Paraguay

Paraguay is a landlocked country located in the central region of South America.

Being landlocked means the country has no direct coastline on an ocean. It is surrounded by three neighbors: Bolivia to the northwest and north, Brazil to the northeast and east, and Argentina to the south, southeast, and west.

To reach the Atlantic Ocean, Paraguay uses the Paraná–Paraguay Waterway. The nation is a unitary presidential republic. It consists of one capital district and seventeen departments. Asunción is the capital city and the largest urban center in the country.

The history of the region began long before European arrival. For at least a millennium, the indigenous Guaraní people lived in eastern Paraguay.

In the west, the Gran Chaco region was home to nomadic groups. The Guaycuru were the most prominent of these nomads. The Paraguay River served as a dividing line between these two groups. The Guaraní were agricultural people living in the east. The Guaycuru and other groups like the Mbayá were nomadic or seminomadic in the west. The Mbayá were known for their warrior traditions.

Spanish explorers arrived in the area in 1524. In 1537, Juan de Salazar de Espinosa founded the settlement of Asunción.

This city became the center of a Spanish colonial province. During the 18th century, Jesuit missions became very important. The Jesuits established reductions to bring Guaraní populations together. These missions aimed to protect natives from Spanish settlers and Portuguese slave raiders called bandeirantes. The missions also sought to convert the people to Christianity. This period of Jesuit influence lasted about 150 years. It ended when the Spanish Crown expelled the Jesuits in 1767. Today, the ruins of the La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná and Jesús de Tavarangue missions are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Paraguay gained independence from Spain in the early 19th century. Following independence, the country experienced many authoritarian governments. One early leader was José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia.

He ruled from 1814 until 1840 and was nicknamed El Supremo. Francia wanted to create a society based on the theories of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He passed laws to reduce the power of the Catholic Church. He also encouraged a mixed-race or mestizo society by restricting marriages among colonial citizens. After Francia, the López family took control. Carlos Antonio López modernized the country and opened it to foreign trade. His son, Francisco Solano López, followed him. The López family ruled the country almost like a large private estate.

This era of centralized control led to the Paraguayan War from 1864 to 1870.

The conflict began when Brazil invaded Uruguay. Paraguay retaliated by attacking Mato Grosso and later declaring war on Argentina. The Triple Alliance—consisting of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay—formed a secret treaty against Paraguay. The war was extremely violent. The Battle of Tuyutí was the bloodiest battle in South American history. By the end of the war in 1870, Paraguay had suffered massive losses. The country lost half of its prewar population. It also lost between 25% and 33% of its total territory.

In the 20th century, Paraguay faced the Chaco War from 1932 to 1935. This was a conflict fought against Bolivia. Paraguay prevailed in this war. Later, the country experienced a long period of military dictatorships. This included a 35-year regime under Alfredo Stroessner. He was overthrown in 1989 by an internal military coup. This event began the current era of democracy in Paraguay. Today, the nation is a developing country. It ranks 99th on the Human Development Index. However, it has the seventh highest GDP per capita in South America. Its economy is one of the fastest growing in the Western Hemisphere.

Modern Paraguay relies on several key industries for its growth. The country is a leading exporter of beef and soybeans. It also has a strong manufacturing and construction sector. A major source of wealth is hydroelectricity. The Itaipu Dam is located on the Paraná River at the border with Brazil.

It is the third largest hydroelectric dam in the world regarding produced energy. Culturally, the country is very unique. Most of the 6 million residents are mestizo. The Guaraní culture remains very influential. More than 90% of the population speaks Guaraní dialects alongside Spanish. This is the highest rate of indigenous language fluency in Latin America.

In 2014, a poll even ranked Paraguay as the "world's happiest place."