half its prewar population and around 25–33% of its territory to the Triple Alliance of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. In the 20th century, Paraguay faced another major international conflict—the Chaco War (1932–35) against Bolivia—in which it prevailed. Afterwards, 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 democratic era, which continues to this day.

Paraguay is a developing country. 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 Asuncion, is the seat of the South American Football Confederation.

The majority of Paraguay's seven 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. Despite a history of poverty and political repression, in a 2017 Positive Experience Index based on global polling data, Paraguay ranked as the "world's happiest place". (Full article...)

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Paraná River seen from Zárate, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

The Paraná River (Spanish: Río Paraná Spanish pronunciation: [ˈri.o paɾaˈna] (listen), Portuguese: Rio Paraná, Guarani: Ysyry Parana) is a river in south Central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina for some 4,880 kilometres (3,030 mi). It is second in length only to the Amazon River among South American rivers. It merges with the Paraguay River and then farther downstream with the Uruguay River to form the Río de la Plata and empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

The first European to go up the Paraná River was the Venetian explorer Sebastian Cabot, in 1526, while working for Spain. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Guaraní ceramics (from History of Paraguay)
Image 2José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, Paraguay's first dictator. (from Paraguay)
Image 3López as a military leader, 1866 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 4Development of life expectancy (from Paraguay)
Image 5Eduardo Schaerer (from History of Paraguay)
Image 6Locations of Jesuit reductions (from History of Paraguay)
Image 7Map of Paraguay and surrounding regions, 1756 CE (from History of Paraguay)
Image 8Francisco Solano López (from Paraguay)
Image 9Collage of images of the Paraguayan War (from History of Paraguay)
Image 10Paraguayan marines at Ancon Marine Base (from Paraguay)
Image 11Paraguay map of Köppen climate classification (from Paraguay)
Image 12Ovecha Ragué Festival (from Paraguay)
Image 13Railway station in Asunción (from History of Paraguay)
Image 14Flag (from Paraguay)
Image 15Jesuit reduction of Trinidad (from History of Paraguay)
Image 16Paraguayan recruits during the Chaco war (from Paraguay)
Image 17Lithograph of José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, a 19th-century ruler of Paraguay, with a mate and its respective bombilla (from History of Paraguay)
Image 18Main Catholic Chapel in Concepción, Paraguay (from Paraguay)
Image 19Flag from 1812 to 1826 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 20Carlos Antonio López (from History of Paraguay)
Image 21
Location of Paraguay (dark green)
in South America (grey)
(from Paraguay)
Image 22A Payagua chief (from History of Paraguay)
Image 23Independence leaders Caballero, Yegros, Francia (from History of Paraguay)
Image 24Asunción Cathedral, built in 1845 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 25The Paraguay Squadron (Harper's Weekly, New York, 16 October 1858) (from History of Paraguay)
Image 26Colonial era crucifix (from History of Paraguay)
Image 27Asunción, the capital of Paraguay. (from History of Paraguay)
Image 28Political map of the region, 1864 (from Paraguay)
Image 29Belgrano's campaign against Paraguay (from History of Paraguay)
Image 30Provisional flag, May–June 1811 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 31Monument of Juan de Salazar de Espinosa in Asuncion (from History of Paraguay)
Image 32Allied warships in the port of Asuncion, 1869 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 33Flag from 1826 to 1842 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 34A proportional representation of Paraguay exports, 2019 (from Paraguay)
Image 35Ruins of Tavarangue reduction (from History of Paraguay)
Image 36Change in per capita GDP of Paraguay. Figures are inflation-adjusted to 2011 International dollars. (from Paraguay)
Image 37Sebastian Cabot (from History of Paraguay)
Image 38Cirilo Antonio Rivarola (from History of Paraguay)
Image 39Inauguration of former President Horacio Cartes, 15 August 2013 (from Paraguay)
Image 40Bernardino Caballero (from History of Paraguay)
Image 41Paraguay (from History of Paraguay)
Image 42A gathering in Caacupé (from Paraguay)
Image 43Gran Chaco was the site of the Chaco War (1932–35), in which Bolivia lost most of the disputed territory to Paraguay (from Paraguay)
Image 44Flag from 1842 to 1954 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 45Paraguay 1890 anniversary stamp (from History of Paraguay)
Image 46In Asunción, the Ycuá Satí neighbourhood is where the city's central business district is located. In the picture, the World Trade Center Asunción can be seen in the background. Paraguay. (from Paraguay)
Image 47Paraguayan soldiers in Chaco (from History of Paraguay)
Image 48Map of Paraguay province around 1600 CE (from History of Paraguay)
Image 49Paraguayan Legion soldiers in 1866 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 50Paraguay population density (people per km²) (from Paraguay)
Image 51Paraguay 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 52José Félix Estigarribia (from History of Paraguay)
Image 53Domingo Martinez de Irala (from History of Paraguay)
Image 54A half-naked Paraguayan soldier on sentry duty at Solano López's headquarters (from History of Paraguay)
Image 55Palace of Lopez, started in 1857, now the Palace of the President (from History of Paraguay)
Image 56Francisco Solano López during his trip to Europe, 1854 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 57The Battle of Tuyutí, May 1866 (from Paraguay)
Image 58As 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 59Grazing cattle, Paraguay (from History of Paraguay)
Image 60Pedro Juan Caballero demands shared power from governor Velasco on the night of May 14, 1811. (from History of Paraguay)
Image 61Territorial disputes between Paraguay and its neighbors, 1864 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 62Political map of the region, 1864 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 63Provisional flag, 1812 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 64Nacunday National Park, Southern Paraguay. (from Paraguay)
Image 65Provisional flag, 1812 (from History of Paraguay)
Image 66Chaco war map (from History of Paraguay)